Benny Safdie

With his brother Josh, Benny Safdie made three nerve-shredding New York films: a young heroin addict panhandling for her next fix in Heaven Knows What, a small-time robber who pulls his disabled brother out of therapy to rob a bank in Good Time, and a jeweller placing bet after bet in Uncut Gems. He also acts, and plays the brother in Good Time. His first film on his own, The Smashing Machine, stars Dwayne Johnson as the MMA fighter Mark Kerr.

Signature

• Handheld close-ups and pounding synth scores.
• Hustlers and addicts on New York streets.
• Street casting beside movie stars.
• A fight biopic with Dwayne Johnson (The Smashing Machine).