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), one of many films made in collaboration with production partner Adam Mazo at Upstander Project. Ben 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.

Ben graduated from Bard College at Simon’s Rock and lives on Massachusett territory outside of Boston. 

View full IMDB credits.

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

FILMS

We Sing Nonetheless (feature, in production) site
A bluegrass documentary about the fracturing of American Jewish communities.

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.