Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt, Lewis Center for the Arts

Lecturer in Visual Arts

Photo by Michael Coles

About

Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker. He most recently directed the Emmy-nominated historical documentary Massacre at the Stadium, a Netflix Original film about legendary musician Víctor Jara who was murdered during the '73 coup in Chile (Netflix, 2019). He directed, produced and edited Havana Motor Club (Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2016) a feature-length documentary that explores Cuba's underground drag racing community and their quest to hold the first official car race since the Cuban Revolution. The film premiered in competition at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festiva, was released theatrically in early 2016, and screened as part of the exhibition Motion. Autos, Art, Architecture at the Museo Guggenheim Bilbao. Perlmutt co-directed and edited Diana Vreeland: The Eye has to Travel (Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2011) about the legendary fashion icon. He directed and produced Lumo (POV, 2007), a documentary about the recovery process of a young rape survivor at a unique hospital in eastern Congo that won a Student Academy Award® and was broadcast on PBS. He served as the co-producer and additional editor of Control Room (Magnolia Pictures, 2004), and the associate editor of Valentino: The Last Emperor (Acolyte Films, 2008). He wrote, directed, produced, and edited Les Vulnerables (Perlmutt Productions, 2007), the closing night short of the New York Film Festival and a grand jury prize-winner at AFI Dallas. He also directed and produced Invisible Killers: Ebola for the Discovery Channel, edited and field-produced Man V. Volcano for National Geographic Explorer, edited an episode of Rebel Music for MTV, and edited The Balvenie's Raw Craft starring Anthony Bourdain.

Perlmutt's commercial work has included directing and editing over 30 spots for ESTÉE LAUDER, Gucci, BVLGARI, Rag&Bone, Samsung, H&M, Vogue, Chloe, Tods, Jimmy Choo, Kohl's, Carrera, San Pellegrino, LORÉAL, Guess, and Interview Magazine. He has served as a correspondent for UNICEF and has made films for NGOs including The Chopra Center, HelpAge International, UNIFEM, the New York Academy of Medicine, Every Mother Counts, and HEAL Africa. He is a member of the Director’s Guild of America, the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Indie Film," and a recipient of two Sundance Institute / Sloan Foundation grants for two different projects. He has taught filmmaking at Columbia University, William Paterson University, and all over Africa for organizations including Mira Nair’s Maisha FilmLab and Peter Gabriel’s Witness. He holds a BA from Brown University with honors in Creative Writing and an MFA from Columbia University with honors in Film Directing.