Safdie brothers is an American directing duo that have gained rave reviews with their last two films.
So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about their lives and careers thus far!
- Joshua Safdie was born on April 3, 1984
- Benjamin Safdie was born on February 24, 1986
- They are American independent filmmakers based in New York City
- They frequently collaborate
- The Safdie brothers were raised in New York
- They are the children of Amy and Alberto Safdie
- They spent their childhood living between their father in Queens and their mother and stepfather in Manhattan
- They began making films at a young age
- Inspired by their film-enthusiast father, Alberto
- They graduated from Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School in Manhattan
- At Boston University, they co-founded the creative collective Red Bucket Films with Alex Kalman, Sam Lisenco, Brett Jutkiewicz, and Zachary Treitz
- Josh and Benny Safdie graduated from Boston University College of Communication in 2007 and 2008, respectively
- The turmoil of their youth, as children of divorced parents, became an inspiration for later work
- They are distantly related to famed architect Moshe Safdie
- The Safdie brothers are Jewish
- Their father, who is of Sephardic Jewish (Syrian Jewish) ancestry, was raised in France and Italy
- In 2007, Josh Safdie was hired by Andy Spade and Anthony Sperduti to create a short film featuring Kate Spade Handbags
- He devised a concise story about the adventures of a kleptomaniac woman
- Eleonore Hendricks, who co-wrote the screenplay, portrayed the lead role
- The project eventually turned into a feature film
- The film, titled The Pleasure of Being Robbed, had its world premiere at the 2008 South by Southwest
- 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
- Their second feature film, Daddy Longlegs, had its world premiere under the title Go Get Some Rosemary in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival
- Starring Ronald Bronstein
- It was inspired by the filmmakers’ younger years living with their father, Albert
- Bronstein won the Breakthrough Actor Award at the Gotham Independent Film Awards 2010
- The film won the John Cassavetes Award at the 26th Independent Spirit Awards
- 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
- The film premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival
- In 2014, the Safdie Brothers produced Heaven Knows What under their Elara Pictures banner
- The film centers around the real-life stories written in a book titled Mad Love in New York City by lead actress Arielle Holmes
- The film had its world premiere at the 71st Venice International Film Festival
- It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and the Tokyo International Film Festival
- The Safdies directed the 2017 crime film Good Time
- Starring Robert Pattinson and Ben Safdie as siblings
- The film was selected to compete for Palme d’Or in the main competition section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival
- The Safdies directed Uncut Gems
- Starring Adam Sandler
- And Martin Scorsese serving as an executive producer
- The film was inspired by their father’s time working in the Manhattan Diamond District
- The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Telluride Film Festival
- In December 2017, The Hollywood Reporter announced that The Safdies will helm 48 Hrs.
- It will be a remake of the movie of the same name
- With the script being written by Josh Safdie, Ronald Bronstein, and Jerrod Carmichael
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