Josh and Benny Safdie | |
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Born | Joshua Safdie April 3, 1984 Benjamin Safdie February 24, 1986 New York City, U.S. |
Alma mater | Boston University |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2007–present |
Spouse | Benny: Ava Safdie (m. 2013) |
Children | Benny: 2, Josh: 1 [1] |
Relatives |
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Awards | Full list |
Website | elara |
Joshua Safdie [2] (born April 3, 1984) [3] and Benjamin Safdie [2] (born February 24, 1986) [4] are independent American filmmakers and actors based in New York City, who frequently collaborate on their films. They are best known for writing and directing the crime thriller films Good Time (2017), starring Robert Pattinson, and Uncut Gems (2019), starring Adam Sandler.
In addition to writing and directing, both Josh and Benny serve in a variety of key positions including acting, editing, shooting, mixing sound, and producing their films. They have also frequently collaborated with Ronald Bronstein, who has co-written and edited all of their narrative features beginning with the 2009 film Daddy Longlegs . Other recurring collaborators include composer Oneohtrix Point Never, cinematographer Sean Price Williams, and production designer Sam Lisenco.
The Safdie brothers were raised in New York, the children of Amy and Alberto Safdie. [5] They spent their childhood living between their father in Queens and their mother and stepfather in Manhattan. [5] The Safdie brothers are Jewish. Their father, who is a Sephardic Jew of Syrian-Jewish descent, was raised in France and in Italy. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Their mother is an Ashkenazi Jew of Russian-Jewish descent. [10]
They began making films at a young age, inspired by their film-enthusiast father, Alberto. [5] They graduated from Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School in Manhattan. [5] At Boston University, they co-founded the creative collective Red Bucket Films with Alex Kalman, Sam Lisenco, Brett Jutkiewicz, and Zachary Treitz. [11] Josh and Benny Safdie graduated from Boston University College of Communication in 2007 and 2008, respectively. [12] They claim "turmoil of their youth", as children of divorced parents, became an inspiration for later work. [13] Famed Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie is their great uncle; his son, playwright Oren Safdie, is their second cousin. [14] [15]
The brothers grew up as fans of basketball and the New York Knicks. The duo try to watch every game together. [16] Basketball is prominently featured in Lenny Cooke and Uncut Gems.
In 2007, Josh Safdie was hired by Andy Spade and Anthony Sperduti to create a short film featuring Kate Spade Handbags. [17] He devised a concise story about the adventures of a kleptomaniac woman. [17] Eleonore Hendricks, who co-wrote the screenplay, portrayed the lead role. [17] The project eventually turned into a feature film. [17] The film, titled The Pleasure of Being Robbed , had its world premiere at the 2008 South by Southwest. [18] It also screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, along with a short film The Acquaintances of a Lonely John directed by Benny Safdie. [17]
Their second feature film, Daddy Longlegs , had its world premiere under the title Go Get Some Rosemary [19] in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. [20] Starring Ronald Bronstein, it was inspired by the filmmakers' younger years living with their father, Alberto. [13] Bronstein won the Breakthrough Actor Award at the Gotham Independent Film Awards 2010. [21] The film won the John Cassavetes Award at the 26th Independent Spirit Awards. [22]
Their first full-length documentary film, Lenny Cooke , follows the life of Lenny Cooke, a once phenom high school basketball player, from adolescence to manhood. [23] The film premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. [24]
In 2014, the Safdie Brothers produced Heaven Knows What under their Elara Pictures banner. [25] The film centers around the real-life stories written in a book titled Mad Love in New York City by lead actress Arielle Holmes. [26] The film had its world premiere at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. [27] It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and the Tokyo International Film Festival. [27]
The Safdies directed the 2017 crime film Good Time , starring Robert Pattinson and Benny Safdie as siblings. [28] The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. [29]
The Safdies directed Uncut Gems , starring Adam Sandler, with Martin Scorsese serving as an executive producer. [30] The film was inspired by their father's time working in the Manhattan Diamond District. [13] [8] It had its world premiere at the 2019 Telluride Film Festival. [31] Theatrically released in the United States in 2019, it received critical acclaim and became one of A24's highest-grossing releases. [32]
In December 2017, The Hollywood Reporter announced that the Safdies would helm a remake of 48 Hrs. with the script being written by Josh Safdie, Ronald Bronstein, and Jerrod Carmichael. [33] In December 2019, the Safdies elaborated in an interview with The A.V. Club , saying the film was still being made but it would no longer be a remake. [34] Their script would instead be "re-shifted into something original." [34]
In February 2020, Showtime ordered a pilot for The Curse , a show about the making of an HGTV-style reality series, starring Emma Stone, Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie. Fielder co-created and co-wrote the show with Benny. [35] [36]
In April 2022, it was reported by IndieWire that the Safdies were working with Sandler on a new project. [37] The project, co-written by both brothers, was said to be set in the world of sports memorabilia, [38] and was rumored to co-star Ben Affleck, Steve Harvey, Megan Thee Stallion and Gael Garcia Bernal. [39] Later in February 2023, Sandler said "The first draft of the new [script] was 340 pages! It was insane and it was great." [40] By July 2023, it was reported that Benny would not co-direct the film, marking the first time since The Pleasure of Being Robbed either of the brothers have directed solo. [41] In January 2024, Benny confirmed that the brothers would no longer be directing projects together, as they expanded to solo careers. [42]
The Safdies co-founded the production company Elara Pictures in 2014. [43] The company produced the Safdies' feature films Heaven Knows What, Good Time, and Uncut Gems, [44] Owen Kline's feature film directorial debut Funny Pages , [45] and the Showtime television series The Curse . [46]
Year | Title | Director | Writer | DoP | Editor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | The Pleasure of Being Robbed [a] | Josh | Josh | Josh | Yes |
2009 | Daddy Longlegs | Yes | Yes | Josh | Yes |
2013 | Lenny Cooke | Yes | No | Josh | Benny |
2014 | Heaven Knows What | Yes | Josh | No | Benny |
2017 | Good Time | Yes | Josh | No | Benny |
2019 | Uncut Gems | Yes | Yes | No | Benny |
2025 | The Smashing Machine | Benny | Benny | No | Benny |
Marty Supreme | Josh | Josh | No | TBA | |
Producers
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | DoP | Editor |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Lethargy | Josh | Josh | No | No | No |
2005 | I Think I'm Missing Parts | Josh | Josh | No | No | No |
The Ralph Handel Story | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
2006 | We're Going To The Zoo | Josh | Josh | Josh | No | No |
2007 | The Back of Her Head | Josh | Yes | Josh | No | No |
Jerry Ruis, Shall We Do This? | Josh | No | No | No | No | |
John's Lonely Trip to Coney Island | Yes | No | No | Josh | Benny | |
2008 | The Acquaintances of a Lonely John | Benny | Benny | Benny | No | Benny |
There's Nothing You Can Do | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
2010 | John's Gone | Yes | Yes | Yes | Josh | Yes |
2011 | Straight Hustle | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Buttons | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | |
2012 | The Black Balloon | Yes | Yes | No | No | Benny |
Trophy Hunter | Yes | Yes | No | Josh | Josh | |
2013 | Solid Gold [47] | Yes | No | No | Josh | No |
2016 | Toback Vs. Mailer: The Incident | Yes | Yes | No | No | Benny |
2020 | Goldman v Silverman | Yes | Uncredited | No | Josh | No |
Question & Answer | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | The Curse | No | Benny | Executive | Co-creator; 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 | Josh | No | Josh | Netflix comedy special |
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 |
Year | Artist | Title | Album | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Ariel Pink | "I Need a Minute" | Heaven Knows What: Original Music From the Film | Directors | [48] |
2017 | Jay-Z | "Marcy Me" | 4:44 | [49] | |
Oneohtrix Point Never | "The Pure and the Damned" | Good Time (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | [50] | ||
2019 | Brockhampton | "Sugar" | Ginger | Producers | [51] |
2020 | Oneohtrix Point Never | "Lost But Never Alone" | Magic Oneohtrix Point Never | Directors | [52] |
Their artistic influences included the cinematic works of John Cassavetes, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino as well as underground comix artist Robert Crumb and author Irvine Welsh. [53] [54] [55]
Benny named Robert Bresson's A Man Escaped as his favorite film of all time, and Josh named Vittorio De Sica's Bicycle Thieves as his favorite. [56]
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor and comedian. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, his accolades include nominations for three Grammy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2023, Sandler was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Daddy Longlegs is a 2009 American comedy-drama film directed by Josh and Benny Safdie. It stars Ronald Bronstein, Sage Ranaldo, and Frey Ranaldo. It tells the story of a divorced projectionist and his two sons. The film had its world premiere under the title Go Get Some Rosemary in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival on May 16, 2009. It was released in the United States on May 14, 2010.
The following is the filmography of American actor and comedian Adam Sandler.
Heaven Knows What is a 2014 psychological drama film directed by Ben and Joshua Safdie and written by Ronald Bronstein and Joshua Safdie. The film stars Arielle Holmes, Buddy Duress, Ron Braunstein, Eleonore Hendricks, Caleb Landry Jones and Yuri Pleskun. The film was released on May 29, 2015, by RADiUS. It is based on Mad Love in New York City, Holmes' unpublished memoir of her life as a homeless heroin addict living on the streets of New York City, where she was discovered by director Josh Safdie, who encouraged her to write the memoir.
Good Time is a 2017 American crime thriller film directed by Josh and Benny Safdie and written by Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstein. It stars Robert Pattinson as a small-time criminal who tries to free his developmentally disabled brother, played by Benny Safdie, from police custody, while attempting to avoid his own arrest; Buddy Duress, Taliah Lennice Webster, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Barkhad Abdi co-star. Electronic musician Oneohtrix Point Never composed the film's score.
Uncut Gems is a 2019 American crime thriller film directed by Josh and Benny Safdie, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ronald Bronstein. It stars Adam Sandler, LaKeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, and Eric Bogosian. The film tells the story of Howard Ratner (Sandler), a Jewish-American jeweler and gambling addict in New York City's Diamond District, who must retrieve an expensive gem he purchased in order to pay off his debts. Filming took place from September to November 2018. The original score was composed by Daniel Lopatin. Uncut Gems was the last film by the Safdie brothers before they dissolved their partnership in 2024.
Lenny Cooke is a 2013 American sports documentary film directed by Josh and Benny Safdie. It tells the life of the former high school basketball player Lenny Cooke. The film had its world premiere at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival on April 18, 2013. It was released in the United States in limited theaters on December 6, 2013.
The 91st National Board of Review Awards, honoring the best in film for 2019, were announced on December 3, 2019.
The 85th New York Film Critics Circle Awards, honoring the best in film for 2019, were announced on December 4, 2019.
Julia Fox is an Italian and American actress, model, and media personality. Her debut performance was in the 2019 film Uncut Gems, for which she was nominated for the Breakthrough Actor Award at the 2019 Gotham Awards. She is also known for her eccentric style and online presence.
The 24th San Diego Film Critics Society Awards were announced on December 9, 2019.
Uncut Gems is a soundtrack album by electronic musician Daniel Lopatin, containing the original score for the Safdie brothers' 2019 film Uncut Gems. It was released via Warp on December 13, 2019. It received positive reviews from critics. It peaked at number 44 on the UK Soundtrack Albums Chart.
Elara Pictures is an American independent film production and television production company founded by Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, Ronald Bronstein and Sebastian Bear-McClard.
The 40th Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, honoring the best in filmmaking in 2019, were given on December 15, 2019.
The Curse is an American satirical black comedy thriller television series created and written by Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, and starring Emma Stone, Fielder, and Safdie. It was filmed from June to October 2022 and premiered on streaming and on-demand for all Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on November 10, 2023, before making its on-air debut on Showtime on November 12. Its first three episodes premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 12, 2023. The first season concluded on January 12, 2024, receiving critical acclaim.
Wayne Diamond is an American fashion designer, best known for his performance as an exaggerated version of himself in the 2019 Safdie brothers film Uncut Gems.
Michael Constantine Stathis, known by his screen name Buddy Duress, was an American actor best known for his roles in the Safdie brothers films Heaven Knows What (2014) and Good Time (2017).
Benjamin Safdie is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and film editor best known for working with his older brother Josh as a filmmaker. His directorial works include Heaven Knows What (2014), Good Time (2017), and Uncut Gems (2019). Transitioning towards acting, Safdie was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his role in Good Time and has since taken on roles in films such as Licorice Pizza (2021), Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. and Oppenheimer. He co-created, co-wrote and starred in the television show The Curse (2023).
Telemarketers is an American true crime documentary series directed and produced by Adam Bhala Lough and Sam Lipman-Stern. It follows two office workers who stumble upon the truth of their work at a telemarketing center and are determined to expose the industry. The three-part series aired on HBO from August 13 to 27, 2023.
Happy Gilmore 2 is an upcoming American sports comedy drama film directed by Kyle Newacheck, and written by Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler. It is a sequel to Happy Gilmore (1996). Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Dennis Dugan, Allen Covert, and Ben Stiller reprise their roles from the original film.
Benny Safdie: "Then the second one – and let's say, this was in no particular order – but A Man Escaped, the [Robert] Bresson movie. That has to be my favorite movie of all time, just because it always makes me cry at the end, because I feel like I've achieved something that the character achieves. And it tells you what happens in the title, and it makes it no less suspenseful the entire way. You're literally feeling the sound of the gravel as he puts his foot down – those shots of the foot or the spoon going into the slot. All of these things, the editing of it, the character, the way he's using these actors who you don't really know, they just – you feel like they're real people. It's just so perfectly put together, and it's something where I kind of feel like I'm going along with the escape in a way that's just done by a master. In a weird way, I feel like Bresson is the Fontaine character in that movie. But what's weird is I've watched it again recently, and I had a totally different feeling of it, where it was more about society and how people are talking to each other. And then you realize Bresson is just kind of making the same movie every time, just with different [settings and characters]. One's World War II, one's Lancelot."