Benjamin Gilmour (born 1975) is an Australian German poet, author and film-maker. He is known for writing and directing ''
Jirga (2018)'', ''
Son of a Lion (2007)'' and ''Paramedico (2012)''. His books include ''Paramedico'', ''Warrior Poets'' and ''The Gap''.
Biography
He was born in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
but soon moved to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. He grew up in
Lane Cove
Lane Cove is a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Lane Cove is nine kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local governmen ...
, Sydney.
Career
Gilmour is the author of several books on his filmmaking in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
and
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. His first non-fiction book ''Warrior Poets - Guns, movie-making and the Wild West of Pakistan'' was published in 2008 and details his time living among the Pashtun tribes of the Northwest Frontier. The book was based on his directing of the feature film ''Son of a Lion'' (2007). His third book ''The Gap'' was released in 2019. He is also the author of an illustrated book for children ''The Travel Bug'' and two volumes of poetry, ''The Song of a Hundred Miles'' and ''Night Swim''.
His award-winning feature film ''Jirga'' was released in 2018 and premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
. Jirga won the
AACTA Award
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...
for Best Independent Film and the CineFestOz Film Prize. Gilmour won a NSW Premier's Prize for the script of ''Jirga''. ''Jirga'' was also selected as Australia's entry to the
91st Academy Awards
The 91st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2018 and took place on February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the ceremony, A ...
in the Best Foreign Language Film section.
Gilmour is also a qualified
paramedic
A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research.
Not all ambulance personnel are p ...
and has worked in public health development in low-middle income nations. His best-selling book ''Paramedico - Around the World by Ambulance (2012)'' was released at the same time as the documentary ''Paramedico'' which Gilmour also produced. ''Paramedico'' the documentary was nominated for the Foxtel Best Documentary Award at the
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize.
the festival's director is Nashen Moodley.
Histo ...
.
Bibliography
Books Authored
* ''Song of a Hundred Miles'' - 1998.
* ''Warrior Poets'' - 2010.
* ''Paramedico'' - 2012
* ''The Travel Bug'' - 2011
* ''Camera's & Kalashnikovs'' - 2018
* ''The Gap'' - 2019
* ''Night Swim'' - 2020
Filmography
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmour, Benjamin
Living people
1975 births
Australian poets
Australian film directors