Marc Bennett has spent his life creating powerful images and stories in print and on film. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Bennett received his education at The Brooklyn Museum Art School, The School of Visual Arts in New York City, and Otis Parsons and Art Center in Los Angeles. He got his start designing sets for theatrical, musical, and operatic productions in New York and Los Angeles, and is a two-time recipient of the Dramalogue Critics Award for Best Scenic Design.

As an artist and photographer, his work has been shown in exhibitions throughout the United States and is a part of many private collections. He is a recipient of the Art of California Magazine's "Discovery Award" and the Stamford Art Association's "Color Award," and his artwork has been used in campaigns to raise money and awareness for numerous organizations and charities such as Aids Project Los Angeles, Cancervive, the Grammys' MusiCares, Free Arts for Children, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Aspen Center for Integral Health, the Anti-Defamation League, Hadassah, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the Museum of Tolerance.

Bennett has formed a unique artistic and philanthropic partnership with Soroka Medical Center, Israel's most vital medical institution in the Negev, where a monumental version of his artwork, "The History of the Star of David" has been installed and a percentage of all worldwide art sales from the project will go to support Soroka's life-saving mission. Bennett is also the recipient of Soroka's most prestigious creative honor, its "Healing Arts Award." Ido Aharoni, former Ambassador and Consul General of Israel said; "I believe this is more than just an engaging work of art but will become a timeless and vivid cultural landmark at Soroka Medical Center, serving as a symbol of life and hope for our future." EL AL Airlines, the national airline of Israel, is a corporate partner for the project.

His most recent art installation, "Into the Light," in the lobby of the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, honors the vision, leadership and legacy of Rabbi Marvin Hier, Simon Wiesenthal Center Founder and Chief Executive Officer. This unique artwork represents the intersection of the past, present and future through an angled cubist collage of images and highlights the impact, accomplishments and global reach of the world-renowned Simon Wiesenthal Center, its Museum of Tolerance and two time Academy Award-winning Moriah Films division, led by Rabbi Hier for close to fifty years. "As an artist, it is a tremendous honor to create an artwork that celebrates Rabbi Hier's leadership and the worldwide impact and achievements of this vital institution and museum, as a symbol of our quest to live peacefully together and as a resource on how to achieve that goal."

Bennett's artwork is a part of the public collections of Yad Vashem, Holocaust Museum LA, the California Afro-American Museum, the Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation, Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, Aspen Jewish Community Center, Chabad Center for Jewish Life in Newport Beach, the Jona Goldrich Center for Digital Story Telling at USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, the Museum of Tolerance, the Holocaust Documentation & Education Center & Museum in South Florida, The Jewish Community Center of Omaha and Shalva National Center in Jerusalem.

"For Peace Sake!," an artwork he created in conjunction with R&B Live and Athletes & Entertainers for Kids after the Los Angeles riots, became part of a successful fundraising and public awareness campaign throughout the city. The project served as a powerful reminder to maintain peace, safety and equality in our lives and raised funds for numerous organizations aiding in the revitalization of Los Angeles. The artwork was presented to Mayor Bradley in a special ceremony commemorating his outstanding work in the community. Lithographs of the artwork have been selling at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles for over 25 years.

Bennett was the creative director for the music television network The Tube and was instrumental in creating the branding of the network, as well as designing, producing, and directing many of the network's commercials and promos. While there, he also produced the documentary "Bridge to Havana" which followed an inspiring musical event in Cuba and was shot by Haskell Wexler and starred Gladys Knight, Bonnie Raitt, Mick Fleetwood, and some of Cuba's most renowned musicians.

As a director, he has helmed feature films, documentaries, music videos, and national commercials. His credits include the feature film "Should've Been Romeo" starring an eclectic ensemble cast including Carol Kane, Ed Asner, Michael Rapaport, Mary McCormack, Natasha Henstridge, Evan Handler, Kelly Osborne, and Paul Ben-Victor, the short films "From Fairfax with Love" and "Mother's Day," the documentaries "Life Matters, A Journey of Hope and Survival," the award-winning "Hot Flash Havoc," narrated by Goldie Hawn and "The Beach Boys 50" which stars five of the original Beach Boys including Brian Wilson and Mike Love. Also, a serendipitous interview he directed with O.J. and Nicole Simpson two weeks before the infamous crime is featured in the Academy Award-winning documentary, "O.J.: Made in America."

Bennett directed the award-winning animated short film "The Tattooed Torah," based on the renowned children's book, with Ed Asner providing the voice of the main character. The film is a co-production of the Goldrich Family Foundation and USC Shoah Foundation. Bennett also directed the Spanish version of the film "La Pequeña Torá Tatuada," with Latin star Fernando Allende providing the voice. Both versions of the film are now part of USC Shoah Foundation's online educational platform, IWitness, and are accompanied by educational resources to be used by schools and teachers worldwide. The film has been an official selection of over 50 film festivals around the world, winning numerous awards including Best Animated Short and Best Adaptation, and is listed in The Wrap's "10 Films That Keep the Holocaust Fresh in Our Memories," alongside the films "Jojo Rabbit," "Life is Beautiful," "Sophie's Choice," "The Pianist," and "Schindler's List." Bennett is the recipient of the Best Shorts Competition "Outstanding Achievement Humanitarian Award" which honors filmmakers who are bringing awareness to important issues and committed to making a difference in the world through memorable film-making.

He latest feature-length documentary, "For the Living," tells the inspirational story of JCC Krakow's annual bike ride, "Ride For The Living," that re-traces the steps of a young Polish Holocaust survivor, Marcel Zielinski, from Auschwitz to Krakow in 1945 and explores whether the power of empathy might actually be harnessed to face down the way perpetrators of genocide have marshaled fear, ignorance, bigotry, and anti-Semitism. The film ignites the urgent conversation: When will we stop building monuments for the dead and get busy re-humanizing the living? When will we finally say NEVER AGAIN and truly mean it!

Bennett is an associate producer on the documentary "Shared Legacies: The African-American Jewish Civil Rights Alliance," which examines the relationship between the African-American and Jewish communities during the Civil Rights era and is an executive producer on the documentary "Who Are The Marcuses?" which tells the remarkable story of the largest single charitable gift in Israel's history, of over $500 Million to Israel's Ben-Gurion University, from the estate of Holocaust refugees Lottie and Howard Marcus. Their legacy is a triumph of survival, humility, philanthropy, selflessness, and commitment to one of the most important global issues that shapes our time - water scarcity.

 Among Bennett's many commercial credits are the spots he did for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which promoted a major retrospective for artist Keith Haring and won the World Medal at the New York Festival's Television Advertising Awards.

He also directed the music video "Pray" for legendary gospel singer, songwriter, and pastor, Andraé Crouch, who is considered "the father of modern gospel music." This was one of the last music videos that Andraé Crouch performed in before he passed.

Marc Bennett is committed to art and film as visual languages that can entertain, inspire, educate, and enlighten, as well as be vehicles for positive change and philanthropy worldwide.

He is a member of the Directors Guild of America.

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Marc Bennett

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Camera and Electrical Department

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