Facts:     - birth date: 1969    - name: ben hopkins    - occupation: film director , screenwriter    - yearsactive: 1996-present   Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of ben hopkins .
The answer to this question is:
ben hopkins -lrb- born 1969 -rrb- is a british film director and screenwriter .his 1999 film `` simon magus '' was entered into the 49th berlin international film festival .his 2008 film , '' '' -lrb- -rrb- won awards at film festivals in locarno , ghent and antalya , where it was the first film directed by a foreigner to win an award in the national competition .