Benjamin Safdie (born February 24, 1986, in New York City) is an American filmmaker, actor, and editor. Together with his brother Josh, he built a reputation as one of the sharpest voices in American independent cinema with Good Time (2017) and Uncut Gems (2019). In 2024 the brothers chose to pursue separate careers; Benny then made his solo directorial debut with The Smashing Machine (2025), winning the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. As an actor he appeared in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer (2023) and is set to play Agamemnon in Nolan's The Odyssey (2026).
The film Lizard Music, Safdie's second collaboration with Dwayne Johnson, has secured a distributor - Amazon MGM Studios' United Artists.
Safdie's solo directorial debut The Smashing Machine had its world premiere at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, where Safdie won the Silver Lion for Best Director.
Following the Venice premiere, Safdie and Johnson immediately announced plans for their next collaborative film Lizard Music, an adaptation of Daniel Pinkwater's novel.
Safdie confirmed his participation in Nolan's epic film The Odyssey (2026), in which he will play the Greek king Agamemnon.
Safdie publicly confirmed that the Safdie brothers will henceforth work on separate projects.
