Inspired filmmaking
Kirk Benttinen makes films that pop off the screen, touch your heart and scramble your mind.
Spin Junkies
THE DEBUT feature film
A recovering addict named Brock who gets high from spinning in circles fights to stay sober on the day before his wedding, but his loyalty to himself, his fianceé and his own sobriety is tested when his best man tries to drag him back into his old life.
Short Films
Friend PillsWriter | Producer | Director | Editor
Too Many WhatWriter | Producer | Director | DP | Editor
A Dating ServiceWriter | Producer | Director | DP | Editor
Millennial ThinkProducer | DP
Fox & Bear Do: Christmas SpecialWriter | Producer | Director | DP | Editor
Fox & Bear Do: ShameoverWriter | Producer | Director | DP | Editor
Fox & Bear Do: Eating For ConfidenceWriter | Producer | Director | DP | Editor
Fox & Bear Do: A Word From Our SponsorsWriter | Producer | Director | DP | Editor
Thank You For Your HeartProducer | Director | DP | Editor
Killer StyleWriter | Producer | Director | DP | Editor
The SommelierWriter | Producer | Director | DP | Editor
That Kind of GriefWriter | Producer | Director | DP | Editor
To Be Filled UpWriter | Producer | Director | DP | Editor
Kirk is an artist.
Kirk has over ten years of commercial and creative filmmaking under his belt and hopes to have at least another thirty years over his belt. He prides himself on being an actor’s director, an efficient DP, and an intuitive camera operator. He writes like he’s an editor and edits like he’s a writer.
About Kirk
Through his company Shooting Blind, Kirk Benttinen recently wrote, directed and shot his first feature film about a guy who’s trying to overcome his addiction to spinning in circles. Before that he made award winning short films and music videos and a lot of commercial and corporate films, that he can proudly say left all his clients very happy.
People like Richard Branson and Sheryl Sandberg have trusted him to put their faces on screen, (he’s not saying they should have, but they did and it all worked out). His work has helped non-profits squeeze a lot of pennies out of their donors, for-profit companies show why they’re better than the competition, and taught viewers on The Discovery Channel how to get revenge on irresponsible dog owners.
His original work that he writes, directs, shoots, and edits leans towards NSFW content that may include a man in love with rakes, a sommelier, but for laundry, and a couple who find their relationship falling apart after a psychedelic anniversary dinner gone noir. Oh yeah and a drinking glass that explains why he can’t answer the question, do you believe in god?
He’s obsessed with hardboiled crime fiction (especially hardboiled private detective stories), film noir, Akira Kurosawa, his wife and two little kids, The Celtics and his home state of Rhode Island.
All in all, he sees the act of filmmaking as a pursuit of truth. Whether it’s the truth of human existence or the truth of a client’s story, or their customers’ needs, each frame is an opportunity to bring that truth into focus. And it never hurts to laugh.