Biography


Gili Benita is a photographer, born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel and currently based in New York City.  In 2015, he started his military service as a cinematographer in the Israeli  Air  Force film unit, making psychological and instructional films. After his  release from the military in 2016, he began his first long-term documentary  project, working with 'Save a Child's Heart'; an Israeli NGO providing medical  aid for children suffering from congenital heart diseases in Tanzania. In 2018,   this work was exhibited at the "Local Testimony" exhibition in the  Eretz Israel Museum In Tel Aviv and won the first prize in the Photographed  story category. That same year he traveled to Japan for a project on the  culture of Japanese loneliness: 'Kodoku,' which was published in iGNANT, The Independent Photographer, Aint Bad, and won the Bronze prize in the Photo Essay catagory in Tokyo International Foto Awards 2019.In 2020 he created the photo series 'Should We Watch Something?', telling the story about his roommates romance during the COVID 19 pandemic in NYC which was featured it Vogue Italia. That year, he also graduated from the International Center of Photography's Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism Program where he was awarded the  Lisette Model Scholarship and the Director's Fellowship.

Gili is also a full member of Diversify Photo 
and an editor at Aint-Bad Magazine.

Photo by Kana Motojima.



Education

  • 2019-2020 - The International Center Of Photography - Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism Program.
  •  2020 - Eddie Adams Workshop XXXIII 



Accomplishments

  • First place in photographed story category - Local Testimony, 2018
  • Bronze winner In Photo Essay category -Tokyo International Foto Awards 2019
  • Lisette Model Scholarship and the Director's Fellowship - International Center of Photography - 2019
  • Award of Excellence - College Photographer of the Year, 2020
  • Vogue Italia Portfolio Reviews - 2020




Publications

  • Vogue Italia - Link
  • New York Times - Link
  • iGNANT - Link
  • The Independent Photographer - Link
  • Ha'Arets Photo Blog - Link
  • 'Format' Online Portfolio Spotlight - Link
  • Mako - Link
  • Life Farmer - Link
  • Sabukaru - Link
  • Edge of Humanity - Link
  • Neocha - Link
  • The Modern Day Explorer - Link
  • Aint Bad - Link
  • Local Testimony - Link
  • VSCO - Link
  • The president of Israel - Ruvi Rivlin - Link
  • Xitek - China - Link
  • PH Museum- Link
  • Tokyo Foto Awards - Link
  • Fotodemic - Link



Exhibitions

  • Local Testimony, group exhibition, Erets Israel Museum. Tel Aviv - 2018
  • 'Kodoku'  solo exhibition, Space Place Gallery, Russia - 2018
  • The Print Fair, group exhibition, Tel - Aviv - 2018
  • The Teder Print Fair, Tel - Aviv 2019
  • The Brussels Street Photography Festival - Group Exhibition, Brussels - 2019
  • International Center Of Photography - OYC Virtual Group Exhibition - 2020
  • Gallery Photographs - Virtual Solo Exhibition - Japan, 2020
  • Lagos Photo Festival - Home Museum - Nigeria 2020



Work with Me

Available for work in New York, Israel and worldwide.  
Get in touch with me using my contact form to discuss further details.


Using Format