Josh and Benny Safdie
Josh (left) and Benny being interviewed at the2010 Sundance Film Festival
Born	Joshua Henry Safdie (1984-04-03)April 3, 1984 (age 41) Benjamin Safdie (1986-02-24)February 24, 1986 (age 39) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	Boston University
Occupations	Filmmakers directors editors actors
Years active	2007–present
Spouse	Benny: Ava Safdie ​ ​ (m. 2013)​
Children	Benny: 2,Josh: 1[1]
Relatives	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] andBenjamin Safdie^[2] (born February 24, 1986)^[4] are American filmmakers and actors based inNew York City, who frequently collaborate on their films. They are best known for writing and directing the crime thriller filmsGood Time (2017), starringRobert Pattinson, andUncut Gems (2019), starringAdam 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 withRonald Bronstein, who has co-written and edited all of their narrative features beginning with the 2009 filmDaddy Longlegs. Other recurring collaborators include composerOneohtrix Point Never, cinematographerSean 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 inQueens and their mother and stepfather inManhattan.^[5] The Safdie brothers areJewish. Their father, who is aSephardic Jew ofSyrian-Jewish descent, was raised inFrance and inItaly.^{[5][6][7][8][9]} Their mother is anAshkenazi Jew ofRussian-Jewish descent.^[10]

They began making films at a young age, inspired by their film-enthusiast father, Alberto.^[5] They graduated fromColumbia Grammar & Preparatory School in Manhattan.^[5] AtBoston 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 fromBoston 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 architectMoshe Safdie is their great uncle; his son, playwrightOren Safdie, is their first cousin once removed.^[14][15]

The brothers grew up as fans of basketball and theNew York Knicks. The duo try to watch every game together.^[16] Basketball is prominently featured inLenny Cooke andUncut Gems.

In 2007, Josh Safdie was hired by Andy Spade and Anthony Sperduti to create a short film featuringKate 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, titledThe Pleasure of Being Robbed, had its world premiere at the 2008South by Southwest.^[18] It also screened in theDirectors' Fortnight section at the2008 Cannes Film Festival, along with a short filmThe Acquaintances of a Lonely John directed by Benny Safdie.^[17]

Their second feature film,Daddy Longlegs, had its world premiere under the titleGo Get Some Rosemary^[19] in theDirectors' Fortnight section at the2009 Cannes Film Festival.^[20] StarringRonald Bronstein, it was inspired by the filmmakers' younger years living with their father, Alberto.^[13] Bronstein won theBreakthrough Actor Award at theGotham Independent Film Awards 2010.^[21] The film won theJohn Cassavetes Award at the26th Independent Spirit Awards.^[22]

Their first full-length documentary film,Lenny Cooke, follows the life ofLenny Cooke, a once phenom high school basketball player, from adolescence to manhood.^[23] The film premiered at the 2013Tribeca Film Festival.^[24]

In 2014, the Safdie Brothers directedHeaven Knows What under their Elara Pictures banner.^[25] The film centers around the real-life stories written in a book titledMad Love in New York City by lead actressArielle Holmes.^[26] The film had its world premiere at the71st Venice International Film Festival.^[27] It also screened at theToronto International Film Festival, theNew York Film Festival, and theTokyo International Film Festival.^[27]

The Safdies directed the 2017 crime filmGood Time, starringRobert Pattinson and Benny Safdie as siblings.^[28] The film was selected to compete for thePalme d'Or in the main competition section at the2017 Cannes Film Festival.^[29]

The Safdies directedUncut Gems, starringAdam Sandler, withMartin Scorsese serving as an executive producer.^[30] The film was inspired by their father's time working in theManhattan Diamond District.^[13][8] It had its world premiere at the 2019Telluride Film Festival.^[31] Theatrically released in the United States in 2019, it received critical acclaim and became one ofA24's highest-grossing releases.^[32]

In December 2017,The Hollywood Reporter announced that the Safdies would helm a remake of48 Hrs. with the script being written by Josh Safdie,Ronald Bronstein, andJerrod Carmichael.^[33] In December 2019, the Safdies elaborated in an interview withThe 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 forThe Curse, a show about the making of anHGTV-style reality series, starringEmma 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] Later in July 2023, it was reported that Benny would not co-direct the film, marking the first time sinceThe Pleasure of Being Robbed either of the brothers have directed solo.^[38] In January 2024, Benny confirmed that the brothers would no longer be directing projects together, as they expanded to solo careers. Benny also stated he "didn't know" if he would direct a film with his brother again.^[39]

The Safdies co-founded the production company Elara Pictures in 2014.^[40] The company produced the Safdies' feature filmsHeaven Knows What,Good Time, andUncut Gems,^[41]Owen Kline's feature film directorial debutFunny Pages,^[42] and the Showtime television seriesThe Curse.^[43]

Film

Television

Their artistic influences included the cinematic works ofJohn Cassavetes,Martin Scorsese andQuentin Tarantino as well asunderground comix artistRobert Crumb and authorIrvine Welsh.^[50][51][52]

Benny namedRobert Bresson'sA Man Escaped as his favorite film of all time, and Josh namedVittorio De Sica'sBicycle Thieves as his favorite.^[53]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSafdie brothers.

• Josh Safdie atIMDb
• Benny Safdie atIMDb
• Red Bucket FilmsArchived November 21, 2019, at theWayback Machine

• 1984 births
• 1986 births
• Living people
• American people of Russian-Jewish descent
• American people of Syrian-Jewish descent
• American people of Syrian descent
• Syrian Jews
• Boston University College of Communication alumni
• Brother duos
• Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School alumni
• Film directors from New York City
• Filmmaking duos
• Jewish American film people
• Best Director Independent Spirit Award winners
• Mass media people from Manhattan
• Television producers from Queens, New York
• American Ashkenazi Jews
• American Mizrahi Jews
• Sibling filmmakers
• Safdie family
• 20th-century American Sephardic Jews
• 21st-century American Sephardic Jews

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from September 2019
• Articles with hCards
• Commons category link is on Wikidata
• Webarchive template wayback links