Benny Safdie's Story: Struggled To Find A Priest For His Wedding, Broke Alliance With His Brother

Benny Safdie is steadily becoming a significant force in Hollywood. The Jewish actor-director has already made his mark on international cinema and is now receiving love worldwide for his American shows and films. He began his filmmaking and acting journey with his elder brother, Josh Safdie and their duo was known as "The Safdie Brothers". After making a series of short films, the duo's debut feature, The Pleasure of Being Robbed, premiered in 2008. While Josh directed, Benny edited the film.

Benny Safdie vs Josh Safdie at the 2026 Oscars: From ending 'The Safdie Brothers' to directing gems, The Smashing Game and Marty Supreme

The ace directing duo went on to deliver a series of memorable films, including Daddy Longlegs, Lenny Cooke, Heaven Knows What, Good Time, and Uncut Gems. Unfortunately, the Safdie Brothers parted ways professionally in January 2024 due to creative differences and a "natural progression" in their individual careers. However, according to multiple reports, Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie ended their professional partnership after they received selective criticism for their show, The Curse, which addressed sensitive topics such as gentrification and performative wokeness.

Since the end of their partnership, Benny Safdie has been absolutely unstoppable, as he directed The Smashing Machine and worked as an actor in Happy Gilmore 2. Not only this, he is playing "Bowser Jr." in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and is also starring in Christopher Nolan's much-awaited 2026 film, The Odyssey. What's interesting is that Benny's film, The Smashing Machine, featuring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, is probably going to get a nomination in the 98th Academy Awards.

The stakes are high, and if The Smashing Machine managed to get an Oscar nomination, Benny's film will be up against his brother, Josh Safdie, whose film, Marty Supreme, is also among the movies tipped to get a nomination at the 2026 Academy Awards. Well, Benny has been bestowed with the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival for his film, The Smashing Machine, which also received a 15-minute standing ovation. Just when we thought he had broken enough headlines in 2025, the trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026), featuring Benny and Brie Larson, went viral on social media. People went bonkers to see Benny joining Chris Pratt in the star-studded sequel.

Who is Benny Safdie's wife, Ava Safdie? A look into Uncut Gems director's interfaith marriage

According to multiple reports, Benny Safdie and Ava Rawski got married in 2013. The couple has two sons, Cosmo and Mury, and we rarely see them in the public spotlight, as their parents prefer a low-key personal life. Both Benny and Ava are rarely spotted together at public events as they prefer to maintain a reasonable distance from the media spotlight. While Benny is active on Instagram, his wife, Ava, is reportedly not a big fan of social media.

Coming back to their marriage, while Benny Safdie is Jewish, Ava Rawski belongs to another faith. In an interview with Hadassah Magazine, Benny spoke about his interfaith marriage with Ava and admitted that there is greater societal acceptance today than in the 1970s. He said that Ava's family was extremely welcoming, but it was a weird thing for him because, in his experience in the Jewish community, interfaith marriages are extremely rare. Benny also revealed that it was so difficult for him to find a rabbi (priest) who oversaw interfaith marriages. He also talked about the glass-breaking ceremony with Ava and said:

"I'm like, 'I don't know why I want to have a Jewish wedding. I just like stomping on the glass! I like what that means!' Just the idea that a religion has a break the glass so that in this moment of happiness, you will remember that there's a possibility of sadness—that's an incredible thing."

When Benny Safdie announced his engagement to a non-Jewish woman, Ava Rawski, he received some criticism on social media. Although it was small, some people didn't like his decision to pursue an interfaith marriage. Fast forward to 2025, Benny and Ava have been living a beautiful life with their children, and we hope to see them at next year's Oscars. Fingers crossed!

What are your thoughts on Benny Safdie and Ava Safdie's interfaith marriage? Let us know.

Also Read: Jack Schlossberg's Story: History With Taylor Swift, Dated A Yoga Coach, Linked With Selena Gomez

AWESOME NEWS! Now you can download BollywoodShaadis app and never miss a story. Get App

AWESOME NEWS! Now you can download BollywoodShaadis app and never miss a story. Choose your device Android or IOS (Apple)