Benjamin Caro
Benjamin Caro (COM’08) of Playa Del Rey, Calif., wrote and directed the short film Cathedrals, which was admitted to the Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival, the Los Angeles Movie Awards, and the Miami Independent Film Festival. The LA Movie Awards has honored it with Best Narrative Short and the film’s star, Brendan Sexton III (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), with Best Actor. The film, inspired by a Raymond Carver story, also stars Rick Boggs, who is blind. Benjamin writes that he struggled to find a blind actor at first. After he received very few submissions, he realized “it was because studios, and the greater workforce, provide very few roles for people who are blind, and would rather do what’s convenient than take a risk on a disabled person.” It was important to him to bring diversity to the film by casting Boggs, who is an empowering advocate for the blind. Because of what he learned, he no longer was interested in just making a good film. He wanted to do some good, too. Therefore, Cathedrals raised $1,000 during its Kickstarter campaign for local organizations that provide opportunities to the visually impaired, such as the Culver City program Theater By the Blind. Contact Benjamin at benji.caro@gmail.com.
From the Winter-Spring 2019 issue.