Ben Lewin | |
---|---|
Born | 1946 (age 77–78) |
Nationality | Australian |
Occupation | Director |
Ben Lewin (born 1946) is an Australian film and television director.
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 ]
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]
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