About the Filmmaker
Michael Hennings is an artist, filmmaker, and producer who was raised in Lincoln, NE and has a degree in education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. An artist from an early age, he has decades of experience in documentary, film, and theater production. While he began his artistic endeavors as a comedic stage actor, Michael’s devotion to the camera began in 2011 when he interned with Producer and Filmmaker Paul Nethercott in Japan. This experience cemented his path as an artist and launched his career in video production, cinematography, and directing. He gained experience working on collaborative teams while managing a production studio–Omaha Video Solutions–until 2017, when he took the leap as a freelance filmmaker. He has followed that path ever since, engaging in commercial, documentary, and narrative storytelling through film. Additionally, Michael is the director of the Benson Film Festival, which brings together an international community of artists and filmmakers in Omaha, NE each spring. In his work, Michael leverages his degree in education to make sense of the complex emotions that humans express as they communicate. He is energized by the ideation, collaboration, and connection that is possible when working with creatives industry-wide and has intentionally chosen to root his career in Nebraska in order to invest in building the creative community that fostered his love of his craft.
