Abjection – Hannaj Bang Bendz

A born creative, Hannaj’s passion for the arts has dictated an arguably unorthodox life path.

Having emerged from college with superior grades in Theatre Studies, Art & Design and English, Hannaj sought to combine said interests in further studies.

‘Scriptwriting for Film and Television’ suited the needs of Drama and English and truly opened her eyes to the often unacknowledged thought process involved behind the scenes – both pre and during production. It was during this time that she forged and developed continuing relationships with future up-and-coming scriptwriters and directors. Continuation of this course would have guaranteed a BA (Hons) Award, however that award was destined to the art of Animation.

A hybrid course, Animation Production combines acting, scriptwriting and art with in-depth knowledge of storyboarding and character development. Here Hannaj could translate the emotions and actions she perceived or invented onto paper, bringing a line drawing to life.

Ultimately, the cramped and dark studio life was not for her. Her involvement in the charity production of ‘The Vagina Monologues’ confirmed Hannaj’s true desires, whilst she animated. She thrives in open spaces and feeds off human interaction, very much incorporating a hands-on approach to both life and work. She yearned to be en-acting the situations she was drawing.

Having received her degree in Animation, Hannaj turned her attention to acting. Volunteering for parts and landing roles in stage plays, such as the immersive production of ‘SNIPER’ (2013), an original by BAFTA award winner John Foster, and ‘Dorian Gray’ (2013) an adaptation by the afore-mentioned John Foster. She also became involved as a lead role in an up-coming web series ‘With The Spirit of Audrey’, played hostage in a corporate Bodyguard training shoot, and literally threw herself into the role of a lead terrorist, holding a plane hostage in the Docu-Drama ‘Black Ops 2’ by World Media Rights, aired on the Yesterday Channel.

Inbetween the occasional corporate role-play, work slowed, and so Hannaj invested her time in Tattoo Art. An on-going apprenticeship, this line of artwork allows her the absolute flexibility she needs to continue forging an acting career.

Since the beginning of 2014 she has appeared in one locally-filmed production ‘My Saviour’, as well as the student short zombie film: ‘Abjection’.

With a love for challenges and new experiences, a penchant for Action/Horror, as well as extreme sensitivity to the emotions conveyed through verbal/body language she confidently strives to showcase her versatility as an actress.