Q&A with Lorenzo Benitez
A conversation with filmmaker Lorenzo Benitez on his short documentary, Jaiveer Has a Day Job.
How did you first get into filmmaking?
By making short films with other classmates in high school, the first few of which weren't very good. Through them, I discovered how much I loved both the process, which combines a bunch of crafts I'd been interested in, and outcome of filmmaking. On a gap year before college, I then went on to direct a feature-length documentary that investigates the possible ramifications of 'voluntourism'. Filmed on a shoestring budget before I moved to the US, it affirmed my sense of purpose from film, and had its broadcast premiere on Australian national TV.
What was your creative process for this film?
Jaiveer Has a Day Job was shot entirely from within Jaiveer's apartment in Seattle. At the height of the pre-vaccine pandemic, I was crashing on his sofa as a guest for a few weeks, and found his efforts to balance his day job and 'night job' while confined to his room relatable and amusing. I soon found myself taking my camera and filming him at certain moments in the day.
What projects are you working on next, and how can people who are interested best support or follow you.
The best way to keep up with my documentaries is on IG: @u16.co. However, if you also want to foray into some of the comedy work that I've started making recently, which has more recent releases in the pipeline, I strongly encourage following IG: @benedek.tv. Also, my personal email IG throughout all this is: @_lorenzob.
