Josh Safdie

Early life and education

Joshua Henry Safdie was born April 3, 1984 in New York City to Amy and Alberto Safdie. Safdie is Jewish. His father was born in Italy, raised in France, and is of Syrian-Jewish descent. His mother is of Russian-Jewish descent. His great uncle is architect Moshe Safdie. His cousin once removed is playwright Oren Safdie. He and brother Benny Safdie divided their childhood living between their father in Queens and their mother and stepfather in Manhattan after their parents' divorce.

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

Career

Filmmaker

Main article: Safdie brothers

The Safdies' first feature was the 2009 film Daddy Longlegs, which they also wrote the screenplay for and edited together. The film was showcased in the Directors' Fortnight at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. In 2013, they debuted the documentary film Lenny Cooke at the Tribeca Film Festival, a documentary they became attached to after Cooke approached them to review the footage. In 2014, the pair premiered their next film Heaven Knows What at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. 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.

Uncut Gems, Josh and Benny's next film, starred Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield and Julia Fox and was executive produced by Martin Scorsese. 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 all the Safdie brother films.

Solo career

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

Josh's first feature as a solo director is Marty Supreme, loosely based on Marty Reisman, a hustler-turned-champion table tennis player. It stars Timothée Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow, and was released by A24 on December 25, 2025. 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. The film's $70 million budget makes it A24's most expensive film.

Personal life

Safdie is married to producer Sara Rossein. They have two children.

Filmography

Feature films

Television

As actor

Awards and nominations

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

References

References

1. Ross, Alex Robert. (July 23, 2019). "The Weeknd will appear alongside Adam Sandler in crime thriller Uncut Gems". [[The Fader]].
2. "Josh Safdie". [[AlloCiné]].
3. 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".
4. Sanneh, Kelefa. (December 16, 2019). "The Safdie Brothers' Full-Immersion Filmmaking".
5. Robinson, George. (August 17, 2010). "Being The Safdie Brothers". [[The Jewish Week]].
6. Barshad, Amos. (August 21, 2017). "The Safdie Brothers Are Classic New York Hustlers". [[The Fader]].
7. Pfefferman, Naomi. (June 17, 2015). "Life as lived by a homeless junkie". [[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]].
8. Vance, Kelly. (December 25, 2019). "Hoops Hoopla + Precious Stones = Mayhem". [[East Bay Express]].
9. (June 29, 2020). "A Brief History of the Safdie Brothers".
10. (January 28, 2010). "''Daddy Longlegs'' Josh and Benny Safdie".
11. "Quinzaine 2009". quinzaine-realisateurs.com.
12. Kemmerle, Karen. (April 15, 2013). "'Lenny Cooke' Directors Josh and Benny Safdie Explore What Happened to the American Dream". [[Tribeca Film Festival]].
13. Harris, Brandon. (December 6, 2013). "Hoop Dreams: Josh and Benny Safdie on Lenny Cooke". [[Filmmaker (magazine).
14. Foundas, Scott. (August 28, 2014). "'Heaven Knows What' Review: The Safdies Take a Step Forward". [[Variety (magazine).
15. (April 13, 2017). "The 2017 Official Selection". Cannes.
16. Hipes, Patrick. (September 28, 2018). "Safdie Brothers' 'Uncut Gems' Scores Financing From RT Features & Scorsese's Sikelia – Cannes".
17. (February 8, 2020). "Independent Spirit Awards Redresses Female Balance With Wins For Lulu Wang, Olivia Wilde & Julia Reichert – Complete Winners List". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
18. Grobar, Matt. (August 28, 2024). "Gwyneth Paltrow To Star Opposite Timothée Chalamet In A24's 'Marty Supreme'".
19. Shanfeld, Ethan. (July 15, 2024). "Timothée Chalamet to Star in Josh Safdie, A24 Movie About Ping Pong Pro (EXCLUSIVE)".
20. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (December 20, 2024). "Timothée Chalamet Movie 'Marty Supreme' Set For Christmas Day 2025".
21. "Marty Supreme (2025) - Full cast & crew - IMDb".
22. 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".
23. Canfield, David. (October 7, 2025). "Timothée Chalamet Spent Years Secretly Training for 'Marty Supreme': "This Is Who I Was Before I Had a Career" (Exclusive)".
24. Rothkopf, Joshua. (December 8, 2025). "His electronica, a blend of past and future, gives 'Marty Supreme' its swagger".
25. Travis, Ben. (December 15, 2025). "Marty Supreme Director Josh Safdie Cast Timothée Chalamet Because Of His 'Supreme Vision For Himself'". [[Empire (magazine).