Ben Wallbank Films

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Ben Wallbank Films

Video specialist for commercial, adventure and outdoor productions.

project: www.gofundme.com/f/documentary-for-basa-village-foundation

05/11/2026

‘SIMONE’

Before she was an Adventure Racing world champion, before the titles and the twenty years of racing, something happened to Simone Maier that lay dormant inside her for years.

A short portrait from the Southern Alps of Aotearoa New Zealand about facing the past, and the distance it takes to outlive it.

Nominated for, Best Short Documentary and Best Directing (Short Documentary) at NZ Web Fest.

26/10/2026

Hill reps with Majell Backhausen that seem to last a lifetime

The North Face Trail

19/10/2026

TENZING

Cold nights and sunrises underneath Aoraki.

Filming behind the scenes on Tenzing and working with talented people make it look easy!

Thanks Renan Ozturk for having me along for the ride!

01/10/2026

Possibly the toughest auntie in the Solukhumbu.

A standard few days included, shepherding water buffalo, making edibles from their milk and building them a new shelter - by hand.

This is part of my film Basa Rising, uncovering the lives of a small remote community in the Himalaya who are balancing cultural traditions with development.

This film has been nominated for Best Short Documentary at NZ Web Fest this year.

23/09/2026

Fun times on a creative script with Chelsea Tobey and with Jason not taking no for an answer to get a light into a second story window!

Shooting a camera overhead Chelsea on a wide shot without showing any rigging was a challenge - thanks for trusting me on that one Chels!

AC Tom Christie, Lighting Jason Beacham, Talent Chelsea Tobey

Sony | Cine Sony New Zealand

07/08/2026

A collection of some recent views from behind the camera. Grateful to everyone who was a part of the journey!

It’s a beautiful world.

07/07/2026

These were all from one week around the wild West Coast of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The differences in climate, flora and landscape show the diversity of our stunning island at the bottom of the planet.

What a place to call home! 🫶🏼

West Coast, New Zealand Sony | Alpha AU & NZ Sony | Professional Filmmaking

28/06/2026

My recent docco Basa Rising made its debut at the NZ Mountain Film & Book Fest recently - it looked phenomenal on the big screen!

If you Google ‘Basa Village’ you’ll find a cluster of hills deep in the Himalaya that looks like pure jungle. The Rai people have lived there for thousands of years and until not so long ago, had no running water and no electricity.

I was there to document the initiatives of the village who built their own hydropower, fresh water system, and rebuilt the school after the 2015 Nepal earthquake. Now they’ve developed an animal husbandry programme to continue growth for their future.

I got to live with a family in the village who welcomed me in as a totally stranger. I didn’t even speak their language, but by the end of my time there I was invited to be a part of a traditional Shaman ceremony - something that’ll stay with me forever!

These are some memorable frames from the project.

Supported by Joel Meyers ❤️

Sony | Cine Sony New Zealand

18/06/2026

Tix at MOUNTAINFILM.NZ 🎟️

This story about a remote Nepalese village. Told through a series of vignettes by members of their community, they share how they do life and overcome barriers to exist in the remote Himalayas.

09/06/2026

I have a theory about golden hour. If light looked like this every day, we wouldn’t care about it at all and half the reason it stops you in your tracks is because you know it’s gone in minutes.

That’s also what makes shooting in it so addictive - and a level of time pressure that I somehow enjoy. These two scenes were shot at sunrise and sunset with Chelsea and Luke. Beautiful locations, incredible autumn light, and that familiar feeling of racing the clock while trying to stay present enough to actually make something worth keeping.

The shot of me looming over Chelsea was planned out btw…even though it looked like a crime scene to the passers by ;)

AC
Talent .tobes & .shacter
anz

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Queenstown

Website

http://Benwallbank.com/

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