Dana Kotenko
Acting
Biography
Dana is a Ukrainian actor and filmmaker based in Ireland. Originally from Kyiv, she has spent over three years in Ireland developing her work in film through a degree in Film and Screen Media at University College Cork, alongside acting training with Darren Kelleher at ActorsVision and further study with Jon Witty. While her practice spans filmmaking, production, and movement, Dana considers acting the core of her artistic identity. Her background in dance and movement informs her sensitivity to physical detail and emotional nuance, shaping the way she approaches both performance and visual storytelling. Her creative interests include explorations of female and queer identity, LGBTQ representation, and the emotional and psychological dimensions of character. Working across documentaries, music videos, and narrative short films, including projects showcased at the Fastnet Film Festival, she remains committed to developing her voice as both an actor and a filmmaker. She is open to collaborative, exploratory projects with visual and performing artists, with a particular focus on performance work that values creativity and shared vision.
Known For
Take a peek into the unsettling world of “Benji,” where every moment teeters on the edge of suspense. Fresh off the heels of a young couple’s arrival at Ms. O’Donnell’s enigmatic house, we delve into their gripping journey as they seek to uncover Benji’s long-lost archaeological find. With tension mounting and secrets lurking around every corner, their quest promises to unravel more than just buried relics.
Benji
A young boy juggles with the inexplicable urge to become a legendary glass kleptomaniac. Shattered by his past, he must confront his unusual compulsion before it breaks him beyond repair.
Cracked
Once vibrant and full of life, the house now sits in quiet decay, its walls cracked and its windows clouded with dust. But within its aging frame, the memories of its former inhabitants still linger. The Life and Death of a Home tells the story of a house that remembers. As the years pass and nature reclaims it, the house reflects on the lives it sheltered—the laughter, the arguments, the quiet moments of solitude. With each creak of its floorboards and whisper of the wind through broken glass, the house becomes a silent storyteller, holding onto the essence of those who have come and gone. It’s a tale of time’s passage and the way places can keep the echoes of the past alive.