Ben Kalina

Biography

Ben is an award-winning director and producer whose work centers on the collision between humanity, technology and the force of nature. His 2020 film Can We Cool the Planet? surveyed the landscape of climate solutions and aired on PBS NOVA. His 2014 film Shored Up explored rising sea levels and the politics of climate change in the U.S. in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, winning the Sundance Institute LightStay Sustainability Award and airing on DirecTV. He directed and produced the documentary HOME: A Rockumentary for WHYY in Philadelphia in 2017 and produced four episodes of the 2016 PBS/OZY Media series The Contenders: 16 for ‘16. He was Associate Producer of the documentary about ocean acidification called A Sea Change, broadcast on Discovery’s Planet Green in 2009, and Two Square Miles, broadcast on PBS’ Independent Lens in 2006. His short film Diorama won a 2007 Eastman Kodak Award and international grand prize awards at film festivals in the U.S. and Europe. Ben’s production company, Mangrove Media, is based in Philadelphia where he is an Assistant Professor in the Film and Television Program at Drexel University.