Americas in Transition (1981)

Heir to a baking fortune (his grandfather allegedly invented white bread), Benz was associated with a variety of socially conscious organizations including the MUSE Foundation (producer of the NO NUKES documentary/concert feature) before turning to writing and directing. He made the Ed Asner-narrated AMERICAS IN TRANSITION (1981) (30 mins), about US involvement in Latin America, and debuted as a feature director with HEAVY PETTING (1988), which used interviews and 1950s film clips to take a light-hearted look at the sexual mores of that decade. Wrote, produced and directed "The History of Rock 'N' Roll, Vol. 6: My Generation" (TV, 1995), part of the Time-Life/Warner Bros. series. Benz also produced the short documentary ASHTANAGA, NY in 2003.  Nominated for Documentary (Short Subjects) 1981: AMERICAS IN TRANSITION 1 nomination