Jes Benstock
Born in Glasgow, Jes Benstock has directed internationally recognised shorts and docs, pop videos, interactive digital art and animated visuals for numerous live music events. His award-winning films include THE BOX, POOF, ORDERS OF LOVE, and THE HOLOCAUST TOURIST. Recent productions have included THE MAN WITH THE EXTENDED MIND for ITV and TAGGER with Mike Figgis for the 50th London Film Festival.
Jes is currently working on his first documentary feature THE BRITISH GUIDE TO SHOWING OFF: the fabulous story behind 35 years of Andrew Logan’s Alternative Miss World.
What kind of projects attract you?
I enjoy difficult projects, whether those projects take the form of documentary or fiction. For instance, I made a whole series of films about things you can’t see. The challenge of visualising them appealed to me. I had a sudden realisation many years ago that filmmaking was ridiculously hard work, so I decided there was no point in just making anything. I had to feel it was more than just worthwhile, that I had a passion about the subject and that I had to make it now. That passion fuels me through all the difficult bits that inevitably happen in productions, and also allows me to let go of cherished projects that I feel have passed their time. I like doing something that has never been done before and never been seen before. Otherwise, what’s the point?
You can produce the film of your dreams. What and who would that entail?
20 years ago I could have answered this easily but now I hesitate. Mostly I’m focused on the here and now. For me, I guess dream projects would be to make a film of Life: A User’s Manual by George Perec and a documentary of The Principle of Hope by Ernst Bloch. Both of these are ridiculously ambitious and would probably make better series or interactive pieces rather than single films. Living filmmakers that I’d love to work with include Abbas Kiarostami, Jean-Luc Godard, and Errol Morris. If I could work with people who have died, they would be Orson Welles, Erich von Stroheim, Buster Keaton, Sergei Eisenstein and Luis Buñuel.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a producer?
Keep going!
Most significant moment in your career so far?
Being greenlit for my first feature.
You’ll die happy when…
My time comes… ■
