Director and filmmaker Joshua Seftel made a remarkable impact in the industry at a young age, receiving his first Emmy nomination at just 22 years old for his documentary "Lost and Found". This powerful film shed light on the plight of orphaned children in Romania, ultimately leading to the adoption of thousands of Romanian orphans by American families.
Seftel's subsequent documentaries have been just as impressive, showcasing his versatility and skill behind the camera. His political campaign film "Taking on the Kennedys" was selected by Time Magazine as one of the "ten best of the year", while his underdog sports film "The Home Team" premiered at SXSW. The behind-the-scenes film "It's the Hard Knock Life" about Annie's Broadway revival was praised by the New York Times as "delightful".
In 2016, Seftel's award-winning documentary "The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano" premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, winning the IDA Documentary Award and becoming the most viewed New York Times Op-Doc of the year.
Seftel is also the creator of the ongoing documentary series "Secret Life of Muslims", a Peabody Award Finalist and Emmy nominee. The timely and personal short films, which aim to combat Islamophobia, have garnered over 70 million views to date. His latest documentary, "Stranger at the Gate", was born from the series and released by The New Yorker. The film has been hailed as "A remarkable story of redemption...an Oscar contender" by Deadline Hollywood.
In addition to his documentary work, Seftel has also made a name for himself in television, directing the Emmy-winning breakthrough series "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and the feature film "War, Inc." starring John Cusack, Marisa Tomei, and Ben Kingsley. He has also created the comedy series "My Mom in Quarantine", which he makes with his 85-year-old mother, Pat. The series became a regular segment on CBS Sunday Morning during the pandemic, with The New York Times describing the duo as "the word 'droll' seems as if it were invented for these two".
