Nearly a decade ago multi-award winning Israeli born writer and director Onn Nir began wowing audiences around the world through his captivating portrayal of stories on film. Nir's career really began taking off after he landed his first professional job as the director of the film Reality 01 written by Shuky Nachsho.

 "It was a short film but the budget was pretty decent and I got to direct fight scenes, gunshots, and car chases, which was definitely a good learning experience," recalls Nir.

In fact Reality 01 was more than a "good learning experience," it was an integral piece of Onn Nir's puzzle as filmmaker as it helped to lay the foundation for the majority of the successful films he is known for today.

Some of Nir's most recognized films to date include Bamidbar, which received the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival, as well as two nominations at the Shanghai International Film Festival and another nomination at the Champs-Élysées Film Festival last year, Pressure Point, which was nominated for awards at the prestigious Hamptons International Film Festival and St. Louis International Film Festival, and Born Guilty, which was the recipient of an award from the National Board of Review.

Nir's intricate knowledge of the technical aspects of filmmaking and how to effectively apply them in order to provide his audience with a multisensory experience allows his viewers to get lost in each of his stories as if it were there own.

"The work of the director entails seeing the project from conception to execution and beyond - enhancing the storytelling on the page, working with actors, and digging deeper into the psychology of the characters," explains Nir. "By creating a unified vision of a visual story –from camera movements, to editing, and into music - the director creates a coherent experience of sound and vision."

While the films Pressure Point, Born Guilty and Bamidbar are all related to the realities and side effects of war in one way or another, a subject matter Nir has proven through the sheer number of awards won that he is capable of portraying effectively, his other films demonstrate that he is far from a one trick pony.

In the 2013 dramedy film The Inside Story in Africa starring Scott Forrester (Two Birds and a Boy, Angels in Stardust, Trent & Tilly, Cellmates, Meet Dave) and Kelly Lohman (Days of Our Lives, The Hillside Strangler, Gilmore Girls, Bones) Nir brings to life a tale of husband and wife who travel across Africa in a mechanical elephant in hopes of capturing shots of a rare monkey in its natural habitat.

Nir brilliantly captures the comedic quarrels of a husband and wife as they impatiently wait for this coveted African monkey to appear; and in fact, that is one of the most extraordinary testaments to his talent-- that he manages to keep his viewers engaged during the "waiting" period, which any wildlife photographer knows is a natural aspect of capturing the shot.

Any viewer who has had the opportunity to see some of Onn Nir's earliest work, for example the 2004 film The Green Door, which he both wrote and directed, then the astonishing success this filmmaker has had since comes as no surprise. Based on O. Henry's short story "The Green Door," Nir's film follows Rudolph Steiner, a lonesome piano salesman who is given an opportunity to discover true love by chance.

After a stranger on the street gives Steiner a business card that leads him to "The Green Door," a series of unpredictable occurrences ensue; and although it is not the same door as the one assigned by the card, what lays behind it is more pertinent to his heart's desire than he could have planned.

Like many of Nir's films, The Green Door parallels the coincidences that are apparent in each and every one of our lives, and how the decisions we make on an individual level lead up to the total portrait we paint through our experiences.

Onn Nir is definitely one of the most thoughtful writer/directors working in the international film community today, and frankly, we cannot wait to see what he comes up with next!

Originally from Montreal, Canada, Jonathan Bensimon has been taking the entertainment industry by storm on an international level, as he continues to wow audiences with his impeccable work as both a director and cinematographer.

Bensimon first rose to success in the film industry over a decade ago after working as the cinematographer on a commercial for telecommunications giant Nokia.

About the commercial Bensimon says, "We created an operatic piece where we blew up TVs, Cameras and stereos and we would get beautiful highlights and light glimmers as all these pieces flew through the air, and at the end the footage would play backwards to create the phone. It was a mix of artistry and technology blending."

One of the perks of being sought after by clients of this caliber is that Bensimon is always privy to using the industry's most cutting edge technology. Bensimon shot the footage for this particular commercial in super-slow motion, using a prototype digital camera that could record 1500fps, something he says at the time, "Was a new frontier for digital cinema."

Eventually, Bensimon's unique visual style as a cinematographer grabbed the attention of an executive producer who, to make a long story short, put the talented young filmmaker on a path towards directing in 2006. Since then, Bensimon has gone on to work as the director and cinematographer on an impressive list of films, music videos and commercials.

In 2014 Bensimon received several awards for his work, including a Gold, a Merit, and two Silver Awards at the Advertising and Design Club Of Canada (ADCC) for the film Zombie, which also took home three awards at the Applied Arts Advertising & Interactive Awards and made it onto the Cannes Lions' Shortlist. The film also received the Gold Pro Bessie Award at the 2015 Bessie Awards, one of the biggest awards shows in Canada.

Zombie follows Antoine Zombé, a Canadian actor and zombie who struggles to break into the American film industry, which doesn't flock to his easy-going Canadian nature, that is, until he lets go of his niceness and becomes the kind of rabid angry zombie audiences have come to expect.

"I took the film in a biopic direction where we follow this zombie actor's career. We start with his struggles and go on a journey that leads us to the eventual breakthrough into the business," explains Jonathan Bensimon. "I worked very closely with the lead actor (Ian Matthews) to create a comical tone, that was simultaneously absurd and relatable."

Prior to creating the film Zombie to promote the Canadian Film Festival (CFF) in 2014, Bensimon worked as both the cinematographer and director on several other projects for the festival including the short film Canadian Sin, which garnered a Silver Award at the 2013 London International Film Festival and the Gold Award in the cinema category at the 2013 ADCC. Bensimon also worked as the director and cinematographer on Canadian Mafia for CFF, which took home the Silver Award at the 2013 ADCC, and two awards at the Applied Arts Advertising & Interactive Awards.

Even in the early stages of his career, Jonathan Bensimon was widely recognized throughout the industry as someone destined for greatness, something proven by the fact that several management and production companies across Canada vied for the chance to represent him for his work. Prior to finding representation for his music videos with The Field, Spy Films (Toronto) and Les Enfants (Montreal), Bensimon was represented by Industry Films.

While working with Industry Films, Jonathan Bensimon worked as the cinematographer and director on several high-profile commercials for global brands including "Passion," "All You Want," "Relief Worker" and "Father of the Bride" for Tylenol, "His and Hers," "Test Drive," "Trade In," "Checkered Flag" and "Silence" for Honda, as well as Nissan's "Choosing," Villagio's "Everyone's Favorite," Advil's "Advil Air," Honey Bunches of Oats' "Multiple Mouths" and countless others.

Although Bensimon has become a highly sought after director and cinematographer for commercials, his talents in the field extend far beyond commercials alone. In 2010 he directed, as well as worked as the cinematographer on the film Tokyo/Glow, which received the Bronze Award in the film category at the Telly Awards. Upon his first visit to Tokyo, Bensimon was not only mesmerized by the beauty of the city, but was also drawn to one of the city's unique features-- a cross-walk sign, which ultimately led him to create the film Tokyo/Glow.

Bensimon recalls, "I was in awe of the entire city, but something really simple caught my attention: the cross walk sign, rather than being a stick figure like every other crosswalk sign in the world this one had a suit and a fedora. I wanted to bring him to life and see him journey through the city."

Incorporating stop-motion animation, Bensimon's film captures the beauty of the city's nightscape alive with movement as one man, who is literally lit up like a light bulb, moseys through the busy streets.

Bensimon explains, "Our lead actor was wrapped in a 100 meters of LED rope light as he walked at a snails pace in order for the world around him to move at rapid speed."

Aside from receiving a Telly Award, Tokyo/Glow reached incredible success in Canada where it aired nationwide on Bravo!, in addition to being featured on several blogs including Style.com, Tokyomango.com, Madewithjapan.com, and many more.

About the way his work as both a cinematographer and director affect his overall approach to a project Bensimon says, "Being a director/cinematographer allows me to see things in a very unique way, it makes my preparation very intense and makes me develop a special relationship with the actors and the crew because I constantly look at things from multiple angles. Also, it allows me to have a very clear idea of the direction of the mood that will be in the final piece."

Over the past decade Jonathan Bensimon has created an unparalleled reputation as an artist who is able to not only morph his creativity to the fit needs of his vast range of commercial clients, but one who is able to continually create groundbreaking work and frankly, we can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

Make sure to check out Jonathan Bensimon's "Social Innovation" commercial for Hitachi below, where he was both the cinematographer and director, and if you would like to see more of this talented filmmaker's work you can check out his profile on Spy Films, Les Enfants and The Field , the production companies currently representing him.

One cannot overstate the integral role of the cinematographer in bringing a director's vision to the screen. Often referred to as the director of photography (DP), it is one of the most challenging jobs in the film industry. Not only do these individuals set the film’s tone by carefully crafting images to create a visual language, but they also serve as chief of the film's camera department and lighting crew. The role of DP befits a person who is able to use both their right brain and their left brain, as this work inevitably requires the creative capacity to infuse images with life and emotion in addition to vast knowledge concerning technical aspects of illumination and effective use of camera techniques.

Celebrated English cinematographer Guy Pooles says, "It is the job of the cinematographer to tell the story visually. I collaborate with the director to devise and build a visual language that ties into their vision for the film, then I move forward and manage the Lighting, Grip and Camera departments to ensure that every creative and logistical choice made is in keeping with the execution of that vision. It is my job to hone each visual element, be it lighting, color or composition, to a place where it complements and elevates the drama of the narrative."

Pooles discovered his desire to work in film in his youth, but it wasn't until several years ago, while attending Royal Holloway, University of London, that he realized cinematography was his true calling. Though incredibly demanding, Pooles sees cinematography as an avenue for endless exploration into the way images transcend verbal language.

"In a way, the emotive power of cinematography is an infinite mystery. I’m not entirely sure why a certain lens on a certain camera in a certain place can make me feel safe and comforted, or why a particular quality of light raking across a wall can fill me with sadness, all I know is that they do. There’s a humanity encoded within imagery that transcends language or definition, and the exploration of this is forever surprising and enjoyable," he explains. "It is an unquenchable curiosity that draws me towards cinematography."

Pooles has fulfilled his dream of working internationally as a professional cinematographer, and he has been honored with numerous awards for his work, including the American Society of Cinematographers’ Linwood Dunn Heritage Award, which he received last year for his work as cinematographer on the film Dirty Laundry. 

Over the years, Pooles has amassed an a impressive repertoire of work as a cinematographer, including films like Wake, Happenstance, What Must Be Done, You're a Little Late, Martha, and a documentary entitled Best of The Pacific Northwest.

One of Pooles' most recent projects as a cinematographer is the film Open 24 Hours, a dark comedy directed by Henry Chaisson. According to Pooles, "Our goal for the film was to take an utterly mundane setting --a secluded, small town, gas station-- and construct a visual language for the film to suggest that a sinister and unusual energy existed beneath the surface of this seemingly-harmless world."  

After testing several lens systems to achieve the aesthetic goal, Pooles and his team selected Cineovision Anamorphic Lenses from Old School Cameras, as well as a RED Epic Dragon camera body with a 6K sensor. Pooles explains, "For me, the joy of the Cineovision lenses was that they possessed all of the visual characteristics of an anamorphic lens that I enjoy -- softness, flaring and fogging, slight breathing/distortion -- but with a subtlety that allowed the lenses to still be easy to work with on set." 

A testament to the film's powerful imagery and the quirky story it portrays, Open 24 Hours was recently chosen as an Official Selection of the 2015 Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival where it will screen in February. Guy Pooles’s work has demonstrated that he has the kind of adaptable creative vision that can endure the test of time, and film is not his only area of expertise.

Last year Pooles was asked to work as both director and cinematographer for Bryarly Bishop’s music video for the song "In the Bright Daylight." The indie musician's budget for the video paled in comparison to Pooles' recent projects, but because he loves a good challenge, he brainstormed until he devised a concept that would fit both the song and the musician's budget. Pooles says, "The key to keeping the budget so low was the utilization of natural light."

Pooles turned to the Sony a7S using a native ISO of 3200 and a S-Log 2 curve, which he says possesses incredible latitude and very high sensitivity, making a large and expensive lighting package unnecessary. "I needed only to utilize the overcast ambient daylight coming through the window of the location as my key light, and then shape it to my desired look with plenty of negative fill," he explains. "For a low-budget music video such as this, the minimalist approach worked perfectly, allowing the shoot to be not just cheap, but also fast."

Looking to the future, Pooles is slated to travel to China later this year where he will work as the cinematographer on an upcoming film. He says, "My wish is to keep moving forward and to try new things. I think the mark of a good cinematographer is the ability to move from genre to genre and from medium to medium whilst leaving their own personal style at the door."

It hasn’t taken long for Danish filmmaker Jacob Lundgaard Andersen to make a name for himself in Hollywood.  Though he credits some of his success with Hollywood’s recent fascination with all things Danish, it seems that sheer talent, and not a Danish passport, has held the key to Andersen’s success.

After completing an education dedicated to filmmaking, first at the European Film College in Denmark, then the prestigious American Film Institute in the U.S., Jacob jumped right into writing and directing short films and music videos, which immediately found acceptance and recognition in festivals and on MTV. Since then he has worked for prominent Danish directors Thomas Vinterberg and Nikolaj Arcel, and has gained international experience filming musicians like 30 Seconds to Mars (fronted by Jared Leto), Raphael Saadiq and Enrique Iglesias on their respective world tours. He is a recipient of the Nordic Film Foundation Scholarship and the Bridges/Larson Grant for socially responsible filmmaking.

Jacob has thus far directed nearly a dozen films, including the multi-award winning Dustland, Maria Bonita, As Long As You Watch My Heart, Sad Animals, Rumspringa, The Unfortunate Turth and Be Here Now, which have won recognition and accolades from film festivals around the world, such as the Saint Petersburg International Film Festival (Russia), the prestigious Rhode Island Film Festival (USA), Kitzbuhel Film Festival (Austria), HollyShorts Film Festival (USA), Filmques (USA), just to name a few. 

I asked Jacob to discuss some of his most memorable productions. Of course this is an unfair question to ask a filmmaker, as each of his productions is the culmination of his blood, sweat and tears, but when pressed, we ended up talking about his films Rumspringa, Sad Animals and Be Here Now.

Be Here Now was Jacob's first independent film. He was deeply inspired by the work of experimental filmmaker Jesper Just, and the early work of Lars Von Trier (Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, Dogville). Working on Be Here Now, Andersen realized that “film can be completely submersive and even more communicative without being mainstream or Hollywood. It was like becoming aware of abstract art.” Andersen spent about 6 months thoughtfully writing the script, spending a lot of time in the parks of Copenhagen listening to Leonard Cohen and Jeff Buckley. As he created the film early on in his career, he admits it was a challenge making a high quality film with no budget, but he succeeded. “I had to borrow and beg everywhere, like most people making shorts for zero cash, but I think I got extremely lucky with my collaborators, or maybe they just extended an extra courtesy for a young naïve filmmaker.” The film screened at several venues in Copenhagen and participated in the prestigious International Short Film Festival Detmold in 2011.

As someone fascinated by the Amish ritual of Rumspringa, I couldn’t resist asking Jacob about the story, the inspiration, and his experience making the film Rumspringa.  Rumspringa is a rite of passage that many Amish youth take part in whereby they have the option of leaving the strict confines of their insular religious communities to live in the non-Amish world.  After their Rumspringa, they choose whether or not to be baptized and confirmed into the Amish community, or to leave forever and live in the secular world. Rumspringa was Andersen’s first project in Los Angeles, and he explains, “This was my first fiction project in Los Angeles and I wanted to explore some of the more extreme versions of this new world in a fairytale kind of setting. I thought it would be a good place to start and try to get a more well-rounded view of my very naïve look on Los Angeles.” Just as the main characters in the film experience the ups and downs of the world outside their sheltered upbringing for the first time, working on the film in a new country was an eye opening learning experience for Jacob in a lot of ways. 

The next film we talked about was a challenging one-take called Sad Animals, which Jacob both wrote and directed. Sad Animals is a film that takes a comedic look at a suicidal man’s very emotional journey to his own death after discovering he has brain cancer.  If the subject matter weren’t enough to make the film a stand-out, what really makes this film special is that it’s shot as a one-take, which means that the entire film is one continuous shot, with no “cuts”.  He explains that he was “a bit surprised” that it turned in to a comedy.  Jacob explains, “I do not want to make light of the struggle of the people that are actually suffering with suicidal thoughts, but I guess it is a Scandinavian approach to the existential crises.” He cites Roy Andersen as a big inspiration for this film.  “A one-take demands a lot of preparation and perfect timing. Once you say ‘action,’ the film takes on a life of its own, and there is nothing you can do about it. We also had kids and stunts, which are two classic no-go’s.” The film is not only quirky and endearing, but beautifully shot as well.

Jacob Lundgaard Andersen’s is currently working on an upcoming feature comedy, as well as collaborating with musician Rapheal Saadiq. Jacob's work proves that he is one of the most talented Danish additions to join the American entertainment industry in recent years, and we can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

Check out the trailer for Jacob Lundgaard Anderson's film Rumspringa below!

An artist to the core, Bosnian multi-talent Nina Ljeti is not only an incredible actress, but an inspirational director, and skilled screenwriter as well.

A contemporary of the incomparable actor/director James Franco, Nina has starred alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest actors, including Golden Globe winners Winona Ryder and Jessica Chastain, Emmy winner Josh Hamilton, Lily Taylor, Heather Graham, Mila Kunis, Zach Braff and a long list of others. For someone who is only 23-years-old, Nina has accomplished more in the film industry than most people ever will. Some of her titles as an actress include the award-winning film Child of God, The Letter, About Cherry, Tar, and many more.

In addition to being an incredible actress, Nina is also a talented director with a unique vision. In 2013 Nina wrote and directed the film Jeffrey, which explores the lesser-known and more mundane aspects of the life of Jeffrey Dahmer, one of America’s most infamous serial killers. However, her most notable directorial title to date is the feature film Memoria, which stars Golden Globe winner James Franco and is scheduled to be released early next year.

Nina co-directed, as well as co-wrote the screenplay for the film with longtime collaborator and friend, Vladimir de Fontenay. The duo met while attending NYU’s Tisch School of Arts, one of the most prestigious film schools in the world, which boasts an alumni list that reads like a film industry who’s-who, including luminaries like Woody Allen, Oliver Stone, Joel Cohen, Martin Scorsese, Marcia Gay Harden, James Franco, and Angelina Jolie.

The screenplay for Memoria was adapted from three short stories found in James Franco’s book Palo Alto, and explores how the spirit of a once honest and kind-natured person can be completely destroyed as a result of living in an environment that is devoid of love.

Based in Palo Alto, California, Memoria centers on the life of Ivan Cohen (played by James Franco), an anti-social boy whose turbulent relationship with his mother and stepfather lead him to retreat into an imaginary world where he is able to connect with his real father, a member of the Russian military.

Personally, I am very excited about the release of the film, and am looking forward to seeing more of Nina’s work as an actress and director in the future. She is undoubtedly a one-of-a-kind talent who has created a solid place for her self in the film industry.