Filmmaker Spotlight: McKinley Benson (Two Ships)
September 10, 2025
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Every year, the Charlotte Film Festival brings bold voices to the screen—but some voices echo off-screen too. In this spotlight, we’re getting to know McKinley Benson, whose work caught our eye and stuck with us.
What led you to creating Two Ships?
Back in 2021, while working as a film production assistant, I experienced the challenge of an opposite shift relationship firsthand. My call times on set would be at two or three in the morning, whereas my wife, Mackenzie, was working a consistent nine-to-five. During the week, it felt like we weren’t able to have any meaningful face-to-face interactions. Yet, we found creative ways to show our affection: leaving notes, cleaning up after each other, and doing simple acts of kindness to make each other’s day a little bit easier. This became our routine for a while, and even though we never truly crossed paths on weekdays, it felt like pieces of us did — fragments of our love that transcended time and space. That feeling is what we wanted to convey with this film.
What were some inspirations going into the creative process?
Most of the inspiration came directly from our life. From the start, we knew we wanted the animation to be hand-drawn, frame by frame, and that everything should feel hand-crafted and human-made. The handwriting in the film is ours, the characters’ apartment was based on our first apartment together, and the sounds and music were captured organically. Every part of the process came from a place of authenticity.
Tell us what you hope the audience gets from Two Ships?
I hope people are able to recognize their own relationships in the film, whether it’s with a partner, a friend, family member, or even a roommate. We’ve all experienced moments where love has to find unconventional ways to show itself; where we feel that longing for connection even though circumstances keep us distanced. My hope is that audiences feel a sense of comfort and appreciation for the little things, knowing that even when we’re apart, love still finds ways to connect us.
Why is a story like this important to tell?
This story feels important to tell because it’s authentic and relatable. It reminds us that love doesn’t always appear in grand gestures, and that there is beauty in the mundane. It’s often the quiet, everyday moments that end up meaning the most. I wanted to convey the idea that love can live just as strongly in the ordinary as it does in the extraordinary.
