by FilmInk Staff
There’s a particular kind of confidence that comes from proving something to a room full of people who doubted you, and Lilliana Benger has it in spades. At just twenty years old, she’s about to premiere her debut feature film, Because You’re Mine, in her hometown of Perth this November, having worn three hats on the production: co-producer, director, and supporting actor. It’s the kind of resume that sounds impossible for someone barely out of their teens, until you hear the story of how she got there.
It starts, unexpectedly, with a family argument about superheroes.
“When I was about twelve years old, I was convinced that DC was better than Marvel, to the point that I had arguments with my dad over it,” Benger laughs. “So, when my mum went away for a work trip, my dad and I sat down and said, let’s settle this. We watched the first Avengers movie, and I instantly fell in love with the characters and the whole MCU. That night I went to bed and dreamed of being in the MCU. I know that’s something a lot of twelve year olds go through, but it lit something up in me.”
That spark turned into something more permanent. “I felt some sort of calling towards film and storytelling,” she says. “In my little twelve year old brain, I understood that as becoming an actor.” What followed were, in her words, “many, many conversations” convincing her parents this was the path, and not, as she puts it, becoming a vet. They came around, fully, and began looking into training options. The only catch was practical: there were no film certifications available for someone her age at the time. Musical theatre was the door that was open, so she walked through it, enrolling in a Certificate II in Musical Theatre full-time at fifteen, followed by two more years studying a Certificate IV of Musical Theatre and Creative Industries.
Looking back, Benger says the storyteller in her was there long before she had the language for it. “I wrote my first film when I was thirteen and continued to throughout my teens. For some reason, I just didn’t realise directing was even an option. I thought I wanted to tell stories by being on camera.”
That changed the moment the opportunity to direct Because You’re Mine landed in her lap, and it didn’t land gently. “When it came to stepping into Because You’re Mine and the opportunity arose to be the director, I had actually zero faith in myself,” she admits. She’d been on board from the start as co-producer, working alongside writer, co-producer, and lead actor Shaun Gonzalvo. But three months into a shoot, with the film’s original director only available for the first block, Benger was asked to step up and take over for the second half of production and into post.
“I was terrified and really doubting myself,” she says. “But in retrospect, I realised this was an opportunity to grow, to push myself, and to tell the stories that have always been inside of me.”
She remembers the night before her first day as director vividly: everything written out, no sleep. “And when I arrived on set, it just flowed so naturally. There was a moment of, this is what I’m meant to do. This is who I want to be. I also realised that the impact of my storytelling was so much greater from behind the camera than being in front of it as an actor.”
In hindsight, she says, nothing about her path was wasted. “Every moment of training, acting, stage, costume design, music, I realised the skills throughout my life had prepared me to be a director. So, when the opportunity arose, I was afraid, but I did it anyway.”
Because You’re Mine is a psychological thriller about grief and loss, written by Gonzalvo and drawn from his own experience of loss, filtered through his love of horror. Reading the script for the first time left a mark on Benger.
“I was so blown away, not only by the enormity of the project, but the reality of it, and how the horror theme amplified the horrific reality of grief. I found a lot of myself in that script, and a lot of my own life. I remember thinking, this is going to be something. This is going to resonate with so many different people.”
Running the production meant leaning on a side of herself most young directors don’t have to draw on. Benger is finishing a Bachelor of Commerce at Curtin University, on top of earlier business certificates, and she credits that grounding directly. “As a producer, you’re head of the organisation of the film. I had a relatively good understanding of business, and how to be a good leader, and how to organise, especially prior to shooting. Shaun and I made sure we were always on the same page, always collaborating, picking up the slack where the other couldn’t meet, and being there for each other, especially as Shaun was carrying a big role as lead actor as well.”
Directing demanded the same clarity, translated into creative terms. “It was about making sure the creative vision was communicated with my DOP and cinematographer, Reilly Stewart, so that once we arrived on set, we were ready to go, and it was a seamless entry point.”
Acting in the film added a layer she wouldn’t rush to repeat. “I had to direct myself in a lot of scenes, which is not something I would do again, it’s very difficult. It comes down to a lot of trust in my own abilities, in Reilly’s abilities, and in the fact that our team holds the skills. I had to trust that they’d bring what they know and deliver as amazingly as I knew they could.”
For Benger, the November premiere carries a weight that goes beyond her own career. “I’m so excited to showcase what we’ve done to our home, and to show the possibility of Perth. The industry here is very small, and there’s this belief that you need lots of money to create something great. We made this film with no money at all, and we’ve been able to create and deliver something on a really grounded but well executed level.” Every cast and crew member on Because You’re Mine is Perth-based, made with Perth resources. “It’s a tribute to the beautiful city we have, and the possibilities that lie within it if you find your people and push for what you believe in.”
Premiere dates are soon to be announced, but early demand suggests Benger is onto something: the film sold two hundred presale tickets in its first week alone.
Her advice for anyone else chasing something similar is hard-won rather than tidy. “It is possible to achieve your dreams. It may not be easy, it may not be the exact path you thought, but it is possible. I never thought that to get to where I am, I’d have to do everything but directing, to become what I am. I studied musical theatre to get into film. I studied commerce to get into film. My path was not a straight line, and it came with so many rejections. But after seven years, I got a yes, and that was this film.”
“As long as you believe in yourself and your vision,” she adds, “anything can happen.”
