Anyone with the ambition of becoming a significant filmmaker will know how competitive the industry can be. One crucial factor to standing out in the sea of talented creatives is the hunger to keep growing and learning. Jonathan Bensimon knows the benefits of learning from the best and attributes much of his success to constant exposure, networking, and hands-on work.
Jonathan Bensimon is a filmmaker and producer who picked up a significant fraction of his training in New York City, which formed his career for the better. For a season, Jonathan had the opportunity to work alongside Oscar-winning filmmaker and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, a film professional known best for his work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Deer Hunter. “I shadowed him on set in New York,” fondly recalls the budding director. “What I learned in the four years of film school I had before that experience pales in comparison to my time with the crews in New York who were so generous in teaching me all the aspects of production.”
Despite the US film industry being a hugely competitive market for directors and filmmakers, Jonathan has succeeded as a professional. His niche style of film directing and cinematography work make him a gem that has attracted audiences and film critics alike. Bensimon’s mastery of visual work and compelling storytelling have earned him many accolades, nods, and stellar reviews for his works of art. Today, Jonathan travels worldwide, creating films alongside some of the biggest names in global filmmaking.
The filmmaker always had a passion for directing, something he picked up from his father. He grew up surrounded by avid storytellers, further solidifying his resolve to become a significant professional in the moving picture industry. While most people his age stood amazed in front of screens watching the likes of Superman fly across the sky, Jonathan was the type who would closely study the footage and figure out how the behind-the-scenes crew made the visual magic happen.
Jonathan would spend many years shooting around the world and honing what was already a natural disposition to filmmaking and storytelling. He would receive mentorship from Vilmos Zigmond and Laszlo Kovacs and deepen his relationship with his calling. His time spent working with film professionals would prove formative as it would become a massive factor in forming his style and filmmaking approach. And despite the hefty competition with thousands of people working on sets on any given day, Jonathan would eventually find his place and solidify his case to become a significant member of the film world.
In the two decades since his entry into the film world, Jonathan would be a part of various titles, working on cinematography for works like Red Dress Budapest, The Sadness of Johnson Joe Jangles, Rose, Shaolin Delivery Boy, The Canadian Shield, Push and Turn, The Deaths of Chet Baker, Butterflies of Trip City, The Long Autumn, and many others. He has also directed films like Let Go of the Future, Over the Hill Valley Girls, Autograph, and a documentary for Maty’s Health Products. The film County Time, for which he was a director, cinematographer, and producer, would also become an official selection for The Palm Springs International Short Festival. Another notable work of Bensimon’s is Tokyo/Glow, a film that would become a digital hit and reached tens of thousands of viewers. The film was a project that Jonathan did for the World AIDS Conference.
Despite all he has accomplished, Jonathan Bensimon shares that he still has many lifetime worths of stories he wants to tell. And given his talent, experience, and flare, the sky’s the limit in terms of what he can accomplish as an executive and film producer, director, and cinematographer.
Learn more about Jonathan Bensimon by visiting his website and IMDB profile.
