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Born in Toronto Canada, with most of his childhood spent in Puerto Rico, Ben Sainsbury has been making movies since the age of 11. His first movie starred Gumby and Barbie and a 20 by 30 foot village. His passion continued and by 14, Ben's 4th film, and acting debut was in a film adaptation of "The Emperor's New Clothes", during the production he was stabbed below his right eye, and still has the scar.
Realizing he has a passion for film, Ben dropped out of high school in Toronto at the age of seventeen and ran away to California to work in the industry. He began print and runway modeling in San Francisco, which naturally led him to Los Angeles to expand his modeling career into film work. In Los Angeles, he starred in several national TV commercials (Lee Jeans, Labatts Beer) and used the funds to produce a couple of short 16 mm films, and put himself thru film school. He graduated with a BA in film from Prescott College in Arizona. In the summer's Ben worked as a canoeing guide at the all girls Camp Wapomeo in Algonquin Park.
He later went on to serve as a sergeant in the US Army's "Psychological Warfare" unit where he learned how to use media to "influence the emotions, motives, objective reasoning and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations and individuals." Ben managed to keep his mental independence while in the military and frequently escaped with Bukowski, J.D. Salinger, Crad Kilodney and Heavy Metal comic books. With the "Pysop's" experience under his belt, Ben moved to Vancouver and produced and directed rock videos shown on Much Music.
Ben went back to school and got a Masters in Professional Writing at the University of Southern California. While at USC, he was an Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences intern at Red Mountain Films: an up and coming LA based Production Company.
He most recently produced a short entitled “Jail Bait” starring Peter Dinklage (Station Agent, Elf) that screened at the SXSW film festival in Austin TX, the 26th Annual IFP Market in New York City, the Ion International Film Festival in Los Angeles and the Toronto Online Film Festival. www.jailbaitthemovie.com
- Location:
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United States
- Primary occupation:
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Film Director
- Hometown:
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Toronto
- Schools attended:
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University of Southerrn California, Prescott College, College of Marin, North Toronto, Leaside High School, Unionville High School, Rosseau Lake College
- I like:
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Sex, drugs and Rock and Roll.
- Favorite writers:
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Charles Bukowksi, John Fante, Crad Kilodney, JD Salinger, Harmony Korine
- Favorite books:
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Stranger in a Strange Land, Hollywood, Catcher in the Rye, World Under Anethesia
- Favorite newspapers:
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LA Weekly, Now, Georgia Straight
- Favorite magazines:
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The New Yorker, RES magazine, Wired
- Favorite music:
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Ween, Strokes, Radiohead, Harry Nilsson, Grateful Dead, Motor Head, Queens of the Stone Age, Desert Sessions, Fatso Jetson
- Favorite movies:
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Gummo, Heavy Traffic, Rock and Rule, Jail Bait, Living in Oblivion
- Favorite TV shows:
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The Office, The Young Ones, Monty Python
- Favorite teams:
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I hate sports, I only watch surfing
- Favorite quote:
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"Canadians are Pathologically Un-authoritarian" - Bob Weir
- Gender:
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Male