Ben Steiger Levine joined integrated production company 1stAveMachine. Getting his start in Canada, where he received multiple grants to produce his short films, Levine has since directed several award- winning music videos and commercials.
Levine's films often border on bizarre and beautiful, hinting at themes of humanity and existence through clever re-imagination of the human form. From "Heavens to Purgatory" where deconstructed bodies act as living decoration, to "You Are Never Alone" for the band Socalled where the artist's face is re-appropriated as a film projector, the films are as provocative as they are cinematic.
"I love to experiment in my work. 1stAveMachine is a great place for me, because they're always pushing the envelope and doing the most interesting stuff," said Levine. "Advertising and popular culture as a whole can often be self-referential. In my independent work, and at 1stAveMachine, we take this as a challenge to always look ahead."
Levine chooses technique and effect to subtly aid narrative, as evidenced in the piece, "Mr. Hurricane", where a swarm of bees discovers its own fleeting human soul.
The Grammy-nominated film was featured at the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase in 2009. Two other directors from 1stAveMachine, Aaron Duffy and Antonio Balseiro, were featured in the showcase in the same year.
Levine is the seventh addition to the six directors that make up 1stAveMachine. "We're incredibly thrilled to have Ben Steiger Levine join us," said 1stAveMachine co-founder, Serge Patzak. "His work translates well across many platforms and we're excited to work with him on both traditional and non-traditional media."