Tamara Benitez

Tamara Benitez
Tamara Benitez by Martin Rey Aviles
Born	(1983-10-14) October 14, 1983 (age 33) San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines
Nationality	Spanish - Filipino
Occupation	Cinematographer, Producer, Surfer
Known for	Underwater Cinematography

Tamara Benitez (also Mara Benitez) (born 14 October 1983) is a Filipina Cinematographer and camera operator, based in Metro Manila, Philippines. Known primarily for her underwater videography, Benitez has worked extensively for the ABS-CBN Corporation and under its production companies Star Cinema and VIVA Films, and has worked with such directors as Lav Diaz, Wenn Deramas, Sig Sanchez, Paolo Herras, and Martin Aviles. She has also worked with Cinematographer Arvin Viola on numerous occasions. Benitez is one of few female Cinematographers working in the cinema of the Philippines. In 2006 she was Director of Photography for the featured pictures Heremias and Lambanog, and in 2011 shot footage for the TV series Survivor India and served as Director of Photography for the TV series Where's Tony.

Tamara Isabel Escudero Benitez was born on 14 October 1983 in San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines. She is the daughter of a well-known Underwater Cinematographer. She is of mixed Spanish and Filipino heritage; her father is Filipino and her mother mestiza. She studied Cinematography at the Mowelfund Film Institute in 2003, where she was taught how to use a film camera by Larry Manda. In 2004, Benitez gained her first experience in filming as an assistant on the set of Laurenti Dyogi's romantic drama Now That I have You. Later that year she shot footage for Jeffrey Jeturian's major hit Minsan Pa (2004), as well as having a minor role as an American backpacker in it. A reviewer of Minsan Pa in the Manila Bulletin talked of "beautiful cinematography that makes much of Cebu's beautiful tourist spots (such as its famous dive sites in Moalboal)." Liz Braun of the Toronto Sun also praised the cinematography in Minsan Pa.