Emil Benjamin is a writer, director, producer, cinematographer, editor, and educator based out of New York City. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, he received his BFA in Theatre Arts from Boston University and MFA in Film Directing & Screenwriting from Columbia University, where he now serves as adjunct faculty.
Emil's feature documentary, Oyate, premiered in competition at Big Sky and is currently running the festival circuit. His short films?White People, We Can Do It,?and?The Breakdown Parables?have screened and earned prizes at dozens of festivals worldwide. Emil attended the Cine Qua Non Revision Lab with his feature,?It Would Have Been Enough?and won the Austin Film Festival Pitch Competition with his pilot,?Hopeless. He is currently co-writing?The Untitled Sam Project?for director Nadav Kurtz (Paraiso) and Oscar-nominated producer Diane Quon (Minding the Gap).
Emil is the founder of Irrelevant Media, an international production company and artist collective that has screened films and won prizes at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, TIFF, SXSW, and more. Members represent Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Lebanon, Pakistan, Germany, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.
? Emil Benjamin
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Film
Film Alumnus 2020