Ben Pender-Cudlip is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and cinematographer.

Ben co-directed and photographed the feature documentary Dawnland (PBS Independent Lens, 2018). He has shot and directed over a dozen short documentary films, including Sanjiban (Hot Docs, 2012), First Light (Camden, 2015), and Dear Georgina (Camden, 2019), all of which aired on public television. Accolades for his work include numerous festival jury and audience awards, the 2019 Media for a Just Society Award, and a national Emmy for Dawnland. Supporters of his work include Good Pitch, the LEF Foundation, Points North Institute, and Vision Maker Media.

He freelances regularly on independent documentary films in Boston and all over the world. Other clients include FRONTLINE, The New York Times, PBS NewsHour, and Human Rights Watch. Ben lives in Boston and graduated from Bard College at Simon’s Rock. 

View full IMDB credits.

Email  ben@unrenderedfilms.com
Phone 617-539-6013
Instagram @ben_pc

FILMS

Dawnland (86 & 54 min, 2018) trailer IMDB site
A story about cultural survival and stolen children: inside the first truth and reconciliation commission for Native Americans.

Bounty (9 min, 2021) trailer IMDB site
The hidden story of the Phips Proclamation, which called for colonial settlers to hunt, scalp, and murder Penobscot people.

Dear Georgina (15 min, 2019) trailer IMDB site
A Passamaquoddy elder journeys into an unclear past to better understand herself and her cultural heritage.

Memorial (10 min, 2015) watch
Craftsmen are dwarfed by giant, abstract sculptures in this experimental documentary.

First Light (13 min, 2015) IMDB site watch
For decades, child welfare practices in the United States have deliberately separated Native American children from their families and tribes.

Our Grandfather’s Clock (9 min, 2014) watch
A meditation on life, family, and the wheels of time.

Fetch (1 min, 2013) watch
A kinetic expression of a familiar ritual: a dog chasing after his most prized possession.

Sanjiban (8 min, 2012) watch
Sanjiban has just passed away and his body is about to return to the earth, but he lives on in his twin brother and his eccentric, artistic films.

Some Old Ford (5 min, 2011) watch
A story about a man and his car.

Director and cinematographer on all of the above films. Selected festivals include Hot Docs, Camden, Big Sky, Vancouver, and IFFBoston.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

I freelance as a non-fiction cinematographer & DP, with deep experience in vérité and observational photography. Film participants allow me to film them because I engage with respect, care, and sensitivity. Clients hire me because I shoot like an editor and think like a director.

I own a full kit for all types of documentary work, including interviews, vérité, corporate, and industrials. I’m comfortable working in a wide variety of situations, from interviewing foreign leaders to adventure photography and everything in between.

I live in Boston and am available to shoot internationally. Recent travel shoots include Peru, Germany, and Ethiopia.

Watch my reel or follow my travels on Instagram. You can also view my full gear list, which includes:

• Sony FS7mkII w/

  • Fujinon MK18-55 T2.9 cine zoom

  • Schoeps CMIT 5U shotgun mic

• Full lighting & grip kit

• Drone & FAA Part 107 Certificate