Josh Safdie

American filmmaker (born 1984)

Josh Safdie

Josh being interviewed at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival

Born|

Joshua Henry Safdie
(1984-04-03) April 3, 1984 (age 41)

New York City, U.S.

Alma mater| Boston University
Occupations|

* Film director
* producer
* screenwriter
* editor

Years active| 2007–present
Children| 1[1]
Relatives|

* Benny Safdie (brother)
* Moshe Safdie (great-uncle)
* Oren Safdie (first cousin once removed)
* Dov Charney (first cousin once removed)

Awards| Full list
Website| elara.world

Joshua Henry Safdie[2] (born April 3, 1984)[3] is an American filmmaker. He is best known for writing and directing the crime thriller films Good Time (2017) and Uncut Gems (2019) with his younger brother Benny Safdie as the Safdie Brothers.

In 2024, it was reported that they would no longer be directing together and would pursue solo careers.[4] His first solo directorial debut since the split will be Marty Supreme (2025), starring Timothee Chalamet.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Safdie was born in New York City to Amy and Alberto Safdie.[5] He and brother Benny divided their childhood living between their father in Queens and their mother and stepfather in Manhattan after their parents' divorce.[5]

He attended Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School[5] and graduated from the Boston University College of Communication in 2007.

## Career

[edit]

### Filmmaker

[edit]

Main article: Safdie brothers

The Safdies' first feature was the 2009 film Daddy Longlegs, which they also wrote the screenplay and edited together.[6] The film was showcased in the Directors' Fortnight at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.[7] In 2013, they debuted the documentary film Lenny Cooke at the Tribeca Film Festival,[8] a documentary they became attached to after Cooke approached them to review the footage.[9] In 2014, the pair premiered their next film Heaven Knows What at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.[10] In February 2016, the brothers began filming their crime thriller film Good Time. It premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or.[11]

Uncut Gems, Josh and Benny's next film, starred Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield and Julia Fox and was executive produced by Martin Scorsese.[12] The brothers won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director, and Benny shared the Independent Spirit Award for Best Editing with Ronald Bronstein, with whom he co-edited with on all the Safdie brother films.[13]

### Solo career

[edit]

In early 2024, it was reported that Josh and Benny would no longer be directing films together and would pursue solo careers. His brother, Benny described the split as amicable, calling it a "natural progression of what we each want to explore."[4]

His next feature is Marty Supreme, a fictionalized original film loosely based on Marty Reisman, a hustler-turned-champion table tennis player. It stars Timothee Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow.[14][15] It is set to be released by A24 on December 25, 2025.[16] His frequent collaborator Ronald Bronstein both co-wrote and edited the film, while Darius Khondji was the cinematographer and Jack Fisk was the production designer.[17] Its $70 million budget makes it A24's most expensive film.[18]

## Personal life

[edit]

Safdie is Jewish. His father was born in Italy, raised in France and is of Sephardic-Jewish and Syrian-Jewish descent.[5][19][20][21] His mother is of Russian-Jewish descent.[22] His great uncle is architect Moshe Safdie. His cousin once removed is playwright Oren Safdie.[23]

He is a fan of the New York Knicks.[24] Basketball is prominently featured in Lenny Cooke and Uncut Gems.

## Filmography

[edit]

See also: Safdie brothers § Filmography

### Feature films

[edit]

Key  †  | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released

|

Year  | Title  | Director | Writer | Editor | Collaboration with Benny  | Collaboration with Bronstein  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2008  | The Pleasure of Being Robbed | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Also actor, producer
2009  | Daddy Longlegs | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
2013  | Lenny Cooke | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | No  |
2014  | Heaven Knows What | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | Yes  |
2017  | Good Time | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | Yes  |
2019  | Uncut Gems | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | Yes  |
2022  | Funny Pages | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Also producer
2025  | Marty Supreme † | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | Yes  | Also producer

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Producer  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

2023  | The Curse | No  | No  | Executive  | Miniseries
Telemarketers | No  | No  | Executive  | TV series
Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God | No  | No  | Executive  | Documentary mini-series
2024  | Ren Faire | No  | No  | Executive  | Documentary mini-series
Adam Sandler: Love You | Yes  | No  | Yes  | Netflix comedy special

### As Actor

[edit]

Year | Title | Role | Notes

|
|
|

2006  | We're Going to the Zoo | The Hitchhiker  | Short film
The Ralph Handel Story | The Director (voice)  | Short film
2007  | The Back of Her Head | Him  | Short film
2008  | The Pleasure of Being Robbed | Josh  |
Yeast | Riverguy 1  |
2009  | Taking Woodstock | Documentary Cameraman  | Uncredited
Daddy Longlegs | Chris  |
La corsa | Alessandro  | Short film
2013  | Lydia Hoffman Lydia Hoffman | Bruce  | Short film
Hellaware | Gallery Patron  |
Stand Clear of the Closing Doors | Fighter  |
2015  | This Summer Feeling | Thomas  |
2016  | Togetherness | Craddock Brother #1  | Episode: "Advanced Pretend"
My Art | Tom  |
2017  | Ezer Kenegdo | Levi  |

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by the Safdie brothers

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Safdie Brothers LAST APPEARANCE TOGETHER for Daddy Longlegs Q&A Nov 30th 2022 Film Forum NYC. Archived from the original on July 2, 2024. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
2. ^ Ross, Alex Robert (July 23, 2019). "The Weeknd will appear alongside Adam Sandler in crime thriller Uncut Gems". The Fader. Archived from the original on July 24, 2019. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
3. ^ "Josh Safdie". AlloCiné. Archived from the original on May 3, 2008. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
4. ^ a b Shanfeld, Ethan (January 4, 2024). "Benny Breaks Out: The Safdie Brother on Going Solo, Making You Squirm With 'The Curse' and What He Learned From Christopher Nolan and PTA". Variety. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
5. ^ a b c d Sanneh, Kelefa (December 16, 2019). "The Safdie Brothers' Full-Immersion Filmmaking". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
6. ^ Macaulay, Scott (January 28, 2010). "Daddy Longlegs Josh and Benny Safdie". Filmmaker Magazine. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
7. ^ "Quinzaine 2009". quinzaine-realisateurs.com. Archived from the original on August 24, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
8. ^ Kemmerle, Karen (April 15, 2013). "'Lenny Cooke' Directors Josh and Benny Safdie Explore What Happened to the American Dream". Tribeca Film Festival. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
9. ^ Harris, Brandon (December 6, 2013). "Hoop Dreams: Josh and Benny Safdie on Lenny Cooke". Filmmaker. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
10. ^ Foundas, Scott (August 28, 2014). "'Heaven Knows What' Review: The Safdies Take a Step Forward". Variety. Archived from the original on August 30, 2014. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
11. ^ "The 2017 Official Selection". Cannes. April 13, 2017. Archived from the original on April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
12. ^ Hipes, Patrick (September 28, 2018). "Safdie Brothers' 'Uncut Gems' Scores Financing From RT Features & Scorsese's Sikelia – Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 17, 2016. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
13. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Blyth, Antonia (February 8, 2020). "Independent Spirit Awards Redresses Female Balance With Wins For Lulu Wang, Olivia Wilde & Julia Reichert – Complete Winners List". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 9, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
14. ^ Grobar, Matt (August 28, 2024). "Gwyneth Paltrow To Star Opposite Timothée Chalamet In A24's 'Marty Supreme'". Deadline. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
15. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (July 15, 2024). "Timothée Chalamet to Star in Josh Safdie, A24 Movie About Ping Pong Pro (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
16. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 20, 2024). "Timothée Chalamet Movie 'Marty Supreme' Set For Christmas Day 2025". Deadline. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
17. ^ Marty Supreme (2025) - Full cast & crew - IMDb. Retrieved May 2, 2025 - via www.imdb.com.
18. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (November 5, 2024). "A24's Timothée Chalamet Ping-Pong Movie 'Marty Supreme' Will Be Its Joint-Biggest To Date & The Biggest-Budget New Project At AFM". Deadline. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
19. ^ Robinson, George (August 17, 2010). "Being The Safdie Brothers". The Jewish Week. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
20. ^ Barshad, Amos (August 21, 2017). "The Safdie Brothers Are Classic New York Hustlers". The Fader. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
21. ^ Pfefferman, Naomi (June 17, 2015). "Life as lived by a homeless junkie". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Archived from the original on May 6, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
22. ^ Vance, Kelly (December 25, 2019). "Hoops Hoopla + Precious Stones = Mayhem". East Bay Express. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
23. ^ Foley, Euan (June 29, 2020). "A Brief History of the Safdie Brothers". Port Magazine. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
24. ^ Kassel, Matthew (December 6, 2013). "Watching the Knicks With the Safdie Brothers". observer.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 16, 2021.

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie

Narrative films directed together|

* Daddy Longlegs (2009)
* Heaven Knows What (2014)
* Good Time (2017)
* Uncut Gems (2019)

Documentaries directed together|

* Lenny Cooke (2013)

Josh only|

* The Pleasure of Being Robbed (2008)
* Marty Supreme (2025)

Benny only|

* The Smashing Machine (2025)

*[†]: Film has not yet been released
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*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template