My name is Beecher Reuning, a non-binary filmmaker and Assistant Professor of Media Arts at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. I’ve written and directed six award-winning short films and served as the lead producer on The Good People of Orphan Ridge, a feature that can be streamed on Amazon Prime and Tubi. A pilot I recently co-wrote and directed called Plot Device had it's world premiere in 2023 at the Soho Film Festival.
In my stories, three themes consistently pop-up. The first is high-concept comedy. I grew up with a dream of writing for SNL. For as long as I can remember, I have been jotting funny ideas down in a journal. I enjoy making people laugh with my work and taking them to a place outside of their normal world. You can see this genre displayed in my films such as A Pointless Pencil and The Other Side.
My work also consistently gravitates towards religious deconstruction. I grew up as a fundamentalist evangelical and have gone on a long journey to dissect what I believe as I encountered parts of the world that didn’t fit my original worldview. This often leads me to work through my ideas on the screen. You can see this demonstrated in my feature screenplay Rapture Me Now and my short film Dream Wife.
Finally, I love exploring gender identity in my work. As a trans-non-binary person who often presents gender-non-conforming, I am passionate about having my experiences translated into moving narratives. These themes can be most clearly seen in my first film called Book Covers and then explored more in my two award-winning screenplays Of Dusk & Marsh and Happily.
In my filmography, there are a few projects that fall outside these themes. Most of the time, I was commissioned by an organization or person to make a project on their behalf. I still take on these projects occasionally so if you see my work and would like to approach me about a project you are interested in bringing to life, feel free to reach out: beecher.reuning@gmail.com.
You can also follow me and reach out on my socials @hellobeecher and facebook.com/beecher. I look forward to connecting!
PRODUCTIONS
2023 Plot Device (Half-Hour Pilot)
Co-Writer & Director
Official Nominee - Soho International Film Festival
Official Selection - Twelve Lions Film Festival
Best of Competition Narrative - BEA Festival
2022 Good People of Orphan Ridge (Narrative Feature)
Producer
Official Selection - NYC Independent Film Festival, Blue Ridge Film Festival, Nooga Underground Film Festival
2018 Sent Forth (Short - 9 minutes)
Writer-Director-Editor
Winner Best Tennessee Film - Knoxville Film Festival
Official Selection at Nashville Film Festival, Burbank Film Festival, Azalea Film Festival, Johnson City Film Festival, Foothills of the Ozarks Film Festival, Canada Faith & Family Film Festival
2015 A Pointless Pencil (Short - 10 minutes)
Writer-Director-Producer
Winner College Television Awards (Student Emmy's)
Best Student Film Burbank Film Festival
Best in Show Push Film Festival
Official Selection at 17 Film Festivals
Winner of 14 Awards
Received Theatrical Distribution in 30 countries
SCREENPLAYS
2022 Happily (98 page feature)
Writer
Finalist Nashville Film Festival
Finalist Del Shores Writer's Search
Award of Excellence BEA Festival
2021 Of Dusk and Marsh (117 page feature)
Writer
Semifinalist Nashville Film Festival
2nd Round Austin Film Festival (2020)
2018 Rapture Me Now (112 page feature)
Writer
Semifinalist Final Draft Big Break Competition
Winner Best Feature Screenplay UPIKE Media Arts