FESTIVAL PREMIERE
Ghost Lake
Director: Ginew Benton
After the overdose death of a teen, an Ojibway tracker exposes a drug smuggling ring, forcing him to confront corrupt leadership and broken systems.
CAST & CREDITS
Director
Ginew Benton
Writer
Ginew Benton
Producer
Ginew Benton, Jacob White, Ryan Bajan, Johannah Scarlett
Key Cast
Gary Farmer, Che Jim, Renee Boehm
Director Statement
Ghost Lake is a deeply personal story rooted in the urgent reality of the fentanyl crisis devastating Native communities across North America. As an Ojibway filmmaker, I created this film not only as a narrative drama but as a wake-up call, a way to spark dialogue, awareness, and healing in communities like my own.
This story is about grief, loss, and resilience, but also about the power of community in facing unspeakable challenges. With Ghost Lake, I wanted to honor the families who’ve lost loved ones, while elevating the voices of those still fighting for their people.
Filmed on Anishinaabe land with Native actors and a Native-led team, this film is both a creative work and a cultural responsibility. It’s our way of saying: We see what’s happening. We care. And we’re not staying silent.
DIRECTORS BIO
Ginew Benton is a visionary Ojibway filmmaker, artist, and educator whose work is rooted in the rich storytelling traditions of his Anishinaabe heritage while pushing boldly into contemporary cinematic forms. Born in Manitoba, Canada, and raised on the Shinnecock Nation Territory in Southampton, New York, Benton has long stood at the crossroads of tradition and innovation. His films blend spiritual resonance with visual grit, creating deeply human stories that illuminate the challenges and resilience of Native communities in both modern and mythic landscapes.
A graduate of Stony Brook University, Benton earned honors in theater and high honors in visual arts, establishing a multidisciplinary foundation that continues to inform his storytelling approach. As a director, writer, and producer, he has created a compelling portfolio of short films, including Looking Glass, Mirror Man, and Ghost Lake, which explore themes of identity, loss, environmental justice, and Indigenous futurism. His cinematic voice is unmistakable: grounded in land and culture, yet cinematic in scale and ambition.
Benton’s work has been screened at respected festivals, including the BendFilm Festival and the Miami International Science Fiction Festival, where it has been praised for its originality and emotional depth. Whether incorporating elements of psychological horror, science fiction, or grounded drama, he maintains a commitment to cultural authenticity and spiritual integrity.
Beyond filmmaking, Benton is an accomplished traditional singer, grass dancer, and cultural educator. He has traveled across the United States sharing powwow songs, teachings, and stories, using performance as both celebration and preservation of Anishinaabe knowledge. His passion for youth empowerment and cultural continuity is evident in his community work, where he mentors Native students and leads workshops that blend art, identity, and resistance.
Benton is dedicated to building a body of work that
not only challenges industry norms but also opens doors for future generations of Native storytellers. His films are not just art; they are medicine, memory, and movement. Through cinema, he offers not only a lens, but a mirror for Indigenous truth, healing, and strength.
In 2023, Benton won the Openscreenplay M Film Lab Screenplay Contest.
In 2025, Benton was awarded the Vision Maker Media Creative Shorts Mentor Fellowship to develop and direct his short film *Ghost Lake*. This fellowship supports Native filmmakers in telling culturally grounded stories and expands Benton’s mission to uplift Indigenous narratives through cinema.
