FILM ON PRODUCTION NOW!
I am an Ethiopian-German Female Artist who lives in Berlin & Toronto. I am an actress and filmmaker. I am interested in creating a safer space, empower females and minority narratives, since they haven’t been voiced enough. As advocate for intersectional diversity in media and as educator at Universities I am raising awareness for a progressive society.
BENITA BAILEY
IS CHANGING THE GAME
29.11. Premier Blues in SchwarzWeiss at Gorki Theater Berlin
ACTING
Incredibly diverse interest meets a rebellious voice and a tendency to be more of a natural beauty – ready to inspire the future of Germany’s and Canada’s acting world.
Find her on screen:
starring as the lead in DIE PFLEGIONÄRIN at ARD MEDIATHEK
starring as Esma Haile in ALLES GELOGEN at ARD MEDIATHEK
starring as Frau Saby in ECHT FRIENDS at ZDF MEDIATHEK
CREATING
#yellit
#Yell It From The Mountain is a show featuring Black artists of the performing arts. Since the death of George Floyd and the revival of the BLACK LIVES MATTER movement, the discussion about racism and structural racism has globally been reignited. As much as these discussions are necessary as artists we need to have a safe space where we can talk freely about our art without having to explain world order issues that continuously allow for our oppression.
#Yellit season 4 has been supported by 'power of the arts' and takes place in cooperation with Metfilmschool Berlin. Season 4 was launched Interfilmfestival Berlin in 2023. The most recent screening took place on September 29th, 2024 at the Africa Filmfest in Cologne.
#diasporakidz
Diasporakidz is a collective of performing artists from all over Canada who came together digitally to create a new piece with the working title "No one knows yet" With the support of the MAI and grounded in Diane Roberts Arrivals Legacy Project the collective has created an environment for the voices and the stories of their ancestors to not only emerge from them but also mingle with each other. Through these stories a new piece linking their past, present and future will be created. While doing so Diasporakidz will be implementing and testing out real and practical ways of decolonizing not only ideas of performance, from the rehearsal hall to the stage, but most importantly of themselves.
The „Kidz“ look back to a full-filling residency last summer at Galiano Island and a residency at Playwrights Workshop Montréal in December 2022. They recently secured funding from Canada Council for the Arts to finish their research phase in June 2023 and are heading into realising their production as of fall. Their first performance will took place at prismatic arts festival in Halifax in October 2023. A stage debut is planned for 2025.
EDUCATING
Lecturer at UDK, Berlin, Performing Arts (SoSe 2024)
Lecturer at UDK Berlin, Studium Generale (SoSe 2024)
Lecturer at MetFilmschool Berlin & Leeds, BA Acting (2023)
Lecturer at Macromedia University Cours Florent Berlin, Basics Seminar Acting (2021)
Guest Lecturer at Ludwig-Maximillians-University Munich, Dramaturgy (2021)
Guest Lecturer at Filmakademie Ludwigsburg
Co-facilitator assisting Diane Roberts @ CREAM, University of Westminster, UK & Concordia University Montreal (2021)
Workshop Facilitator, Advisor & Speaker on the topic of Diversity in Film (since 2020)
Heirs
May and Bobby meet after the death of their mother at the estate administrator’s office. Old memories, conflicts and an inheritance are being negotiated today - whether they like it or not.
I'm a Woman
“I’m a Woman” won the cell phone short film competition of Pro Quote Regie at the Berlinale 2017. The task was to deal with the topics sexism, racism and homophobia in 2-3 minutes.
Die Sichtbaren (AT)
Two sisters grow up in World War II and their fates could not be more different, what unites them is the fight for survival.
"Die Sichtbaren (AT)" is currently in development and
secured funding from the Bavarian Filmfund.