Ben Lewin (born 1946) is an Australian director.

Early life and education

Ben Lewin was born in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. As a child, he emigrated with his family to

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

. At the age of six, he contracted

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

which has caused him to use crutches for the rest of his life. Lewin attended the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

where he studied law. In 1971, he left his job as a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

in Australia after being given a scholarship to study film at National Film and Television School in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. After school, Lewin remained in England where he worked in television.

Work in film

Lewin has since made feature films in Australia, England, France, and America. Some of his notable films are ''

The Dunera Boys ''The Dunera Boys'' is a 1985 Australian mini series based on the ''Dunera'' incident.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p190 Cast * Bob Hoskins - Morrie Mendellsohn * Joseph Spano - Alexander ...

'' (1985), ''

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

'' (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. He also directed the films '' Please Stand By'' (2017), '' The Catcher Was a Spy'' (2018) and '' Falling for Figaro'' (2021).Brent Lang
"IFC Films Buys ‘Falling for Figaro,’ Rom-Com With Joanna Lumley, Danielle Macdonald"
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', 7 December 2020.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewin, Ben 1946 births Australian Jews Australian people of Polish-Jewish descent Polish emigrants to Australia American film directors Australian film directors Living people Melbourne Law School alumni People from Melbourne Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom Australian emigrants to England Alumni of the National Film and Television School