Filmography

The Bronx Boys Still Playing at 80

• Hosted by Carl Reiner
• Feature length
• Premiering in 2013
• Winner in 34th Annual Telly Awards
• View Opening on YouTube »

Synopsis:

Friendships come and go. Imagine, however, a friendship that has lasted 75 years. Now imagine 15 of them. Remarkably, these friends met in kindergarten at Public School 80 in the Bronx, New York in 1936.

In 2001, the award-winning short film The Bronx Boys – Hosted by Carl Reiner captured their 70th birthday reunion. The men gained many new friends because of the film, after it was broadcast on PBS and Cinemax, and subsequently from being the subjects of a story in TIME Magazine (a PDF download is available at tinyurl.com/bronx-boys-time-story).

This new film, hosted once again by Carl Reiner, catches-up with The Bronx Boys ten years later as they gathered together to celebrate their 80th birthdays and a lifetime of friendship.

At this reunion a few things had changed. They’d lost a step or two, and some of the boys were gone (though are honored in this film). Even so, The Bronx Boys were no less energetic revisiting their youth for an afternoon of carnival games and wild rides at an amusement park. And they were no less candid, funny and insightful when talking about the past, the present, and the future.

All of The Bronx Boys achieved successful careers ranging from a university professor, to an attorney, to business owners. One fascinating thing, however, is how many of them went on to careers in the entertainment industry, including Joel Coler who was a marketing executive with Twentieth Century Fox; Lenny Lauren (designer Ralph Lauren's brother) who is an executive with Polo; John Herman Shaner who is a screenwriter (including Last Married Couple In America); and George Shapiro & Howard West who were the executive producers of the Emmy Award winning television show Seinfeld.

This latest film is filled with an abundance of fun, laughs, memories, insights and sage advice for those of all ages. It’s a smile-inducing tribute to long-lasting friendships: funny, uplifting, inspiring, life-affirming. You'll enjoy meeting The Bronx Boys.

Credits:

Hosted by CARL REINER
Executive Produced by GEORGE SHAPIRO & HOWARD WEST
Director of Photography BRIAN HOODENPYLE
Directed and Edited by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER

The Bronx Boys – Hosted by Carl Reiner

Vew Clips on the Demos Page »
Download the Time magazine story »

Synopsis:

Friendships come and go. Imagine, however, a friendship that has lasted 65 years. Now imagine 15 of them.

They met in kindergarten at Public School 80 in the Bronx, New York in 1936. Friends for life, The Bronx Boys came together for a unique reunion. Over a long summer weekend, these 15 boys celebrated their 70th birthdays, recounted humorous memories about each other, the girls they desired, the teachers they endured, and a whole lot more.

But to top it all off, they relived their childhood by playing the games they enjoyed as kids in the schoolyard and streets of the Bronx. For one day the years disappeared as these 70 year old boys once again challenged each other to Stickball, Marbles, Chestnuts, Football, Basketball and other games. The boys may have lost a step on the field, but their New York sense of humor is still firmly intact.

Hosted by Carl Reiner, you'll meet an interesting group, including Lenny Lauren (clothing designer Ralph Lauren's older brother and business partner), John Herman Shaner (noted film writer, including "Last Married Couple In America"), and George Shapiro & Howard West (producers and managers known for managing such talents as Andy Kaufman and Jerry Seinfeld).

A smile-inducing tribute to long-lasting friendships. Funny, uplifting, inspiring, life-affirming . . . you'll enjoy meeting The Bronx Boys.

Credits:

Hosted by CARL REINER
Produced by GEORGE SHAPIRO & HOWARD WEST
Director of Photography BRIAN HOODENPYLE
Director of Photography WILLIAM HOOKE
Directed and Edited by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER

Awards:

Winner
2002 Telly Award

Winner
2002 DV Awards

Winner
2002 Silver Remi
WorldFest Houston

Honor
HBO "Frame by Frame"
New York City Theatrical Screenings

Honor
PBS Broadcasts

Honor
Laemmle Theatres' "Bagels & Docs"
Los Angeles Theatrical Screenings

Screenings:

PBS Broadcasts
HBO/Cinemax Broadcasts
HBO "Frame by Frame" Theatrical Screenings
Laemmle Theatres' L.A. Documentary Series (invited)
Wisconsin Film Festival
Pensacola Bay Int'l. Film Festival (invited)
Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival (invited)
L'Chaim! Jewish Film Festival (invited)
New Jersey Jewish Film Festival (invited)

Paul McCall

View Clips on the Demos Page »

Synopsis:

He's a shy second-grader, afraid he's in trouble,
just trying to get himself, and his note, home in one piece.

The bullies have other plans.

It's a nonstop adventure, weaving in and out of reality and little Paul's vivid imagination, as he fantasizes he's everything from a famous race car driver to a swashbuckling pirate. Will Paul be victorious in his quest? Will he and the note survive? There are surprises all along the way.

Credits:

Starring ANDY RYAN as Paul McCall
CHAD VACCARINO • CREW PRESTON • MIKEL TAFT
Production Coordinator DARNETHA LINCOLN
Production Coordinator JENNY H. KIM
Production Designer W. ALEX KORP
Art Director JOHN KLEPPER
Sound Designed by DEREK HERR
Edited by JOHN LYNN
Story by CRAIG COBB
Screenplay by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER & RON FRIEDMAN
Director of Photography JED KALEKO
Produced by RICK SWARTZWELDER
Directed by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER

Awards:

Winner
National University Emmy
“Best Comedy”
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

Winner
CINE Eagle Award
Council on International
Nontheatrical Events

Winner
Gold Ebenseer Bear
Festival of Nations
Austria

Winner
“Best Comedy”
Tacoma Tortured Artists Film Festival
Tacoma, Washington

Winner
"Best Editing"
Canadian Int'l. Film Festival
Ontario, Canada

Winner
Crystal Reel
Florida Motion Picture &
Television Association

Winner
Rochester Trophy
Rochester Int'l. Film Festival
Rochester, New York

Winner
"Best Shorter Film"
Lo-Con Film Festival
Beverly Hills, California

Winner
"Best University Film"
Austin Heart of Film Festival
Austin, Texas

Winner
"Audience Choice Award"
Central Florida Film & Video Festival
Orlando, Florida

Winner
"Hiroshima Education Prize"
12th Hiroshima Int'l. Film Festival
Hiroshima, Japan

Winner
"International Competition"
IAC Int'l. Film & Video Festival
Manchester, England

Honor
"Highly Commended"
Golden Knight Int'l. Film Festival
Valetta, Malta

Honor
Nominated
"Best Actor Under 10" – Andy Ryan
17th Annual Youth In Film Awards

Honor
Honorable Mention
Philafilm
Philadelphia Int'l. Film Festival

Honor
Honorable Mention
Gravity Free Comedy Film Festival
Jamestown, New York

Honor
Honorable Mention
Sinking Creek Film Festival
Nashville, Tennessee

Honor
Honorable Mention
Louis Wolfson Media History Center Competition

Honor
Honorable Mention
Smokey Mountain-Nanthahala Media Festival

Honor
International Finalist
Festival Mondial du Cinema de Courts Metrage; Belgium

Honor
National Finalist
USA Film Festival's National
Short Film & Video Competition

Screenings:

United States Film Festivals:
4th Annual Bike Film Festival, Berkeley, CA
Director's Guild of America, Los Angeles, CA
South By Southwest Film Festival, Austin, Texas
Chicago International Children's Film Festival
FilmFest D.C./Washington, D.C. Int'l. Film Festival
Big Muddy Film Festival, Carbondale, Illinois
Breckenridge Festival of Film, Breckenridge, CO
Palm Springs Int'l. Film Festival, California
Empire State Exhibitions, New York, New York
Olympia Film Festival, Olympia, Washington
USA Film Festival's "KidFilm '96", Dallas, TX
CineQuest Film Festival, San Jose, California
Palm Beach Int'l. Film Festival, Florida
BrouHaHa Film and Video Festival, Florida
One Reel Film Festival, Seattle, Washington
Minnesota Int'l. Film Festival, St. Paul, Minnesota
Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando, Florida
Drive-In Film Festival, New York, New York
Florida International Film Festival, Orlando, Florida
Cleveland Int'l. Film Festival, Cleveland, Ohio
Newport Beach Int'l. Film Festival, California
Capitol Film Festival, Tallahassee, Florida
South Beach Int'l. Film Festival, Florida
Tampa Museum Of Art, Filmmakers Evening
Films in the Forest, Carmel Valley, CA
Hollywood Shorts Film Festival, California

Foreign Film Festivals:
Festival Internacional de Escuelas De Cine, Mexico
5th Festival Cinematographico Int'l. del Uruguay
Mostra International Di Montecatini, Terme, Italy
Victoria Independent Film & Video Festival, Canada
35th Golden Knight Int'l. Film & Video Festival, Malta
Festival Internacional de Cinema, Lisbon, Portugal
Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen,, Germany
Sao Paulo Int'l. Film Festival, Brazil
Festival Int'l. du Court Mons, Belgium
Krakow, Poland Int'l. Short Film Festival
Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic Int'l. Film Festival
FilmFest Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Uppsala Int'l. Short Film Festival, Sweden

Tickits

View a clip on the Demos Page »

Synopsis:

Adapted from Paul Milenski's award winning short story of the same name, “Tickits” is a poignant and lightly comic look at one day in the life of Toby Heckler, a Dyslexic ten year old boy.

Toby canvases his town issuing his own hand written tickets to people for things he feels are wrong. For example, one ticket is for an inconsiderately parked car that takes up two spaces, another is to a man who litters. These encounters continue until, at the end of his busy day, Toby returns home and we find out what this self-imposed policeman keeps hidden from the rest of the world.

“Tickits” reminds us of how we affect those around us on a daily basis, from the seemingly insignificant bit of paper thrown to the ground to the more obvious ways that we treat one another.

Toby is doing what he can to make his town, and ultimately the world, a better place. The story's author, Paul Milenski, put it well when he said, “Toby is the moral conscience of our age.”

The “Tickits” cast includes Mark McEwen, Co-Host of the CBS Network morning program "The Early Show" (formerly "CBS This Morning") and a pre-Backstreet Boys A.J. McLean.

Credits:

JOHN MacMILLAN • MARK McEWEN • BEVERLY CRAWFORD
Music by KAYS AL-ATRAKCHI
Edited by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER
Original Story by PAUL MILENSKI
Screen Adaptation by TED NEWMAN & BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER
Director of Photography MARIA ERADES
Associate Producers STEVEN J. HUNN & TED NEWMAN
Produced & Directed by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER

Awards:

Winner
Gold Apple Award
Nat'l. Educational Media Network
Oakland, California

Winner
“Best University Production”
Television Movie Awards
Freedom, New York

Winner
“Best Adapted Short”
Family Film Festival
Champagne, Illinois

Winner
“Rochester Trophy”
Rochester International Film Festival
Rochester, New York

Honor
“Directing Citation”
10th Int'l. Festival of Young Cinema
Turin, Italy

Honor
Second Place “Best Short”
Alamo Film Competition
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Honor
“Finalist,” Student Academy Awards
Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences

Honor
Honorable Mention
Third Coast Film Festival
Austin, Texas

Honor
1 of 4 International Finalists
Birmingham Int'l. Educational
Film & Video Festival
Birmingham, Alabama

Honor
Critic's Choice Showcase Selection
Fort Lauderdale Int'l. Film Festival
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Honor
Children's Choice Award Finalist
Children's Film Competition
ATOM Awards, Victoria, Australia

Honor
International Finalist
Children's Film Competition
Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen
Oberhausen, Germany

Honor
Invited for program of int'l. short films
Film Festival of Drama, Greece

Screenings:

United States Film Festivals:
Florida Film Festival, Orlando, Florida
Big Muddy Film Festival, Carbondale, Illinois
Charlotte Film Festival, Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte Film Festival Traveling Program
Orlando Museum of Art, Orlando, Florida
Assoc. for the Cinematic Arts Festival, Orlando, FL
Palm Beach Film Festival, Florida
Social Outcast Film Festival, Atlanta, Georgia
South Beach Film Festival, Florida
Television Movie Awards, New York
Family Film Festival, Champagne, Illinois
Rochester International Film Festival, New York
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
Third Coast Film Festival, Austin, Texas
Birmingham Int'l. Educational F & V Festival, Alabama

Foreign Film Festivals:
31st Golden Knight Int'l. Film Festival, Valletta, Malta
10th Int'l. Festival of Young Cinema, Turin, Italy
Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen, Germany
Drama, Greece International Film Festival

The McPassion

Visit the web site » (opens in a new window)

Synopsis:

The greatest story ever told
and a fast food giant unite
to deliver the tie-in of tie-ins.
While supplies last.

Credits:

Starring BILL A. JONES • REBECCA MICHAELS • REBECCA LI
NOLAN GOULD • SARAH NANKO • KAI SMITH • TIFFANY MCLAIN
BRANDON BASS • LILY MUSENGWA • CAMERON BASS • RONNIE DIAZ
SKYE PEYTON • TAYLOR HARDICK • AIDAN GOULD • DINK O'NEAL

Directed and Edited by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER
Written by RIK SWARZWELDER
Produced by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER & RIK SWARTZWELDER
Director of Photography BRIAN HOODENPYLE
Original Music by JOHN CARTA
Illustrations by BROCK NICOL
3D Animation by JENNY SUZDALTSEV
Production Audio by NICK KITINSKI & GABRIEL KITINSKI

Awards:

Winner
Audience Award
Faux Film Festival

Honor
Finalist
Very Short Movies Festival

Screenings:

Just For Laughs Festival; Canada
The Onion's Toofy Film Festival; Colorado
Maui Film Festival; Hawaii
Newport Beach Int'l. Film Festival; California
Tahoe-Reno Film Festival; Nevada
World of Comedy Int'l. Film Festival; Canada
Pensacola International Film Festival; Florida
Chicago Int'l. Reel Shorts Film Festival; Illinois
Damah Film Festival; Los Angeles
DeadCenter Film Festival; Oklahoma
MassBay Film Festival; Massachusetts
Platform Arts Festival; Florida
Sketch Comedy Lounge; Canada
MassBay Film Project; Massachusetts
Faux Film Festival; Oregon

Movies Are Better

Watch in its entirety on the Demos Page »
Visit the web site » (opens in a new window)

Details:

Comedy short film shot with the Panavision/Sony 24p HD camera.

Credits:

Starring KORY ALDEN • KRISTIN HEPINSTALL • BRIAN BERKE
TIM STREET • PAUL VALDEZ • ELIZABETH HAYDEN
DAMON PRESTON • TOM REES • M.K. KUDERKA
Director of Photography WILL HOOKE
Produced, Directed & Edited by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER

Awards:

Winner
Telly Award

Winner
DV Awards

Honor
Opening Night short film
Florida Film Festival

Screenings:

8th L'Avis De Chateau Film Festival; France (invited)
Newport Beach Film Festival; Newport Beach, CA
Festival des Trés Courts, France
Chicago Int'l. Reel Shorts Festival
Three Minute Film Festival
Faux Film Festival
Florida Film Festival; Orlando, Florida

More Than A Sport

Details:

“More Than A Sport” is a short documentary examining the positive impact of a boxing club on the lives of five inner-city young men and their coach.

Credits:

Produced, Directed and Edited by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER

Awards:

Winner
Bronze Award
Alamo Film Competition

Screenings:

Fort Lauderdale Int'l. Film Festival, Florida

To Speak To Her Again

Details:

A spoof of 1940's detective films.

Credits:

DAN WILKERSON • TRISH MINNICH
Produced, Directed and Edited by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER

Awards:

Winner
Crystal Reel Award
Florida Motion Picture and
Television Association

Screenings:

Wild Pizza Festival

Quit It!

Watch in its entirety on the Demos Page »

Tag:

School is starting tomorrow,
Eric is starting first grade,
and Michael is starting to scare him.

Synopsis:

Eric's older brother Michael does his best to frighten him about what he will encounter on his first day of first grade. Michael's scary stories fuel a wild ride through the imagination of a seven year old.

Details:

Shot on 16mm and all visual effects were accomplished during production, in-camera, utilizing techniques such as multiple exposure and front projection.

Credits:

Starring ANDY RYAN • STEVEN MICHAELS
PATRICIA CARROL • ROCKY GIGANTE • JACK MALONE
Directors of Photography RICK SWARTZWELDER & DEREK HERR
Produced, Directed, & Edited by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER

Remote Control

Watch in its entirety on the Demos Page »

Details:

A fast paced, 60 second, spec image spot created for Nickelodeon Television Network.

For a mother in a busy morning household, a frantic search for the remote control is rewarded by the happy smiles of the kids when Nickelodeon pops on the tube.

Credits:

Director of Photography MATT FAW
Produced, Directed, & Edited by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER

Spoilers

Details:

Comedy Television Talk Show Pilot. 6 cameras.

Credits:

Director of Photography BRIAN HOODENPYLE
Produced & Directed by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER

Something On My Mind

View a clip on the Demos Page »

Details: Music Video

Credits:

Produced by ADAM GREEN
Directed & Edited by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER

Jean-Christophe Huttepain

Details: This documentary/presentation package profiles French tennis pro Jean-Christophe Huttepain.

Credits:

Executive Produced by GEORGE SHAPIRO
Produced, Directed & Edited by BENJAMIN HERSHLEDER

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Filmography

The Bronx Boys Still Playing at 80

The Bronx Boys – Hosted by Carl Reiner

Paul McCall

Tickits

The McPassion

Movies Are Better

More Than A Sport

To Speak To Her Again

Quit It!

Remote Control

Spoilers

Something On My Mind

Jean-Christophe Huttepain

Benjamin Hershleder's Avid Editing Book Now Available »

Benjamin Hershleder's Avid Editing Book Now Available » "An invaluable resource for editors using any version of Avid Media Composer or Symphony." ~ ~ ~ "An investment that will pay for itself many times over in decreased frustration and increased time for creativity."

Benjamin Hershleder's Avid Editing Book
Now Available »

Benjamin Hershleder's
Avid Editing Book
Now Available »

"An invaluable resource
for editors using any version of
Avid Media Composer or Symphony."
~ ~ ~
"An investment that will
pay for itself many times over
in decreased frustration and
increased time for creativity."