BEN HACKWORTH

Screenwriter and Director born in Brisbane Australia

His graduating film "Martin Four" from Victorian College of the Arts was in official selection at Cannes Film Festival in 2001.

In 2004, his Australian Film Commission funded short film "Violet Lives Upstairs" won the Australian Film Critics Circle Award for Best Short Fiction and screened in many celebrated international Festivals, including Montreal, Palm Springs and Sao Paulo. He completed his Masters Research Degree in 2005 with the script for a feature film called "The Serpent" and was selected for the prestigious Cannes Film Festival Residence and Atelier with the project. He has lectured in Screenwriting and Directing at Victorian College of the Arts as well as convened and lectured in History of Film and Asia Pacific Cinema at Queensland College of the Arts. In 2008, his debut feature film "Corroboree" was selected for Berlin and Toronto International Film Festivals. Cannes Film Festival selector Laurent Jacob called it "Enigmatic, playful like some sensual and modern Mankiewicz movie, beautifully directed." He is currently completing a second Masters Degree in Visual Arts from Queensland College of the Arts while teaching and developing new stories. His second feature film "Ruins of Love" was written with the late and great Bile Brown and is currently financing with Melbourne Production company Unicorn Films. In 2010, the script was invited as one of six projects to be read by french actors as part of the Cannes Film Festival to mark the 10 year anniversary of their program for emerging directors.