Ben Hawker

Bio

Ben has over 30 years' experience in the New Zealand and Australian film industries working in special and visual effects, creatures, prosthetics, art direction, IP development, screenwriting, directing and editing.

While at Sydney's 20th Century Fox Studios, Ben worked on Jane Campion's Holy Smoke, George Miller's Babe: Pig in the City, and The Wachowski sibling's The Matrix.

A key crew member of Wellington's Weta Workshop from 1999 to 2023, Ben has worked on numerous high-profile films, including The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Last Samurai, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, King Kong, 30 Days of Night, District 9 and Avatar.

Ben wrote, produced, co-edited, and directed the independent feature, Blackspot, in 2007, earning the Grand Prize for editing at the Rhode Island international film festival in 2008.

Ben has directed several short films and music videos and helmed documentary content for Wellington’s Neonatal Trust and the New Zealand National Museum, Te Papa Tongarewa.

Ben most recently headed Screen Business Development for Weta Workshop and was the Creative Director for Weta Workshop's Design Studio. Ben’s responsibilities included engaging with studios, producers, and filmmakers to secure international projects for design and manufacture, and coproduction's for Weta Workshop's content division.

Ben has led scripted IP development for Dark Horse Entertainment, New Line Cinema, Amazon Studios, Netflix and Legendary Films, and art directed concept design for Ghost in the Shell and Dune.