Judi Levine
Judi Levine is an accomplished producer who has worked in Europe, Australia and the United States. She is inclined to stories with a sense of humor, although her unique wit and sense of irony have not confined her to the field of comedy; she produces eye-opening documentaries as well as dramas and, whatever the field, her passion is for stories that are both compelling and honest.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Levine began her producing career after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in film and drama, and working her way up the production ladder. As her choice of projects reveals, part of Levine’s charm is her acute awareness of vital issues. Her documentary YARRABAH - A TEEN ODYSSEY is the moving story of a life-changing experience for 15 Aboriginal teens that follows their journey towards achieving an impossible dream and captures an experience with far-reaching consequences.
Levine’s producing credits include the critically acclaimed comedy feature PAPERBACK ROMANCE starring Anthony LaPaglia and Gia Carides and PLEAD GUILTY, GET A BOND, which won an AFI award for Best Screenplay in a Short Film. Her broad production experience also includes the UK feature SACRED HEARTS, European co-production THE FAVOR, THE WATCH AND THE VERY BIG FISH starring Jeff Goldblum & Bob Hoskins, and numerous award-winning Australian mini-series, among them “WATERFRONT,” starring Greta Scacchi and THE DUNERA BOYS, starring Bob Hoskins and Warren Mitchell. Of her documentary work, THE MIGRANT EXPERIENCE, a six-hour series examining Australia as a migrant nation, is a highlight. The documentary HOLLYWOOD GOLD, which was made for The Discovery Channel, is a wry insider’s look at the jewelry trade of Beverly Hills and Hollywood that guarantees audiences will never view the Oscars the same way again.
Levine’s most recent producing credit is on the award-winning feature film THE SESSIONS starring Oscar-nominees John Hawkes and William H. Macy, and Oscar-winner Helen Hunt. Based on an essay by Mark O’Brien about his true-life experiences with a sex surrogate, the film was adapted for the screen and directed by Ben Lewin, and won the Audience Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival as well as a Sundance Special Jury Prize for Ensemble cast the same year. The film also won the Audience Award at the 2012 San Sebastian Film Festival and an Audience Award at the 2012 Mill Valley Film Festival. For their performances in THE SESSIONS, both Helen Hunt and John Hawkes were 2013 Independent Spirit Award Winners and 2013 Golden Globe nominees. Hunt was also nominated for a 2013 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Levine is now developing a number of feature projects in Los Angeles and is an Executive Producer on the new feature film A MOMENT TO REMEMBER starring Katherine Heigl, slated for production later this year.
In addition to her producing career, Levine has mastered the art of networking in the toughest movie town in the world. As a result, she has presented at various forums and conferences talking about independent production and “working the independent scene from a networking perspective.” Expanding on her experiences in Los Angeles, Levine developed the seminars “Jump Start to Hollywood” aimed at helping young hopefuls find an easier path to establishing themselves in the US. In addition to lecturing in the US, she toured with her seminars around Australia.
Levine is married to writer-director Ben Lewin and together they are the proud parents of three children whose strongest genetic trait is their eccentric sense of humor.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Levine began her producing career after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in film and drama, and working her way up the production ladder. As her choice of projects reveals, part of Levine’s charm is her acute awareness of vital issues. Her documentary YARRABAH - A TEEN ODYSSEY is the moving story of a life-changing experience for 15 Aboriginal teens that follows their journey towards achieving an impossible dream and captures an experience with far-reaching consequences.
Levine’s producing credits include the critically acclaimed comedy feature PAPERBACK ROMANCE starring Anthony LaPaglia and Gia Carides and PLEAD GUILTY, GET A BOND, which won an AFI award for Best Screenplay in a Short Film. Her broad production experience also includes the UK feature SACRED HEARTS, European co-production THE FAVOR, THE WATCH AND THE VERY BIG FISH starring Jeff Goldblum & Bob Hoskins, and numerous award-winning Australian mini-series, among them “WATERFRONT,” starring Greta Scacchi and THE DUNERA BOYS, starring Bob Hoskins and Warren Mitchell. Of her documentary work, THE MIGRANT EXPERIENCE, a six-hour series examining Australia as a migrant nation, is a highlight. The documentary HOLLYWOOD GOLD, which was made for The Discovery Channel, is a wry insider’s look at the jewelry trade of Beverly Hills and Hollywood that guarantees audiences will never view the Oscars the same way again.
Levine’s most recent producing credit is on the award-winning feature film THE SESSIONS starring Oscar-nominees John Hawkes and William H. Macy, and Oscar-winner Helen Hunt. Based on an essay by Mark O’Brien about his true-life experiences with a sex surrogate, the film was adapted for the screen and directed by Ben Lewin, and won the Audience Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival as well as a Sundance Special Jury Prize for Ensemble cast the same year. The film also won the Audience Award at the 2012 San Sebastian Film Festival and an Audience Award at the 2012 Mill Valley Film Festival. For their performances in THE SESSIONS, both Helen Hunt and John Hawkes were 2013 Independent Spirit Award Winners and 2013 Golden Globe nominees. Hunt was also nominated for a 2013 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Levine is now developing a number of feature projects in Los Angeles and is an Executive Producer on the new feature film A MOMENT TO REMEMBER starring Katherine Heigl, slated for production later this year.
In addition to her producing career, Levine has mastered the art of networking in the toughest movie town in the world. As a result, she has presented at various forums and conferences talking about independent production and “working the independent scene from a networking perspective.” Expanding on her experiences in Los Angeles, Levine developed the seminars “Jump Start to Hollywood” aimed at helping young hopefuls find an easier path to establishing themselves in the US. In addition to lecturing in the US, she toured with her seminars around Australia.
Levine is married to writer-director Ben Lewin and together they are the proud parents of three children whose strongest genetic trait is their eccentric sense of humor.
Ben Lewin
Ben Lewin’s career in the entertainment industry spans three continents and has included work as a writer/director in documentary and feature film, as well as TV episodic and mini-series programs. Born in Poland in 1946, he migrated to Australia with his family when he was a young child. As a young man, Lewin excelled in school and showed great passion for photography. Then, in 1971, Lewin left his work as a criminal barrister, journalist and photographer in Australia to take up a scholarship at the National Film School in England.
In 1975, Lewin joined the BBC as a director on the program “Nationwide”, followed by work with a variety of programs for Thames Television, the BBC and Granada Television. His breakthrough project as a writer/director was “The Case of Cruelty to Prawns”, a comedy-drama that won the Best Television Film Award at the prestigious Melbourne Film Festival.
Some of Ben's notable writing credits include the murder mystery feature GEORGIA starring Judy Davis, which achieved eight Australian Film Institute nominations; the much-honored and multi-award winning THE DUNERA BOYS starring Bob Hoskins – the true story of 2,000 English Jews who were mistakenly suspected as Nazi spies and transported to Australia in 1940; the award-winning “Matter of Convenience”, a tele-movie about marriages of convenience; and award-winning short film PLEAD GUILTY, GET A BOND, about a tribal aboriginal woman and her conflict with the Australian legal system.
Ben Lewin’s career in the US began to take off in the 1990s with the release of the comedy features he wrote and directed, including PAPERBACK ROMANCE starring Anthony LaPaglia and Gia Carrides, and THE FAVOR, THE WATCH AND THE VERY BIG FISH starring Bob Hoskins, Jeff Goldblum and Natasha Richardson. More recently, Lewin brought his distinctive mix of the preposterous and the perceptive to HOLLYWOOD GOLD, a personal documentary of his misadventures in the Beverly Hills jewelry trade during Oscar season. His episodic television work includes the season’s highest-rated episode of “Ally McBeal” (“Let’s Dance”) and “Touched by an Angel,” as well as a number of episodes of the popular Australian drama series “Sea Change.”
Lewin’s most recent film is the feature THE SESSIONS starring Oscar winner Helen Hunt and Oscar nominees John Hawkes and William H. Macy. Based on an essay by Mark O’Brien about his true-life experiences with a sex surrogate, Lewin wrote and directed this extraordinary film that won the Audience Award and Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Cast at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. The Sessions also garnered numerous nominations in the 2012/2013 awards season, including a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for Helen Hunt. Both John Hawkes and Helen Hunt received 2013 Independent Spirit Awards for their roles in THE SESSIONS
Ben is now signed on to direct A MOMENT TO REMEMBER, starring Katherine Heigl, slated for production later this year. Ben has been living and working in California since 1994 and is married to producer Judi Levine.
