Benh Zeitlin
Benh Zeitlin is an American filmmaker born on October 14, 1982, in Queens, New York. He developed an early passion for filmmaking, creating his first short at the age of six. His artistic upbringing, influenced by his parents, who founded the nonprofit City Lore, instilled in him a deep appreciation for storytelling and folk traditions. Zeitlin studied film at Wesleyan University, where he co-founded the independent filmmaking collective Court 13. His notable works include the award-winning short films "Egg," "Glory at Sea," and the acclaimed feature "Beasts of the Southern Wild," which garnered four Academy Award nominations and showcased his unique blend of magic realism and authentic performances from local actors.
Zeitlin's filmmaking often emphasizes emotional narratives and community involvement, demonstrating that impactful cinema can emerge without substantial financial backing. He has made New Orleans his home, finding inspiration in its culture and the resilience of its residents. Zeitlin's approach has significantly influenced the perception of independent films, proving that powerful storytelling can resonate universally.
Subject Terms
Benh Zeitlin
Director
- Born: October 14, 1982
- Birthplace: Queens, New York
Contribution: Benh Zeitlin is a screenwriter and director whose first feature-length film, Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), garnered much critical acclaim, receiving four Academy Award nominations and many other awards.
Background
Benh Zeitlin made his first film—a simple Batman fan movie—when he was just six years old and has not stopped since. He was born on October 14, 1982, in Queens, New York, to urban folklorists Steven Zeitlin and Amanda Dargan. Zeitlin and his sister, Eliza, often accompanied their parents, founders of the nonprofit organization City Lore, on trips to discover the stories of New Yorkers. This upbringing gave the Zeitlin siblings an appreciation for both performance and folk beliefs. Eliza would later collaborate with Zeitlin on his films, helping him with art and production design.
After making films throughout high school, Zeitlin went on to study film at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where he cofounded the independent filmmaking collective Court 13 in 2004. Court 13 is named for the abandoned squash court at Wesleyan that the group commandeered for its work after moving from Zeitlin’s basement. Zeitlin also spent a summer studying animation in Prague.
Career
Zeitlin began making short films during and after college with Court 13. Shot as Zeitlin’s thesis project in 2004, Egg (2005) is a stop-motion picture in which a minute pirate caricature sails his ship on the egg white inside an egg, forever hunting the yolk, only to be devoured when the egg itself is eaten by a bird-person. The film, an interpretation of Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick (1851), won the Grand Jury Sparky Award for Animation at the 2005 Slamdance Film Festival and the Audience Award for Best Animation at the 2005 DC Independent Film Festival.
Zeitlin’s next short, filmed in 2005, was I Get Wet. The film features a group of children, ranging from second grade to fifth grade, who portray a gang of bullies threatening the friendship of two schoolmates. Zeitlin’s second stop-motion short was The Origins of Electricity (2006). In this film, Topsy the elephant, who was electrocuted by Thomas Edison during a stage show about electricity, tells a light bulb the story of how it came into existence.
Next, Zeitlin helped create the shorts Death to the Tinman (2007) and Seed (2009), the latter of which was released in Prague. He also worked with the band O’Death on the music video for their song “Low Tide.” Released in 2008, the video features band members resurrecting a woman who drowned at sea.
The sea theme is explored more fully in Zeitlin’s next project, an ambitious short called Glory at Sea (2008). The short is a twenty-five-minute live-action film influenced by Greek mythology and Hurricane Katrina’s disastrous effect on New Orleans. In Glory at Sea, several survivors wash up on shore after a terrible storm. Later, a dead man who escaped Hades, the afterlife for drowned souls, also washes up on shore. The man decides to build a boat that can travel underwater so that he can rescue from Hades the woman he loves. Some of the locals shun him, but others decide to help in the desperate hope that he will be able to retrieve their drowned loved ones. The film, narrated by a young girl trapped under the sea, won nine film-festival awards.
In 2012 Zeitlin released his breakthrough film, the award-winning feature-length production Beasts of the Southern Wild. Zeitlin cowrote the script with playwright Lucy Alibar, a childhood friend. The film uses magic realism to tell the tale of a six-year-old child forced to accept the realities of death after Hurricane Katrina. The child, named Hushpuppy, must deal with her father’s failing health, her missing mother, and melting ice caps that flood her delta community and introduce prehistoric aurochs to her world.
Zeitlin and Court 13 held auditions for locals of southern Louisiana, screening thousands of applicants before selecting Dwight Henry and five-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis for the two lead roles in 2009. Neither of them had ever acted before. Zeitlin believed they would deliver more authentic and moving performances about life, loss, and death because they had lived through the flooding of New Orleans and experienced the loss firsthand. Both actors would receive numerous awards and nominations for their roles. Court 13 purchased only a few supplies and built sets and props out of pieces of ruined houses and objects they found in swamps to make the film’s rustic scenes and backdrops feel genuine to viewers.
Zeitlin’s unconventional approach to directing and filmmaking was a success. Though Beasts of the Southern Wild had a limited national showing in theaters, it was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2013: best director, best writing or adapted screenplay, motion picture of the year, and best actress. Nine-year-old Wallis became the youngest person ever nominated for the latter award. In addition, Zeitlin and his film earned numerous other awards, including the Humanitas Prize, the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and four Cannes Film Festival awards. Zeitlin also received the 2012 Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award for visual arts.
Impact
Zeitlin’s work has changed the way amateur films are made and perceived by the general public by demonstrating that one does not need a massive Hollywood budget to make an emotionally moving and critically successful film. He has proved his skill as an exceptional filmmaker.
Personal Life
Ever since visiting New Orleans as a child, Zeitlin felt drawn toward the area. When he traveled to southern Louisiana to shoot Glory at Sea, something within him responded to the rural communities and the independence, tenacity, and joy of the people who lived there. Although he intended to return to New York after he completed filming, he never did. In 2006, Zeitlin, his sister Eliza, and the other members of Court 13 became permanent residents of New Orleans.
Principal Works
Egg, 2005
The Origins of Electricity, 2006
Glory at Sea, 2008
Beasts of the Southern Wild, 2012
Bibliography
Horn, John. “Beasts of the Southern Wild Makers Improvise Migration Pattern.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2012. Web. 24 July 2013.
Lidz, Franz. “How Benh Zeitlin Made Beasts of the Southern Wild.” Smithsonian.com. Smithsonian, Dec. 2012. Web. 24 July 2013.
Wickman, Forrest. “The Mini-Completist: Benh Zeitlin.” Slate. Slate Group, 22 Feb. 2013. Web. 24 July 2013.
Zeitlin, Benh. “How a New Orleans Collective Made the Summer’s Critical Smash, Beasts of the Southern Wild.” Interview by Lizzy Goodman. Co.Create. Fast Company, 29 June 2012. Web. 24 July 2013.
Zeitlin, Benh. “Interview: Beasts of the Southern Wild Director Benh Zeitlin.” Interview by James Rocchi. MSN Entertainment. Microsoft, 18 June 2012. Web. 24 July 2013.
Zeitlin, Benh. “Interview: Benh Zeitlin on Beasts of the Southern Wild, Falling in Love with Louisiana, and Prehistoric Monsters.” Interview by Rebecca Cusey. Tinsel: Gold and Glitter from TinselTown. Patheos, 14 June 2012. Web. 24 July 2013.