CHAPTER 1B FILM FESTIVAL(S) AND PRESS
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BEN HACKWORTH - DIRECTOR
HISTORY
Ben was born and raised in Brisbane, Australia. After completing high school he moved the United States where he studied at the prestigious Amherst College in Massachusetts, majoring in English Literature and Theatre. He then returned to Australia to undertake a Bachelor of Film at the renowned Victorian College of the Arts.
His VCA graduating film "MARTIN FOUR" was one of the first Australian films (and the first in Victorian history) to be selected for the Cinefondation Competition at Cannes Film Festival in 2001. His 2003 film “VIOLET LIVES UPSTAIRS” attracted significant funding from the Australian Film Commission and won the Australian Film Critics Circle award for Best Short Film.
Ben's films have screened in over twenty countries at highly regarded festivals including Montreal, Edinburgh, Sao Paulo, Rio De Janeiro, Palm Springs, Mill Valley, Rome Independent, Huesca, Setubal, Turin, London, Paris Tout Courts, Melbourne, Brisbane, Vladivostok.
In recent years he has collaborated with respected Australian director Lawrence Johnston (winner of the FIPRESCI award at Venice for his debut feature "LIFE") developing the short feature "TROLLEY SONG" and has also been developing a number of feature film scripts. In 2005/2006 with his script for "THE SERPENT" he was accepted into the Cannes Festival Residence where he resided in Paris for six months and developed the script with the assistance of the festival. "THE SERPENT" has also attracted AFC development funding.
“THE SERPENT” inspired Ben's latest project, “COROBOREE” ("I Won't Grow Up") which is currently in production and due for completion in February 2007.
