Filmmaking The Safdies' first feature was the 2009 film
Daddy Longlegs: they also wrote the screenplay and edited the film 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, which Benny starred in alongside
Robert Pattinson, in
New York City. It premiered at the
2017 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the
Palme d'Or. Benny, for his performance, was nominated for the
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male.
Uncut Gems, Josh and Benny's next film, starred
Adam Sandler,
Lakeith Stanfield and
Julia Fox;
Martin Scorsese was executive producer. 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 has co-edited all the Safdie brother films. Safdie and
Nathan Fielder co-created the
Showtime series
The Curse, which premiered in November 2023. The show, in which they also starred, received critical acclaim, and Safdie earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for
Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series. Safdie then, in his first directorial endevour without his brother and his first solo writing credit, directed the MMA themed film
The Smashing Machine, starring
Dwayne Johnson as former wrestler and
MMA fighter
Mark Kerr. The film premiered and the
82nd Venice International Film Festival, where Safdie won the
Silver Lion for Best Direction. The film received a theatrical release in October 2025 by
A24. Safdie is currently attached as writer, director and producer to a film adaptation of
Daniel Pinkwater's
Lizard Music for
Amazon MGM Studios' United Artists, reteaming with Johnson.
Acting In 2017, Safdie began taking on performances not directed by himself or Josh, appearing in a role in the film
Person to Person. In 2020, he appeared in
Pieces of a Woman, and in 2021 he took on a significant supporting role in the
Paul Thomas Anderson film
Licorice Pizza. In 2022, Safdie appeared in
Claire Denis' romantic thriller
Stars at Noon, and as Nari in the
Disney+ miniseries
Obi-Wan Kenobi. In 2023, he starred in the film adaptation ''
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret., and appears as Edward Teller in Oppenheimer'', directed by
Christopher Nolan. In 2025, he appeared in
Happy Gilmore 2, and is set to reunite with Nolan on
The Odyssey in 2026. He played the voice of
Bowser Jr. in
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. ==Personal life==