Ben Lewin
Ben Lewin | |
|---|---|
 With Judi Levine at Sundance Film Festival | |
| Born | 1946 (age 77–78) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Director |
Ben Lewin (born 1946) is an Australian film and television director.
Early life and education
[edit]Ben Lewin was born in Poland. As a child, he emigrated with his family to Melbourne, Australia.[1] At the age of six, he contracted polio which has caused him to use crutches for the rest of his life.[2] Lewin attended the University of Melbourne where he studied law. In 1971, he left his job as a barrister[3] in Australia after being given a scholarship to study film at National Film and Television School in England.[1] After school, Lewin remained in England where he worked in television.[citation needed]
Work in film
[edit]Lewin has since made feature films in Australia, England, France, and America. Some of his notable films are The Dunera Boys (1985), Georgia (1988), The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish (1991), and The Sessions (2012), for which he also wrote the screenplay, based on an essay by Mark O'Brien.[citation needed] Lewin gained further notoriety for writing and directing the romantic comedy film Lucky Break (1994), released outside of Australia as Paperback Romance, which was a critical success in Australia and launched/revived the careers of Gia Carides and Rebecca Gibney, the latter of whom was nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress by the Australian Film Institute for her performance in the film.
He also directed the films Please Stand By (2017), The Catcher Was a Spy (2018) and Falling for Figaro (2021).[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Biographies - Ben Lewin". suchmuchfilms.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ Horn, John (22 January 2012). "Sundance 2012: A 65-year-old takes on disability and sex in 'The Surrogate'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ Hooks, Barbara (14 April 1987). "A world of comedy in Acland Street". The Age. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ Brent Lang, "IFC Films Buys ‘Falling for Figaro,’ Rom-Com With Joanna Lumley, Danielle Macdonald". Variety, 7 December 2020.
External links
[edit]
- 1946 births
- Australian Jews
- Australian people of Polish-Jewish descent
- Polish emigrants to Australia
- Australian film directors
- Living people
- Melbourne Law School alumni
- Film directors from Melbourne
- Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom
- Australian emigrants to England
- Alumni of the National Film and Television School
- Sundance Film Festival award winners