Shooting for
the stars
The Bond filmmaking alumnus whose work
is striking a chord with the industry’s best
Shooting for the stars
The Bond filmmaking alumnus whose work is striking a chord with the industry’s best
Ben Rosenberg shot his first film on an iPhone when he was 10 years old. He’d watched a behind-the-scenes documentary on Lord of the Rings and was amazed to discover movies weren’t “just something that magically appear” but a culmination of many people working together to create the magic.
“I’ve been inspired to be part of that ever since,” he says. “I started making short videos on my dad’s iPhone and it was the thing we would do when my mates came over.”
Ben nurtured his passion through high school, going on to graduate from Bond University with a Bachelor of Film and Television in 2025. Now 21 , his most recent film won the Impact Award at Australian film festival Focus on Ability and landed him a seat on a panel at Sundance, one of the world’s most prestigious international film festivals held annually in the United States of America.
“Getting the chance to go to Sundance is a huge opportunity,” he says.
Sowing seeds at Sundance
Marking his first overseas flight and rubbing shoulders with acclaimed filmmakers, Ben’s Sundance experience opened an entirely new world to the budding filmmaker. The festival attracts a global and diverse audience including industry legends, A-list actors and promising young filmmakers. It’s hosted by the Sundance Institute, a non-profit organisation which aims to support artists before commercial pressure shapes their work.
During the 2026 festival in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ben was inspired by creatives who prioritised independent and short film passion projects, despite the greater financial incentives associated with early‑career work in mainstream film and television.
“It was interesting to learn how these people balanced making money with creating the art they really want to make and finding recognition for it through festivals like Sundance to shape their careers into something they love,” he says.
“The experience solidified that there’s always a pathway to have the creative career you envision if you persist, find balance, and reinvest in your art.”
Ben spoke on a panel alongside established international filmmakers, producers and executives at Sundance’s Impact Lounge. Among them was Australian actor and director Jessica Orcsik, and New York writer and director Daisy Friedman, whose short film Unholy premiered at the festival. They spoke about how genre and aesthetic choices are reshaping disability representation and disrupting long standing tropes in film.
“I gained a lot of confidence to move forward in my career being up there alongside artists who have gotten their work to a place where it’s recognised on a global scale. I realised I wasn’t so different from them, they’re just people who have found really interesting stories and didn’t need a Hollywood budget to tell them,” he says.
A highlight for Ben was attending a panel where Australian filmmaker James Wan reflected on how Sundance premiered and supported his wildly successful horror franchise Saw, and the importance of artistic risk. Wan has gone on to direct The Conjuring, Aquaman and Furious 7.
“Sundance provided a lot of learnings I couldn’t have gained anywhere else,” Ben says.
Ben's first time seeing snow-capped mountains.
Ben's first time seeing snow-capped mountains.
The Sundance Impact Lounge with Ben (right).
The Sundance Impact Lounge with Ben (right).
Ben took the opportunity to network with industry professionals like Fergus Hammond, Video and Audio Principal Product Manager at Adobe.
Ben took the opportunity to network with industry professionals like Fergus Hammond, Video and Audio Principal Product Manager at Adobe.
Sowing seeds at Sundance
Marking his first overseas flight and rubbing shoulders with acclaimed filmmakers, Ben’s Sundance experience opened an entirely new world to the budding filmmaker. The festival attracts a global and diverse audience including industry legends, A-list actors and promising young filmmakers. It’s hosted by the Sundance Institute, a non-profit organisation which aims to support artists before commercial pressure shapes their work.
Ben's first time seeing snow-capped mountains.
Ben's first time seeing snow-capped mountains.
During the 2026 festival in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ben was inspired by creatives who prioritised independent and short film passion projects, despite the greater financial incentives associated with early‑career work in mainstream film and television.
“It was interesting to learn how these people balanced making money with creating the art they really want to make and finding recognition for it through festivals like Sundance to shape their careers into something they love,” he says.
“The experience solidified that there’s always a pathway to have the creative career you envision if you persist, find balance, and reinvest in your art.”
Ben spoke on a panel alongside established international filmmakers, producers and executives at Sundance’s Impact Lounge. Among them was Australian actor and director Jessica Orcsik, and New York writer and director Daisy Friedman, whose short film Unholy premiered at the festival. They spoke about how genre and aesthetic choices are reshaping disability representation and disrupting long standing tropes in film.
The Sundance Impact Lounge with Ben (right).
The Sundance Impact Lounge with Ben (right).
“I gained a lot of confidence to move forward in my career being up there alongside artists who have gotten their work to a place where it’s recognised on a global scale. I realised I wasn’t so different from them, they’re just people who have found really interesting stories and didn’t need a Hollywood budget to tell them,” he says.
A highlight for Ben was attending a panel where Australian filmmaker James Wan reflected on how Sundance premiered and supported his wildly successful horror franchise Saw, and the importance of artistic risk. Wan has gone on to direct The Conjuring, Aquaman and Furious 7.
“Sundance provided a lot of learnings I couldn’t have gained anywhere else,” Ben says.
Ben took the opportunity to network with industry professionals like Fergus Hammond, Video and Audio Principal Product Manager at Adobe.
Ben took the opportunity to network with industry professionals like Fergus Hammond, Video and Audio Principal Product Manager at Adobe.
Serving the story
The film that landed Ben a seat at Sundance came from an idea sparked during his Factual and Documentary Production subject at Bond University. Educator and director-producer Mandy Lake had expressed the importance of finding a strong subject to capture.
“I immediately thought of the Hitzke family from my hometown Toowoomba because they are all musicians who formed a little band, and gig together at bars. That was my original idea,” he says.
After travelling to Toowoomba to meet with them, Ben discovered they had a more powerful story to tell. The father, Nathan, was writing an album of songs for his daughter, Chloe, who is deaf and blind.
“Despite all the challenges they go through, the fatherly love Nathan has for Chloe is clear,” Ben says.
“When you have a child who is vulnerable and you’re in that environment, all sense of ego leaves. They continuously show up for each other and help each other out.
“They love their life, they love their daughter and they love when people are curious about their story.”
Mandy teaches her students that documentary making is about honouring and respecting the people who have been brave enough to share their story. She says trust takes a long time to build, and she has sometimes spent a year getting to know the subjects she has filmed, before even turning the camera on them.
“Ben didn’t have the luxury of that time but he spent good quality time with the Hitzkes and he clearly earnt their trust in a short space of time which is an absolute credit to him as a person, and a filmmaker,” Mandy says.
Ben’s short documentary captures the warmth and optimism of the family and follows Nathan’s creative process in making music. It was recognised at the 2025 Focus on Ability Festival for bringing together exceptional filmmaking and social impact.
Most of the film was shot in cinéma vérité style, or ‘fly on the wall’ and observational, meaning the dialogue comes through authentically.
“In the years I’ve been teaching documentary across a number of film schools, I haven’t seen many students tackle this approach, so it was very refreshing to see Ben shoot in this style, and he totally pulled it off,” Mandy says.
Ben felt honoured to be welcomed into the Hitzke home and find the right techniques to share their story.
“That’s my favourite part of making films. It’s satisfying when you make something that feels right for the subject and best serves the story,” he says.
“When I was younger, I made short films off instinct. But through my film education at Bond, I’ve gained a deep insight into why each film technique is used and it’s always in service of the story.”
Meet my mentor
Ambition grows when you’re in the company of people who share drive, challenge thinking, and celebrate wins. Meet director, writer and producer Mandy Lake who mentored Ben through the Factual and Documentary Production subject as he produced his award-winning documentary. Mandy has created and delivered documentary content for major broadcasters including ABC, SBS and Animal Planet.
What do you enjoy the most about mentoring young filmmakers?
Where do I even start?! I liken the documentary subject to “going on a journey”, which like any great, meaningful journey is full of highs and lows, and I love supporting them through this and seeing them grow not only as filmmakers but as people too. I love seeing them get to the end of it and no matter what the outcome, in terms of the film they’ve made, they can be proud of themselves, and they’ve learnt not only a lot about the process but themselves too. This probably sounds a bit cheesy but it’s totally the heart of why I enjoy mentoring so very much.
What is the significance of a young filmmaker landing a seat at Sundance?
Put simply, the seat on the Sundance panel will be a gamechanger for Ben. And, from all reports, it already has been. It’s an incredible door opener and puts his CV at the top of a very big pile. He’s also made connections in the States that could ostensibly change the course of his career down the track!
Is there anything that Ben taught you, as a mentor, during his time in your class?
Another reason I love mentoring/teaching is that it’s a very reciprocal process, and I learn a lot from the students too! I learnt some very valuable lessons from Ben: His film has invigorated my love for the cinéma vérité style, and I’m now trying to use it in my films as much as possible. And, because he’s such a quiet achiever, the experience of working with him reminded me to step back a bit and give emerging filmmakers the freedom to make the film they want to make. I am there just as a support to help them realise their vision.
A cut above
Ben says his biggest learning at Bond was film techniques, but he also loved scripting, exploring cameras, learning how to work well with actors, and being around other Bondies who were just as passionate about a career in film as he was.
He was known as the ‘film kid’ in high school and his enthusiasm awarded him the top prize in the 2023 Bond University Film & Television Academy Awards — a full scholarship to study at Bond.
“I went from feeling like I was the only one who was super into film, to being in classrooms full of students who wanted to create something just as good as I did,” he says.
“Being around people who were capturing scenes or telling a story better than I did elevated me and made me want to put in more effort. I hadn’t experienced that before.”
Ben also gained a network beyond campus, making the most of the Gold Coast’s thriving screen industry, where major international productions like the Gundam movie starring Sydney Sweeney are creating real‑world opportunities to connect with established professionals.
A lecturer helped him land his next role, working on one of the biggest international productions to land in Queensland.
“All my connections to the industry came directly from Bond,” he says.
While he works on the major Hollywood production alongside the best in the business, Ben says he is keeping his ear to the ground for the next great story he can capture in another project of his own.
“The great thing about filmmaking is people get better with age,” he says.
“There’s a long way to go to get my work to where I want it to be, but I really love filmmaking and I have full faith that I'm going to stick with this for a long time.”
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