Joshua Z Weinstein is an American independent filmmaker based in New York City. He directed the
A24
A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American Privately held company, independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The studio is based in Manhattan.
The company ...
film ''
Menashe'' (2017), and the feature documentaries ''
Drivers Wanted'' (2012) and ''Flying on One Engine'' (2008). His director of photography credits include ''
Bikini Moon
''Bikini Moon'' is a New York indie film directed by Milcho Manchevski and starring Condola Rashad, Sarah Goldberg, Will Janowitz, and newcomer Sathya Sridharan.
Cast
* Condola Rashad as Bikini
* Sarah Goldberg as Kate
* Will Janowitz as Tre ...
'' (2017), ''
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me'' (2013), and ''
Code of the West'' (2012). Weinstein was nominated for Best First Feature at the
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...
and Breakthrough Director at the
Gotham Awards
The Gotham Awards () are American film awards, presented annually to the makers of independent films at a ceremony in New York City, the city first nicknamed "Gotham" by native son Washington Irving, in an issue of ''Salmagundi'', published on ...
. He has been nominated for a
Cannes Lion for his advertising work and won a first place
POY for his work with
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
.
Early life
Weinstein was born in
Manhattan, New York
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
but grew up in
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown () is a Town (New Jersey), town in and the county seat of Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. and attended Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union (now
Golda Och Academy) in
West Orange, New Jersey
West Orange is a suburban Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from t ...
.
He was a founding member of the
post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
band
Trophy Scars. The
DIY culture of punk rock has been influential in his filmmaking.
Career
As a director
After he graduated from
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...
in 2005, Weinstein went to India to document the life of
Sharad Kumar Dixit
Sharad Kumar Dixit was an Indian born American plastic surgeon and the founder of The India Project, a social initiative for free treatment of plastic surgery for the financially compromised people. A multiple nominee for Nobel Peace Prize, he was ...
in the film ''Flying On One Engine''. The Director of Film at SXSW, Janet Pierson, commented that, "Flying On One Engine is teeming with life, capturing raw, intimate moments soaked through with humor and surprise... It’s clear that director Joshua Weinstein, a recent BU grad, has a great way with people as well as a great feel for the telling moment. Laughter and real warmth are everywhere." The film premiered at
SXSW
South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
and
IDFA in 2008.
Weinstein directed the documentary, ''
Drivers Wanted'', in 2012. He was inspired to make the film because both his mother and grandfather had worked as
taxi drivers
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...
in New York. It was a collaboration with acclaimed documentary editor, Jean Tsien. In
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
review, it was written that, "There’s an authenticity to "Drivers Wanted" that seems so true and tough that it overwhelms any standard immigrants-up-from-their-bootstraps theme." The film premiered at
AFI Docs
The AFI Docs (formerly Silverdocs) documentary film festival was an American international film festival. Created by the American Film Institute and the Discovery Channel, it was held annually in Silver Spring, Maryland and Washington, D.C., fro ...
in 2012.
''
Menashe'' was Weinstein’s first fiction film. The film was shot over the course of two years in
Borough Park, Brooklyn
Borough Park (also spelled Boro Park) is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Bensonhurst to the south, Dyker Heigh ...
, which is home to one of the largest Orthodox Jewish populations outside of Israel, a decision that Weinstein has said was motivated by a desire for authenticity. In an interview before the film's
Sundance
A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony.
Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to:
Places
;Canada
* Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood
* Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town
;United States
* Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated pl ...
premiere, he said, "When I thought about making a film in Borough Park, in Yiddish, with real Hasidic Jews, to me, it was just as interesting as any documentary I ever made." Weinstein was nominated for
Best First Feature at the
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...
,
Breakthrough Director at the
Gotham Awards
The Gotham Awards () are American film awards, presented annually to the makers of independent films at a ceremony in New York City, the city first nicknamed "Gotham" by native son Washington Irving, in an issue of ''Salmagundi'', published on ...
, and the
Special Prix du Jury at the
Deauville American Film Festival
The Deauville American Film Festival () is a yearly film festival devoted to Cinema of the United States, American cinema, which has taken place since 1975 in Deauville, France.
It was established by Lionel Chouchan, André Halimi, and then ...
.
As a cinematographer
Weinstein has worked with independent filmmakers as a cinematographer on various films. In 2011, he worked on the documentary, ''Give Up Tomorrow'' which was nominated for an
Emmy
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...
and won an Audience Award and a Jury Award at
Tribeca
Tribeca ( ), originally written as TriBeCa, is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Its name is a syllabic abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street". The "triangle" (more accurately a quadrilateral) is bounded by Canal Str ...
in 2011.
He worked on the documentary ''
Code of the West'' which premiered in
SXSW
South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
in 2012. And in 2013, on ''
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me'' which premiered at
Tribeca
Tribeca ( ), originally written as TriBeCa, is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Its name is a syllabic abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street". The "triangle" (more accurately a quadrilateral) is bounded by Canal Str ...
and was released by
IFC Films
Independent Film Company (formerly IFC Films) is an American film production and distribution company based in New York City, New York. It is an offshoot of IFC (U.S. TV channel), IFC, owned by AMC Networks.
It mainly distributes independent fil ...
.
He also worked on the feature film, ''
Bikini Moon
''Bikini Moon'' is a New York indie film directed by Milcho Manchevski and starring Condola Rashad, Sarah Goldberg, Will Janowitz, and newcomer Sathya Sridharan.
Cast
* Condola Rashad as Bikini
* Sarah Goldberg as Kate
* Will Janowitz as Tre ...
'' in 2017 which was directed by
Oscar-nominated Macedonian filmmaker
Milcho Manchevski
Milcho Manchevski (, )["Milcho Manchevski: Full Biography"](_blank)
''maccinema.com''. Kinoteka ...
.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weinstein, Joshua Z.
Living people
Film directors from New York City
Film directors from New Jersey
American bass guitarists
Post-hardcore musicians
Boston University alumni
Golda Och Academy alumni
Musicians from Manhattan
Musicians from Morristown, New Jersey
21st-century American guitarists
American documentary film directors
Year of birth missing (living people)