Washington Square Films has signed director/DP Joshua Z Weinstein for his first U.S. commercial representation. He directed the feature film Menashe which was released theatrically by A24, received a 97% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for a Gotham Award for Breakthrough Director and an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.
Weinstein’s work delivers gritty realism infused with a sense of humor and pathos. He has a unique eye for portraying multidimensional characters and narratives that can be seen in docu-style and narrative branded pieces for such clients as Lyft, Tylenol, Facebook and Bai.
“Washington Square Films is a staple of New York City and some of my favorite filmmakers have come through their doors,” noted Weinstein. “It’s an honor to work with a team that cares so much about cinema and storytellers.”
A filmmaker inspired by the exploration of culture and people from all walks of life, Weinstein has worked closely with celebrities like Ben Stiller to help tuberculosis victims in the slums of Delhi. Weinstein’s film projects have been shown at Sundance, Berlin and Camerimage. Pictures of the Year (POY) awarded Weinstein’s work with The New York Times first place for “Multimedia Project of the Year.” He is a graduate of Boston University’s College of Communication Film department, an alumnus of the CPB/PBS Producers Academy at WGBH, an IFP Filmmaker Labs fellow, and a two-time recipient of the NEA-funded Southern Circuits Arts Tour.
Washington Square Films managing director/director of sales and marketing Jonathan Schwartz said, “We all loved Menashe. When we saw the short form work and found out he was a Mets fan we knew he had to be at Washington Square.”
