Rhys Bendix-Lewis is a freelance filmmaker and media creator, living in Glasgow, Scotland.

Rhys was born in 1983 and grew up on the south coast of England. Raised by a Norwegian and a Welsh grandparent in a small seaside town, he was a kid who loved adventure. Living as much in his head as in the real world, Rhys spent his early years exploring imaginary worlds. Inevitably, as he got older, the fantasy receded, and like many a teen, Rhys found those years hard. This was when cinema went from a passing interest to a necessary pursuit. The adventures Rhys no longer enjoyed in his own life - and in his own head - he experienced on the screen: through fictional characters; orchestrated by writers, directors, actors and technicians. These stories helped Rhys persevere through the difficult years.

It was inevitable, perhaps, that as Rhys’ knowledge of cinema grew, he began writing his own stories and creating films himself. After finishing school and working for a year at his local video store, Rhys headed off to Aberystwyth University in Wales to study film. The work, however, was less practical and more academic than he wanted, and even when he did get the chance to do some actual filmmaking, Rhys struggled to tell the stories he had so easily enacted as a child. Moreover, the ghosts of the past continued to haunt him. He had thought he could escape his struggles, yet they accompanied him, always.

Rhys persisted, completing a Film & Television Studies BA in 2005 and a Scriptwriting (Screen & Radio) MA in 2007. During this period he honed his writing skills through essays, research projects, scripts and a dissertation. Rhys returned to his hometown to care for his grandmother while working as a festival co-ordinator for the End of the Pier International Film Festival. There he fulfilled a variety of administrative tasks, and acted as one of the judges for the festival, critiquing both films and screenplays. Rhys produced and directed EOTP’s winning screenplay, The Games We Play. Assembling a young, local team, Rhys would use this project as a springboard to launch the End of the Pier Film Network, and later the Arc Film Network, based in Worthing. These networks were set up to support aspiring filmmakers, writers, actors, artists and technicians to connect and develop projects.

For personal reasons, Rhys moved to London in 2011. This took him away from the artistic group he helped found, and as a result, his creativity waned. Nevertheless, Rhys’ mind was expanded and educated through working as a PA for people with disabilities. This experience led Rhys to co-found The Blind Spot website with Hatty Sampson. A vessel for social, political, community and disability commentary, this became an outlet for Rhys to produce articles, videos and podcasts, while furthering his storytelling ambitions and personal development.

In 2016, Rhys moved to Scotland, where he lives today. He transitioned from working with adults with disabilities to children and young people. Rhys continues to be creative and is currently developing feature-length screenplays and teleplays; while also writing, directing, producing and editing short films, music videos and promos, supplemented with photography and design work. While filmmaking is not yet Rhys’ solo profession, he still works towards making it so. He yearns to give back to an industry that gave him so much. To work in an artistic medium that made a young man dream of adventure again after his imagination faded away.