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IMDbPro

Joe Bender(I)

  • Cinematographer
  • Producer
  • Editorial Department
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Joe Bender — Director of Photography, Producer
“We’re all newcomers here. Where we come from there are no jobs, here there are,” says a young boy recently arrived in Astana to find work building Kazakhstan’s utopian capital city. The film begins as the city prepares to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Zhan and Tilgen are building the city’s newest monument, a marble column topped by a 9-ton golden bird. Across the street is a towering glass and steel Pyramid where Asel and Alia guide visitors on a tour of Astana’s future. Like most in Astana, their lives are spent in service of the President’s vision of Astana as a city that will propel Kazakhstan onto the world stage.

As the anniversary nears, the global financial crisis hits, leaving the future of Kazakhstan’s dream city uncertain. “Without credit, there is no construction,” Tilgen says, looking down from his window onto another worksite that has been frozen indefinitely. Nearby, Asel turns down her boyfriend’s marriage proposal. “When I tell the girls back home that I’m dating a guy from Astana, they assume he’s rich.” /Capital/ is the story of a city caught between an official vision of the future and the reality of life on utopia's outskirts.
Play trailer2:59
Capital (2010)
2 Videos
1 Photo
Joe Bender is an award-winning producer and Director of Photography whose work spans all aspects of creative documentary. He most recently produced the animated feature documentary The Conspiracy. As DP, his recent work includes The Conspiracy (DOC NYC 2022), Catching the Killer Nurse (Netflix), and Persona (CNN Films). He shot and produced The Truth About Killer Robots (HBO), and filmed The Candidates, which premiered at DOC NYC. He produced the Sundance award-winning Our New President (2018) and was named among DOC NYC's 40 under 40 (2018). Other recent work as Director of Photography appears in documentary films and series for Netflix, HBO, National Geographic, and PBS, among others. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University.
  • More at IMDbPro
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IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Known for

    The Truth About Killer Robots (2018)
    The Truth About Killer Robots
    5.8
    • Cinematographer
    • 2018
    Our New President (2018)
    Our New President
    6.0
    • Producer
    • 2018
    Clínica de Migrantes: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (2016)
    Clínica de Migrantes: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
    7.3
    Short
    • Cinematographer
    • 2016
    How to Rob Banks for Dummies
    How to Rob Banks for Dummies
    • Cinematographer

      Credits

      Edit
      IMDbPro

      Cinematographer



      • How to Rob Banks for Dummies
        • Cinematographer
        • Post-production



      • Calico Rebellion (2024)
        Calico Rebellion
        • Cinematographer
        • 2024
      • The Conspiracy (2022)
        The Conspiracy
        4.9
        • director of photography
        • 2022
      • La Mort portait la blouse (2022)
        La Mort portait la blouse
        6.4
        • segment director of photography
        • 2022
      • Persona: The Dark Truth Behind Personality Tests (2021)
        Persona: The Dark Truth Behind Personality Tests
        5.6
        • director of photography
        • 2021
      • The Candidates (2019)
        The Candidates
        • Cinematographer
        • 2019
      • The Truth About Killer Robots (2018)
        The Truth About Killer Robots
        5.8
        • Cinematographer
        • 2018
      • Monty (2018)
        Monty
        Short
        • Cinematographer
        • 2018
      • This is Reading (2017)
        This is Reading
        Video
        • Cinematographer
        • 2017
      • Clínica de Migrantes: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (2016)
        Clínica de Migrantes: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
        7.3
        Short
        • Cinematographer
        • 2016
      • Les dépossédés (2013)
        Les dépossédés
        • Cinematographer
        • 2013
      • Capital (2010)
        Capital
        • Cinematographer
        • 2010

      Producer



      • How to Rob Banks for Dummies
        • producer
        • Post-production



      • The Conspiracy (2022)
        The Conspiracy
        4.9
        • producer
        • 2022
      • The Truth About Killer Robots (2018)
        The Truth About Killer Robots
        5.8
        • producer
        • 2018
      • Our New President (2018)
        Our New President
        6.0
        • producer
        • 2018
      • Our New President (2017)
        Our New President
        5.2
        Short
        • producer
        • 2017
      • Capital (2010)
        Capital
        • producer
        • 2010

      Editorial Department



      • The Conspiracy (2022)
        The Conspiracy
        4.9
        • additional editor
        • 2022
      • Our New President (2018)
        Our New President
        6.0
        • colorist
        • post supervisor
        • 2018
      • La Medea (2017)
        La Medea
        • colorist
        • 2017
      • Pussy Riot in Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (2013)
        Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer
        7.0
        • assistant editor
        • 2013

      Videos2

      Joe Bender demo reel
      Demo Reel 2:21
      Joe Bender demo reel
      CAPITAL
      Trailer 2:59
      CAPITAL
      CAPITAL
      Trailer 2:59
      CAPITAL

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