Barbara Bentree is a multiple Award-Winning Filmmaker and Musician. She has directed theatre companies, and produced music for television shows. She was most notably a part of “The New Mickey Mouse Club” production team on The Disney Channel where she selected Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera for the show, to name only a few.

As a Musician, Barbara has sung every kind of music from classical to jazz. Her lifelong study of composition and lyrics has had a huge impact on her aesthetic approach to filmmaking. Barbara’s films always incorporate a prominent and vibrant music score with Ms. Bentree deeply involved in the music supervision for her projects.

As a Filmmaker, Bentree Directed, Produced and Edited a Documentary Film titled “MY CHOICE” about women who are “childless by choice.” This was a provocative start to her filmmaking career but Barbara has always been driven by personal inspiration and the quality of the content. “MY CHOICE” had some incredible screenings that inspired thought-provoking discussions among audience members. The film is available for screenings for women and girls’ organizations.

Her first FEATURE FILM, "DAVE GRUSIN: NOT ENOUGH TIME" appeared in numerous Film and Music festivals all over the world. Barbara recruited an Oscar-winning crew for this film and interviewed some of the most famous people in the world; Quincy Jones, Tom Brokaw, Michael Keaton, Carl Hiassen, Thomas McGuane, Marcus Miller, Jeff Bridges, etc. The Dave Grusin film qualified for the 2019 Oscars and Grammy Awards in spite of the film’s Festival run being highjacked by the Covid Pandemic.

“DAVE GRUSIN: NOT ENOUGH TIME” is now available for streaming and has recently been renewed for 5 years on PBS: https://www.rmpbs.org/shows/dave-grusin-not-enough-time

Barbara’s second FEATURE FILM titled, “ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN” is about Santa Fe Sculptor Kevin Box who is a rising star in the world of metal sculpture. Again, Barbara Wrote, Directed, Produced and Edited the film all during the Covid Pandemic. This Documentary won numerous film festival awards and is now streaming on a wide variety of platforms such as Apple+, Amazon, Comcast, DirecTV, YouTube, Google, and many others. https://www.freestyledigitalmedia.tv/film/origami-in-the-garden/

Barbara’s deep love for animals inspired her to write a novella for young people titled “Free Billie.” This sci-fi thriller is a fascinating way to teach young people about the importance of Empathy. The book is available at Amazon.com.

Barbara is a storyteller with a completely original voice formed by her idyllic childhood in rural Minnesota, her music and TV career in Los Angeles, and now her independent filmmaking career in New Mexico. She has won multiple Film awards in the following categories; “Best Documentary,” “Best Woman Filmmaker,” “Best Inspirational Film,” “Audience Favorite,” “Best Editing,” “Best Feature Film,” “Best Music Video” and numerous others.

Ms. Bentree is currently developing several screenplays, and a Dramatic series for Television. She is a member of SAG / AFTRA and has been a Board Member for both NM Women In Film and The Academy for New Musical Theatre. She has also served on ATAS judging panels for the Emmys. Barbara is currently serving on the Santa Fe City Commission for Film and Digital Media.