Ilan Benjamin's Blog, page 3

Notice The Resemblance?

To say we are fans of Daft Punk would be an understatement. You must listen to Random Access Memories…Right now.

A Great Start! Kicktraq Chart

I am happy to show that, much unlike my first project, Masa: Stories of a Lone Soldier, Poets has sustained a steady rise in pledging over the course of its first week. See the charts below:

 

Let’s keep the momentum going! Support Poets today!

Announcing: Poets – A Short Film & the Kickstarter!

I am proud to announce the launch of the most ambitious project of my life to date.

This Summer I, Asher Genoot and Kyle Wasserman are producing a short film called “Poets”. We are USC students in the School of Cinematic Arts and Marshal School of Business and have collaborated on multiple short films together, including the award-winning short The Details.

What is Poets?

Poets is an independent short film I wrote Spring Semester at USC. It is the story of a boy named Arthur and a girl named Elle, two slam poets, who begin a turbulent love affair. The story is about their journey on and off the stage, how they clash and collide, the personifications of truth and art. Today, we begin to fundraise Poets on Kickstarter.com.

Thanks to so many of you, we funded my first Kickstarter project, Masa: Stories of a Lone Soldier, in just one week. I am proud to say that the book has garnered an overwhelmingly positive response. If you liked the book, or if you just want to see my first real professional film become a reality, I turn to you now, again, to ask for your help.

We are filming the five-day shoot in the Bay Area with the most professional equipment and crew we can muster. This is where you come in.

The Kickstarter will help fund the camera and lighting equipment, locations, set design, catering, transportation, and film festival submissions.

I ask you for your support in any form possible. Spread the word, donate to the cause if you can. As of this moment, our kickstarter project goes live on Kickstarter.com. On the surface, the goal is to raise enough money to fund the pre-production, production and post-production of the film. The more important goal is to tell the intimate story about love and loss, about truth and art, about every passion we harbor within our hearts. The story immerses the audience into a world unlike any other, Slam, while telling the story of two very raw real people. There is no other way to say it.

Poets is a story that must be shared with the world.

New Project: Dad

I am proud to announce the new short film I am associate producing this Summer called: “Dad”. It is a deeply personal story about loss from writer/director Jack Martin. Share the Kickstarter page today!

Reviews Are In!

I’m very excited to announce that since its publication in December 2012, Masa: Stories of a Lone Soldier, my debut novel, has sold over 500 copies and received a 5-star rating on Amazon.

Below are some excerpts about the book:

 

Plug in the “J”

The Bay Area weekly newsletter, the “J” just released an interview with me about Masa: Stories of a Lone Soldier. Check it out HERE.

The Book is Out!

The book launch event at Afikomen in Berkeley was a wonderful success! Now, the book is available on Amazon, both as a paperback and for kindle. Order your copy now HERE!

@ Afikomen

Masa: The Trailer!

Right In Time For the Holidays…

This is it! The book will be out within the week! Get your reading glasses and your wallets ready, people–it’s coming!

émotions sans noms – A Short Film

An ode to the avante garde, an homage and/or spoof (you decide) of the works of Jean Luc Godard. Written and directed by Ilan Benjamin and Liana Wertman.

 

émotions sans noms from Ilan Benjamin on Vimeo.