NYWIFT Blog

By Linden Standish

Welcome to NYWIFT, Alyssa R. Bennett!

Alyssa R. Bennet is an accomplished, multifaceted creative who exemplifies a socially conscious career and ambition.

Alyssa has worked on a multitude of projects, from music to writing to filmmaking – both in front of and behind the camera. Always drawing from her intrinsic passion, her various mediums often intertwine and inform her expansive creative visions. Her keen ability to boil narratives down to the raw and essential is a reflection of this artistic crossover. 

As co-founder of Stonestreet Studios, Alyssa brings her vast experience to the service of the filmmaking community, connecting people with opportunities and amplifying diverse stories. 

Alyssa continuously strives to uplift the filmmaking community and contribute to the invaluable tradition of storytelling. 

In our interview, Alyssa discusses her career and the motivations that have paved the way for her accomplished journey.

NYWIFT Member Alyssa Rallo Bennett

Welcome to NYWIFT! Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself?

I’m a director, producer and actor, and the co-founder of Stonestreet Studios, a creative studio known for its diverse community of creative, socially conscious, and nurturing film directors, writers, coaches, producers, editors. I’ve had the pleasure of directing everything from features, to pilots, to shorts, to music videos, to plays, to projects that don’t fit any of these labels. I also write, record and perform original music under the name Rallo Bennett. Proud to be an all-around storyteller!

What brought you to NYWIFT?

As someone heavily involved in nurturing artists at the very beginning of their career, I think it’s vital to recognize and uplift each other’s work at all stages. NYWIFT provides this same cross-level opportunity that I strive to create in my own work and at Stonestreet, so it’s a no-brainer that I would gravitate toward this unique organization.
 

Having worked on many projects and embodied many roles, is there one that remains most vivid in your memory? If so, why?

Being on Martin Scorsese’s set back in my early acting days. Watching and feeling how he worked with other actors, and DeNiro specifically, made me feel the potency of the director-actor relationship, and how wonderfully nurturing, constructive and intensely fun it could be – in either position. As a director, it helped me understand what’s needed to help the actor take off in surprising and unexpected ways, and for both of us  to get out of our heads, be present, and find something fresh and meaningful.  

How has your experience being an accomplished songwriter impacted the ways in which you write screenplays? Does one medium influence the other?

Yes, completely. Directing is like conducting in many ways, and writing & composing music is trusting your ear and finding words that help us visualize in a palpable way. I love writing songs the most – it feels like the place I’m most comfortable in terms of writing, because I love finding simplicity and rawness in the visual, the struggle and emotional turmoil I find myself in often, and enjoy finding the poetry in all of it.

This translates heavily to filmmaking and back again. It teaches me how to be compact in an authentic and truthful way – something I strive to bring to the scripts I direct, always honing the writing to a visceral and visual space that helps us be present and connected in a mindful way. It’s all storytelling, and a good story is worth telling no matter the medium.

I often direct screenplays written by my husband and Stonestreet co-founder Gary O. Bennett – but whether it’s something I develop with a writer, or co-write with him, like my feature The Pack, or a few recent festival shorts Dishwasher or Barberville, I feel like similar principles apply, and help inform each other as we uncover the nuances of a particular story. Learning to say what we want to say, often without actually saying it, is a skill applicable to all artistic forms, and one I feel like I’m forever attempting to hone.

What are the values you orient yourself towards when creating something new?

I try to ask myself: Does the idea I’m bringing to the table have some new perspective or angle, or something I need to grapple with, live by, and/or explore – and if not, why? If I can’t find the passion in it or somehow begin to answer that, it’s hard to get other people to sign onto a project – that’s a big part of the director’s job. Articulating what we see and why it’ll be inspiring or empowering or exciting to be part of it. This often leads me on the vital path toward making sure the work I’m doing is equitable and worth working hard to lead people into the adventure no matter what budget or time constraints we may have.

The entertainment industry recognizes your talents, and you’ve earned numerous awards. Which award has been the most meaningful to you, and what made it special?

Completing the work itself. Finishing a project that is usually born out of my own struggles or ambitions, that inner judge so many of us have or inherited, the obsession with the past and future that takes us right out of the now. Actually making a film from start to finish about it, or a song or album, is so very rewarding.

The body of work is something that reflects back and keeps me going, and knowing that the worst moments and times can be turned around into something poetic, beautiful and potentially touching by changing the narrative, creating, sharing… there’s no better prize than that.

Learn more about Alyssa R. Bennett’s work on her website www.stonestreet.net and on all social media platforms. You can also see more at alyssarallobennett.com, listen to Rallo Bennett wherever you stream music, and follow on socials at @rallobennettmusic for music videos, live shows, announcements & more!

(All photos courtesy of Alyssa R. Bennett)