Bentley Brown began making films while growing up in Chad. Working frequently in Arabic and French on the subjects of global mobility, disidentification, and belonging, his past films include OUSTAZ (Berlinale 2016), FIRST FEATURE (IFFRotterdam 2019), and REVOLUTION FROM AFAR (PBS AfroPop 2022). Brown completed a PhD in Emergent Technologies and Media Art Practices at the University of Colorado-Boulder.
Filmography
Producer (7 Credits)
Ephemeral River2026
Documentary, Short
Guardian of the Well2025
Documentary, Experimental, Short
Set Pieces2024
Documentary, Experimental
Behind the Sun2023
Documentary, Experimental
Black Mouse2022
Documentary, Experimental, Short
Revolution From Afar2020
First Feature2018
Documentary, Short
Director (7 Credits)
Ephemeral River2026
Documentary, Short
Guardian of the Well2025
Documentary, Experimental, Short
Set Pieces2024
Documentary, Experimental
Behind the Sun2023
Documentary, Experimental
Revolution From Afar2020
First Feature2018
Documentary, Short
Oustaz2016
Documentary, Short
Writer (2 Credits)
Behind the Sun2023
Documentary, Experimental
First Feature2018
Documentary, Short
Sound Design (1 Credit)
Set Pieces2024
Documentary, Experimental
Color Correction (1 Credit)
Set Pieces2024
Documentary, Experimental
Cinematography (1 Credit)
Behind the Sun2023
Documentary, Experimental
Editor (1 Credit)
First Feature2018
Documentary, Short
Acting (1 Credit)
Oustaz2016
Documentary, Short
39 Awards & Selections
Official Competition Guardian of the Well
FIPADOC Biarritz
2026
Regards d'Afrique Guardian of the Well
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival Clermont-Ferrand
2026
Shorts Joy Competition Guardian of the Well
Jihlava International Documentary Festival Jihlava
2025
Official Competition Guardian of the Well
Torino Film Festival Torino
2025
Official Selection Guardian of the Well
Mimesis Documentary Festival Boulder
2025
Official Selection Guardian of the Well
Maine International Film Festival Waterville
2025
Official Selection; Runner-up, Best African Short Guardian of the Well
Encounters South African International Documentary Festival Cape Town
2025
Official Selection Guardian of the Well
New York African Film Festival New York City, New York
2025
Official Selection Guardian of the Well
Thin Line Film Festival Denton, Texas
2025
Official Selection Guardian of the Well
True/False Film Festival Columbia, Missouri
2025
Official Selection Behind the Sun
Dallas International Film Festival Dallas, Texas
2024
Official Selection Behind the Sun
Prismatic Ground Film Festival New York
2024
Curation in "Stories of the Eclipse" series Behind the Sun
LaboCine
2024
Official Selection Set Pieces
MESA FilmFest Washington, DC
2024
Official Selection Set Pieces
Bergen International Film Festival Bergen
2024
Nominated for Best Short Film Set Pieces
Africa Movie Academy Awards Lagos
2024
Official Selection Black Mouse
Gabes Cinema Fen Gabes
2023
Official Selection Black Mouse
IndieLisboa Lisbon
2023
Official Selection Behind the Sun
MESA Film Fest (Middle Eastern Studies Association Annual Meeting) Montreal
2023
Official Selection Behind the Sun
Forum Film Dokumenter Jakarta
2023
Official Selection Behind the Sun
MiniKino Film Festival Bali
2023
Official Selection Behind the Sun
Camden International Film Festival Camden
2023
Official Selection Behind the Sun
Mimesis Documentary Festival Boulder
2023
Official Selection Behind the Sun
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival Toronto
2023
Official Selection - Screening with Film at Lincoln Center Virtual Cinema Revolution From Afar
New York African Film Festival New York, NY
2021
Official Selection Revolution From Afar
Vues d'Afrique Montreal
2021
Nominated for Best Documentary Revolution From Afar
Zanzibar International Film Festival Zanzibar
2021
Nominated for Best Diaspora Documentary Revolution From Afar
Africa Movie Academy Awards Lagos
2020
Prize for Feature Documentary Revolution From Afar
Sabira Cole Film Festival Pittsburgh, PA
2020
Finalist, Best Documentary Feature Revolution From Afar
Silicon Valley African Film Festival San Jose, CA
2020
Official Selection Revolution From Afar
Terra di Tutti Bologna
2020
Best Student Documentary Revolution From Afar
San Antonio Black International Film Festival San Antonio, Texas
2020
Official Selection Revolution From Afar
DC Black Film Festival Washington, DC
2020
Official Selection Revolution From Afar
Mimesis Documentary Festival Boulder, Colorado
2020
Opening Film Revolution From Afar
Rising Up: Sudan Portland, Oregon
2020
Official Selection Revolution From Afar
Sudan Independent Film Festival Khartoum
2020
Official Selection - Museum Installation First Feature
CICA Experimental Film & Video Exhibition Seoul
2018
Spirit of the Festival Award Oustaz
Brooklyn Film Festival Brooklyn, New York
2016
Official Competition - Berlinale Shorts Oustaz
Berlin International Film Festival Berlin, Germany
