David Permut(I)
- Producer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Production Department
David Permut is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-nominated, and Grammy-winning producer whose career spans more than four decades across film, television, documentaries and theater. Permut has produced more than 40 acclaimed projects ranging from blockbuster studio hits and award-winning dramas to groundbreaking nonfiction and culturally resonant stories.
Most recently, Permut produced The Invite, directed by Olivia Wilde and starring Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton. The film emerged as one of the biggest breakout acquisitions of the Sundance Film Festival igniting an overnight bidding war before landing at A24 for a theatrical release in June 2026. His highly anticipated film, Being Heumann, for Apple, directed by Academy Award winner Sian Heder and starring Ruth Madeley and Mark Ruffalo, has been announced to premiere at the opening night of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. The film chronicles disability rights activist Judy Heumann’s groundbreaking fight for equality and is already generating awards-season buzz.
Previously, Permut produced the critically acclaimed Twinless (2025), written and directed by James Sweeney and starring Sweeney alongside Dylan O'Brien. The film premiered at Sundance, where it won the festival’s top U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and a Special Jury Award for Acting before earning multiple Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations including Best Feature.
In 2023, Permut executive produced Rustin for Netflix alongside Higher Ground Productions. Directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Colman Domingo, the film earned widespread acclaim, with Domingo receiving Academy Award, BAFTA, SAG, and Golden Globe nominations for his portrayal of civil rights leader Bayard Rustin. That same year, Permut executive produced Lawmen: Bass Reeves, the hit Paramount+ limited series starring David Oyelowo and produced in association with Taylor Sheridan.
Permut earned an Academy Award nomination for producing Hacksaw Ridge (2016) directed by Mel Gibson and starring Andrew Garfield. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, grossed more than $180 million worldwide, received six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, and won Oscars for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing. Earlier in his career, Permut produced the landmark action film Face/Off (1997), directed by John Woo and starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage, widely regarded as one of the defining action films of its era. His producing career began with Give ’em Hell, Harry! (1975), starring James Whitmore, which earned Whitmore an Academy Award nomination and won Permut a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. He followed with Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), widely recognized as the first feature-length stand-up comedy film released theatrically and still regarded as one of the most influential comedy specials ever made.
Over the years, David Permut has assembled a wide-ranging filmography spanning studio comedies, acclaimed independent features, and nonfiction storytelling. His credits include Dragnet, starring Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd; Blind Date, the feature debut of Bruce Willis;Charlie Bartlett, starring Anton Yelchin and Robert Downey Jr.; Youth in Revolt, starring Michael Cera; acclaimed independent films including The Polka King, Match, and Punching Henry; and nonfiction projects including The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story, co-produced with Ben Stiller, five-part documentary-series Visible: Out on Television, and The Fabulous Allan Carr.
Most recently, Permut produced The Invite, directed by Olivia Wilde and starring Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton. The film emerged as one of the biggest breakout acquisitions of the Sundance Film Festival igniting an overnight bidding war before landing at A24 for a theatrical release in June 2026. His highly anticipated film, Being Heumann, for Apple, directed by Academy Award winner Sian Heder and starring Ruth Madeley and Mark Ruffalo, has been announced to premiere at the opening night of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. The film chronicles disability rights activist Judy Heumann’s groundbreaking fight for equality and is already generating awards-season buzz.
Previously, Permut produced the critically acclaimed Twinless (2025), written and directed by James Sweeney and starring Sweeney alongside Dylan O'Brien. The film premiered at Sundance, where it won the festival’s top U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and a Special Jury Award for Acting before earning multiple Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations including Best Feature.
In 2023, Permut executive produced Rustin for Netflix alongside Higher Ground Productions. Directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Colman Domingo, the film earned widespread acclaim, with Domingo receiving Academy Award, BAFTA, SAG, and Golden Globe nominations for his portrayal of civil rights leader Bayard Rustin. That same year, Permut executive produced Lawmen: Bass Reeves, the hit Paramount+ limited series starring David Oyelowo and produced in association with Taylor Sheridan.
Permut earned an Academy Award nomination for producing Hacksaw Ridge (2016) directed by Mel Gibson and starring Andrew Garfield. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival, grossed more than $180 million worldwide, received six Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, and won Oscars for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing. Earlier in his career, Permut produced the landmark action film Face/Off (1997), directed by John Woo and starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage, widely regarded as one of the defining action films of its era. His producing career began with Give ’em Hell, Harry! (1975), starring James Whitmore, which earned Whitmore an Academy Award nomination and won Permut a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. He followed with Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), widely recognized as the first feature-length stand-up comedy film released theatrically and still regarded as one of the most influential comedy specials ever made.
Over the years, David Permut has assembled a wide-ranging filmography spanning studio comedies, acclaimed independent features, and nonfiction storytelling. His credits include Dragnet, starring Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd; Blind Date, the feature debut of Bruce Willis;Charlie Bartlett, starring Anton Yelchin and Robert Downey Jr.; Youth in Revolt, starring Michael Cera; acclaimed independent films including The Polka King, Match, and Punching Henry; and nonfiction projects including The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story, co-produced with Ben Stiller, five-part documentary-series Visible: Out on Television, and The Fabulous Allan Carr.
