Emil Benjamin seated among colorful rolls of paper

Emil Benjamin

Filmmaker, among other things.

Emil Benjamin is a film-centric multidisciplinary artist and educator based in New York City. His work spans dark satire, surrealism, and advocacy-driven documentary, unified by a mission to examine structures of power on both intimate and societal scales.

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02 / SELECTED WORK

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04 / UP NEXT

In
development

A sculptural Pietà scene framed by a circular opening

Narrative Feature · Writer / Director

It Would Have Been Enough

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Narrative Feature · Writer / Director

It Would Have Been Enough

A thirteen-year-old boy traverses the country with his mother, seemingly to get away from his abusive father, only to discover that she might be the real danger.

Genre: Surreal dramedy, coming of age

Sundance Producers Lab Finalist 2024 · Black List Feature Lab Finalist 2022 · Cine Qua Non Feature Lab 2021 · Black List Reader Recommended

Script Available → Contact
Aerial view of a small town surrounded by autumn foliage

Pilot · Writer

Hopeless

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Pilot · Writer

Hopeless

After her progressive campaign for Brooklyn assemblywoman is derailed, a young political hopeful decides to run against her estranged, conservative father for mayor of her midwestern hometown.

Genre: Political satire, family dramedy

Austin Film Festival Pitch Competition Winner · Black List Reader Recommended

Script Available → Contact
A woman submerged underwater with light refracting across her face

Narrative Feature · Writer

Cathexis

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Narrative Feature · Writer

Cathexis

In the quiet obscurity of a forgotten Florida panhandle town, a lonely young newcomer finds herself responsible for a murder and develops a strange comfort in the idea of inhabiting the thoughts of the detective tasked with catching the killer.

Genre: Queer southern gothic psychological thriller

Libe Barer: Writer / Director

Script Available → Contact
A man in a blue prison uniform looking out a window
IN PRODUCTION

Documentary Feature · Co-Writer

Sam & Omar

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Documentary Feature · Co-Writer

Sam & Omar

A documentary that tells the poignant story of a father and son who build a relationship that transcends the boundaries of prison walls.

Directed by Nadav Kurtz and Produced by Academy Award Nominee Diane Quon

Close-up of a piano being tuned inside its open frame

Narrative Feature · Co-Writer / Co-Director

Una Corda

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Narrative Feature · Co-Writer / Co-Director

Una Corda

Seventeen-year-old Ximena, a musically-gifted Bronx-born daughter of undocumented immigrants, is rejected from Juilliard and inherits her uncle's old piano-tuning route, sending her on an odyssey through the most colorful and shadowy parts of New York City as she strives to find her voice in a sea of people who don't fully see her.

Genre: Drama, Coming of Age

Co-Written and Directed with Melina León (Canción Sin Nombre)

Deck Available → Contact
Two hands reaching toward each other in silhouette against the sun

Narrative Feature · Director

The Book of Jude

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Narrative Feature · Director

The Book of Jude

Desperate to keep his father's memory alive, grieving six-year-old Judas Mori plants seeds and performs rituals. But when his search for connection leads him to a "love vending machine," he secretly befriends a sex worker and begins building the chosen family his emotionally avoidant mother struggles to provide—learning that love isn't about preservation, but continuation.

Genre: Coming of Age

Written by Olivia Baptista

Black-and-white portrait of Emil Benjamin standing by a window

05 / ABOUT EMIL

Emil Benjamin is a film-centric multidisciplinary artist and educator based in New York City. His work spans dark satire, surrealism, and advocacy-driven documentary, unified by a mission to examine structures of power on both intimate and societal scales. His feature documentary Oyate premiered in competition at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, winning multiple awards across the festival circuit and now streaming on all major platforms. His short films White Lies, We Can Do It, and The Breakdown Parables have screened and earned prizes at festivals worldwide, particularly in the genre space, including a premiere at Fantastic Fest.

He serves as Adjunct Faculty in the MFA Film Program at Columbia University and directs SOCAPA NYC's prestigious pre-college arts programs, overseeing both its summer intensives and the grant-funded, year-round City Cinema initiative for NYC public high school students. Alongside his teaching, Emil continues to work actively as a writer, director, producer, and editor, maintaining a wide-ranging body of narrative and documentary work through his company Irrelevant Media, an international production company and collective whose films have been recognized at Cannes, Venice, Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, Rotterdam and many more. He holds a BFA in Theatre Arts from Boston University and an MFA in Film Directing & Screenwriting from Columbia University.

06 / GET IN TOUCH

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Among Other Things:

Never the Wiser

Emil Benjamin seated in a studio, playing a classical guitar
Black-and-white rooftop portrait of Emil Benjamin seated beside his guitar

01 / BIO

When he's not behind a camera or leading a classroom, Emil moonlights as indie folk artist Never the Wiser. A '90s kid raised on '60s and '70s vinyl, he grew up inside CSNY harmonies, Joni's open tunings, and Nick Drake's dusk-lit melancholy. In college, he woodshedded Tallest Man on Earth's whole discography to teach himself Travis picking and indie folk songwriting, then dove into samba and bossa nova before guitar felt like home. For years, his songs lived at a Harlem open mic he hosted weekly, until that supportive community nudged him through a studio door.

02 / LISTEN

Songs
so far

Saint Valentine

Ravenswood

Better Than Ever (feat. Hattie)

03 / INSTAGRAM FEED

From the
feed

Follow @never.thewiser ↗
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Saint Valentine and I don’t have a lot in common. After all, I’m no saint. But I’ll tell ya what, February 14th was a rough one for both of us. . “Saint Valentine” available now wherever you listen to music. Link in bio. . #indiefolk #allsaints #newmusic #neverthewiser #fyp
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Artist appreciation post!! The images for my first three singles were created by @marinacrivelli with tender love and care. There’s no AI here. These are handcrafted linocut prints, meaning Marina *carved* these images into linoleum blocks and then *printed* them onto some beautifully-textured Japanese paper. And that means she can print many more!! These prints, along with other merch, will be available when we release the full EP early next year. . Musicians. Filmmakers. You want @marinacrivelli on your next project, I promise you. She’s the Archduchess of Album Art. The Patrician of Posters. The Austin-bred hidden gem of Brooklyn. . Cover Art in Carousel Order: 1) Better Than Ever 2) Saint Valentine 3) Ravenswood . #linocut #indiefolk #fyp #newmusic #handmadeart
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Saint Valentine, as you might guess, is *technically* a Valentine’s Day song… but actually, it’s a bit of a horror story, so we’re gonna go ahead and release it on Halloween. . Available everywhere October 31st. Pre-save link in that sweet lil bio. . @_schmorgle Producer/Collaborator/Wizard @harmonywithhunter Violin, Viola, Cello @mathiashjensen Double Bass & Transcription @riftstudiosnyc Recording, Mixing, Mastering . #neverthewiser #newmusic #nycmusic #indiefolk #originalsong
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Pardon the interruption. New music coming very soon. Keep your eyes and ears peeled. 🍃 🌊 🐦‍⬛ ⭐️ 🕰️ #neverthewiser #indiefolk #nycfolk #newmusic #fyp 📸 @devinjarmstrong
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“Better Than Ever” is available wherever you listen to music! Are you into Greek mythology, attachment theory, farm animals, and wonky time signatures? This one might be for you. Link can most assuredly be found in bio. 🐑 . Featuring the mellifluous @hattie.wav and recorded/mixed/mastered at the greatest studio both sides of the Mississippi @riftstudiosnyc . #fyp #singersongwriter #indiefolk #newmusic #nycmusic
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Hey friends. Playing @arlenesgrocery again in a few weeks! Come on out to celebrate the release of my second single, “Better Than Ever,” featuring @hattie.wav! She’ll be playing that night as well, along with @paulbabeplease and @rosinabullen . Link to tix in bio. Gonna be a great night! See you there, fellow wisened. 🍃 🌊 🐦‍⬛ ⭐️ 🕰️
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Building the world of this EP goes beyond the music. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to collaborate with @marinacrivelli, whose stunning visuals capture the feeling of these songs and extend their stories beyond sound. Here’s a look at her process for creating the linocut print for “Ravenswood.” . #fyp #indiefolk #linocut #albumart #nycfolk
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“Ravenswood” is now available wherever you listen to music. It’s been an incredible journey getting to this first release. What better way to celebrate that journey than a literal journey across the country? Had a beautiful time playing this tune in a few idyllic spots while passing through Colorado and Utah with my dear friends @wesnof and @marinacrivelli . Stick around, more songs coming soon. 🍃 🌊 🐦‍⬛ ⭐️ 🕰️ . #fyp #indiefolk #neverthewiser #ravenswood #newmusic
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“Ravenswood” arrives on January 16th. Pre-save today at the link in the bio! . This is my first single as Never the Wiser and the song that inspired the whole project. It took a village to get here. Cheers to them and cheers to you, dear listener. The song will be available wherever you listen to music. 🍃 🌊 🐦‍⬛ ⭐️ 🕰️ . Written and performed by @emilwasbenjamin Mixed and mastered by @riftstudiosnyc Produced by @_schmorgle Guitar: @emilwasbenjamin Percussion, Bass, Synth: @_schmorgle French Horn: @negronigirlie Cover Art: @marinacrivelli . #fyp #neverthewiser #nycmusic #singersongwriter #indiefolk . 🎥: @jasondahkid

04 / GET IN TOUCH

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