Ned Benson | |
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Born |
New York City, New York, U.S. |
April 3, 1977
Alma mater | Columbia University |
Occupation | Director, screenwriter, producer |
Ned Benson (April 3, 1977) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His directorial debut film, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, was released on October 10, 2014 in the United States.
Benson grew up in New York City. He graduated from Columbia University in 2001 with a degree in film and English.
Benson began his film career writing, directing and acting in shorts. He was approached by a then unknown Jessica Chastain in 2003 after a screening of his short film Four Lean Hounds at the Malibu Film Festival who asked to work with him on future projects. Chastain would go on to appear in his 2010 short film The Westerner. Benson also asked Chastain if she would be willing to appear in his film The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby. After Chastain began asking questions about Rigby's background, Benson was prompted to write another script devoted entirely to her perspective.
In 2012, after Chastain was nominated for an Oscar, she officially joined The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby as producer and star.The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby was shot as two films simultaneously in 2012. Both films premiered together at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival under the title The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him and Her Benson later edited the films into one movie The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them which premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. Them was given a limited release in September 2014 by The Weinstein Company.