Born in
New York City, Sternfeld studied English literature at
Washington University in St. Louis. He graduated from
New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 1999. As a director, Sternfeld won critical acclaim when his first short film, Balloons, Streamers (1997), premiered at the 1997
New York Film Festival and then screened at the 1998
Sundance Film Festival. In 1999, Sternfeld began work as an assistant editor at Steeplechase Films, where he worked on
Ric Burns' 2000
Emmy Award-nominated series,
New York: A Documentary Film (2000). In 2005 he wrote and directed his first feature film,
Winter Solstice. The story follows the efforts of a man who struggles to relate to his sons in the years following the accidental death of his wife. The film was distributed by
Paramount Classics. In 2009 Sternfeld wrote and directed the police drama
Meskada (2010). He wrote and directed the unreleased thriller,
Amy Makes Three which stars
Torrey DeVitto and
Mike Doyle (actor). In June 2021, Sternfeld directed the film ''
Fortress: Sniper's Eye'' (2022) . ==Selected filmography==