Ronald Bronstein is an American

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

. He directed, wrote and edited the independent film Frownland (2007). He is a frequent collaborator of the Safdie brothers, best known for being a co-writer and co-editor on the films Good TIme (2017) and Uncut Gems (2019).

Early Life

Bronstein grew up in the North Shore of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

.He described his family growing up as "functional and supportive." He attended

NYU Film school The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch i ...

but dropped out.

Career

Debut and Early Career

While working on his first feature, Bronstein worked as a

projectionist A projectionist is a person who operates a movie projector, particularly as an employee of a movie theater. Projectionists are also known as "operators". Historical background N.B. The dates given in the subject headings are approximate. Early ...

at various art houses around

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He made his debut in 2007 with the film Frownland.He directed, wrote and edited the film. It received critical acclaim and won the Special Jury Award at the 2007 SXSW Film Festival. The film has been described by critics as one of the most bold, original and important independent films of the century.In 2022, it was released as part of

The Criterion collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home video, home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films". A "sister company" of art film, arth ...

. He worked on the film

Yeast Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom (biology), kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are est ...

in 2008 as an assistant and editor. His wife, Mary Bronstein directed and stars in the film. The film also stars

Greta Gerwig Greta Celeste Gerwig ( ; born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. Initially known for working on various mumblecore films, she has since expanded from acting in and co-writing independent films to directing ...

. Josh Safdie and

Benny Safdie Benjamin Safdie (born February 24, 1986) is an American filmmaker, film editor, and actor. He and his elder brother, Josh, have directed the films '' Heaven Knows What'' (2014), '' Good Time'' (2017), and '' Uncut Gems'' (2019). Transitioning ...

appear in the film.

Collaboration with the Safdie Brothers

Bronstein first met the Safdie Brothers at the 2007 SXSW Film Festival. Josh was struck by a speech Bronstein had made at the awards ceremony about anti-careerism and was introduced to him afterwards. They shared a mutual interest for documentary-like fictions and in film making as a behavioral experiment. In 2009, he began his creative partnership with the

Safdie Brothers Josh Safdie, Joshua Henry Safdie (born April 3, 1984) and Benny Safdie, Benjamin Safdie (born February 24, 1986) are independent American filmmakers and actors based in New York City, who frequently collaborate on their films. They are best know ...

with the film Daddy Longlegs. He co-wrote, edited and also appeared in the film as an actor. He won a Gothan Award for Breakthrough actor. In 2014, he co-wrote and co-edited Heaven Knows What. In 2017, he co-wrote and co-edited the film Good Time starring

Robert Pattinson Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. #Filmography, His filmography often sees him portraying eccentric characters across a diverse range of genres. Known for starring in both major studio productions and in ...

. In 2019, he co-wrote and co-edited Uncut Gems starring

Adam Sandler Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, List of awards and nominations received by Adam Sandler, his accolades include an Independent Sp ...

. The development and writing process was over 10 years, involving 160 drafts. He won an

Independent Spirit Award 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 ...

for best editing, sharing the award with

. After the Safdie Brothers ended their directing partnership in 2024, he continued to collaborate with the Safdies' on individual projects. He is a co-writer, editor and producer for Josh Safdie's

Marty Supreme ''Marty Supreme'' is an upcoming American sports adventure comedy-drama film directed by Josh Safdie, who co-wrote it with Ronald Bronstein. The film stars and is co-produced by Timothée Chalamet. It is scheduled to be released in the United ...

starring Timothee Chalamet. It is set to be released on December 25, 2025 by A24. Bronstein formed Central Pictures, a production company alongside Josh Safdie and

Eli Roth Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. As a director and producer, he is most closely associated with the horror genre, namely splatter films, having directed the films ''Cabin Fev ...

in 2024. He is also a partner in

Elara Pictures Elara Pictures is an American independent film production and television production company founded by Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, Ronald Bronstein and Sebastian Bear-McClard. They have produced such films as '' Heaven Knows What'' (2014), '' G ...

with the Safdie Brothers.

Personal

He is married to actress Mary Bronstein.

Filmography

;Feature films

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* Film directors from New York City 21st-century American male actors Living people Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-film-actor-stub