Benny Safdie

Directing

Benjamin "Benny" Safdie (born February 24, 1986 in New York City) is an American director, screenwriter and actor, best known for the New York-set thrillers Good Time (2017) and Uncut Gems (2019). Together with his brother and frequent collaborator Josh Safdie, they are of Syrian-Jewish ancestry and grew up between their European father in Queens and their New Yorker mother in Manhattan. The brothers began making movies when they were kids, inspired by their film-enthusiastic father who translated his love of cinema to Benny and his brother by constantly filming them.

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Filmography

Screenwriting

2 titles

78MovieNerd Score

The Smashing Machine

Movie2025

The story of legendary mixed martial arts and UFC fighter Mark Kerr.

Uncut Gems

Movie2019

A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. Howard must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.

Directing

4 titles

78MovieNerd Score

The Smashing Machine

Movie2025

The story of legendary mixed martial arts and UFC fighter Mark Kerr.

Uncut Gems

Good Time

Movie2017

After a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, Connie Nikas embarks on a twisted odyssey through New York City's underworld to get his brother Nick out of jail.

Heaven Knows What

Movie2015

A young heroin addict roams the streets of New York to panhandle and get her next fix, while her unstable boyfriend drifts in and out of her life at random.

Producing

1 title

The Curse

TV2023

An alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show.

Editing

4 titles

78MovieNerd Score

The Smashing Machine

Movie2025

The story of legendary mixed martial arts and UFC fighter Mark Kerr.

Uncut Gems

Good Time

Movie2017

After a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, Connie Nikas embarks on a twisted odyssey through New York City's underworld to get his brother Nick out of jail.

Heaven Knows What

Movie2015

A young heroin addict roams the streets of New York to panhandle and get her next fix, while her unstable boyfriend drifts in and out of her life at random.

Show Creator

1 title

The Curse

TV2023

An alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show.

Miscellaneous Crew

15 titles

80MovieNerd Score

The Odyssey

Movie2026

Odysseus, the legendary Greek king of Ithaca, embarks on a long and perilous journey home following the Trojan War, chronicling his encounters with mythical beings such as the Cyclops Polyphemus, the Sirens, and the witch-goddess Circe.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Movie2026

A new movie based on the world of Super Mario Bros. that further broadens Mario's world with a bright and fun story. Plot TBA.

Happy Gilmore 2

Movie2025

Happy Gilmore isn't done with golf — not by a long shot. Since his retirement after his first Tour Championship win, Gilmore returns to finance his daughter's ballet classes.

Marty Supreme

Movie2025

In 1950s New York, Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.

The Smashing Machine

Movie2025

The story of legendary mixed martial arts and UFC fighter Mark Kerr.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Movie2023

When her family moves from New York City to New Jersey, an 11-year-old girl navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.

Oppenheimer

Movie2023

The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.

The Curse

TV2023

An alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show.

Stars at Noon

Movie2022

In present-day Nicaragua, a headstrong American journalist and a mysterious English businessman strike up a romance as they become embroiled in a dangerous labyrinth of lies and conspiracies and are forced to try and escape the country.

Licorice Pizza

Movie2021

The story of Gary Valentine and Alana Kane growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.

Pieces of a Woman

Movie2020

When a young mother's home birth ends in unfathomable tragedy, she begins a year-long odyssey of mourning that fractures relationships with loved ones in this deeply personal story of a woman learning to live alongside her loss.

Uncut Gems

Good Time

Movie2017

After a botched bank robbery lands his younger brother in prison, Connie Nikas embarks on a twisted odyssey through New York City's underworld to get his brother Nick out of jail.

Heaven Knows What

Movie2015

A young heroin addict roams the streets of New York to panhandle and get her next fix, while her unstable boyfriend drifts in and out of her life at random.

The Groomsmen

Movie2006

Blue-collar Paulie prepares for fatherhood and his forthcoming wedding to Sue by hanging out with his groomsmen. Brother Jimbo, cousin Mike, and his pals fill the reunion with drinking, boys-will-be-boys antics and a few unexpected personal confessions. But, when the bonding devolves into accusations and regret, Paulie has to decide whether he's ready to tie the knot and take this big step into adulthood.