David Borenstein
Documentary Producer in USA
I am a non-fiction storyteller who has worked in the documentary industry on three continents. Many of the programs I make cover China, making use of my decade of experience working in the country.
Since 2013, I have been affiliated with Danish production company House of Real, directing/producing documentaries for BBC, WDR ARTE, Al Jazeera, DR2, Vice, and NYTimes.
My feature doc Dream Empire, funded by Sundance and the Danish Film Institute, toured the festival circuit in more than forty countries.
I am a 2009 graduate of the University of Florida, where I was named valedictorian of my class. I am an alumnus of the US State Department’s Fulbright Program in China. I speak fluent Chinese.
WORK SAMPLES
Rent a Foreigner in China - NYTimes OpDoc
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/opinion/rent-a-foreigner-in-china.html
Dream Empire - Feature documentary
https://www.dreamempirefilm.com/ (film website)
Doctor Fake News - 30 min podcast for BBC World Service
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csz5dw
Chinese Dreamland -60 minutes for Al Jazeera
https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2015/09/chinese-dreamland-150916144034085.html
China’s Bizarre Housing Market -30 minutes for Danish TV.
https://www.dr.dk/tv/se/horisont/horisont-5/horisont-111
SELECTED PRESS ON MY WORK
Vice Magazine interview with David Borenstein
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/4wb84b/chinas-rent-a-foreigner-industry-is-still-a-real-thing
Atlantic Magazine Citylab interview with David Borenstein
South China Morning Post discussion of Dream Empire