McKinley Benson

Biography

McKinley Benson is an American filmmaker working across live-action and animation whose work pairs intimate character-driven stories with a strong visual sensibility, moving fluidly between mediums and genres. His work has received international recognition, including a place on the Sony Future Filmmakers Awards 2026 shortlist, alongside such honors as the Best Story Award at Animayo and the Director's Choice Award at Thomas Edison FF, both Academy Award®-qualifying festivals. With 100+ official selections (Sydney FF, Guadalajara IFF, HollyShorts, Tehran ISFF, Newport Beach FF, Kyiv IFF), 20+ festival wins and special mentions, and three Student Emmy Awards, McKinley has been highlighted by outlets such as Variety, Animation Magazine, and Cartoon Brew in their 2026 Oscar® Contenders coverage. His body of work includes narrative short films such as Two Ships, created in collaboration with the Oscar®-nominated Portuguese animation cooperative COLA, and Homestead, a horror-western set in 1870s Oregon — as well as several documentaries, television pilots, and commercials. He has also collaborated with studios such as Netflix, Amazon MGM Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, Paramount, NBCUniversal, and XYZ Films.