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Joshua Seftel

  • Producer
  • Director
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Director and filmmaker, Joshua Seftel received his first Emmy nomination at age 22 with his documentary 'Lost and Found' about Romania's orphaned children. The film led to the American adoption of thousands of Romanian orphans. He followed this with several documentaries including the political campaign film 'Taking on the Kennedys' selected by Time Magazine as one of the "ten best of the year"; the underdog sports film 'The Home Team' which premiered at SXSW, and the behind-the-scenes film about Annie's Broadway revival 'It's the Hard Knock Life' which the New York Times called "delightful." His 2016 award-winning documentary, 'The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano' produced with Geralyn Dreyfous and Steve Tisch, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, won the IDA Documentary Award, and became the most viewed New York Times Op-Doc of the year.

Seftel continues to helm the ongoing documentary series he created, 'Secret Life of Muslims' a Peabody Award Finalist and Emmy nominee. The timely personal short films which combat Islamophobia have more than 70 million views to date. His newest documentary, 'Stranger at the Gate' was born from the series and released by The New Yorker. The film has been called "A remarkable story of redemption...an Oscar contender" by Deadline Hollywood.

Seftel is known for directing the Emmy-winning breakthrough series 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,' the feature film 'War, Inc.' starring John Cusack, Marisa Tomei and Ben Kingsley, and the comedy series, 'My Mom in Quarantine' he makes with his 85-year-old mother, Pat, which became a regular segment throughout the pandemic on CBS Sunday Morning. The New York Times wrote, "the word 'droll' seems as if it were invented for these two."
BornJuly 17, 1968
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
BornJuly 17, 1968
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
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  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 25 wins & 11 nominations total

    Photos2

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    Known for

    The Secret Life of Muslims (2016)
    The Secret Life of Muslims
    6.4
    TV Series
    • Producer
    Lost and Found (1992)
    Lost and Found
    Short
    • Producer
    • 1992
    The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano (2015)
    The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano
    7.1
    Short
    • Producer
    • 2015
    Breaking the Mold: The Kee Malesky Story (2003)
    Breaking the Mold: The Kee Malesky Story
    8.1
    • Director
    • 2003

    Credits

    IMDbPro

    Producer



    • A Century of Flight (2025)
      A Century of Flight
      Video
      • producer
      • 2025
    • All the Empty Rooms (2025)
      All the Empty Rooms
      7.5
      Short
      • producer
      • 2025
    • Stranger at the Gate (2022)
      Stranger at the Gate
      6.6
      Short
      • producer
      • 2022
    • How to Fix a Primary (2020)
      How to Fix a Primary
      5.9
      • producer
      • 2020
    • Self-Evident (2020)
      Self-Evident
      TV Mini Series
      • executive producer
      • 2020–2021
    • Go Together
      Short
      • producer
      • 2019
    • The Secret History of Muslims (2018)
      The Secret History of Muslims
      Short
      • executive producer
      • 2018
    • The Secret Life of Muslims (2016)
      The Secret Life of Muslims
      6.4
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • 2016
    • The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers (2009)
      The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers
      7.6
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • producer
      • 2009–2016
    • Zain's Summer: From Refugee to American Boy (2016)
      Zain's Summer: From Refugee to American Boy
      Short
      • producer
      • 2016
    • NPR One - Good Morning (2015)
      NPR One - Good Morning
      Video
      • executive producer
      • 2015
    • The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano (2015)
      The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano
      7.1
      Short
      • producer
      • 2015
    • Tom Scholz: Sound Machine
      Short
      • executive producer
      • 2014
    • The Home Team (2014)
      The Home Team
      Short
      • executive producer
      • 2014
    • ANNIE: It's the Hard-Knock Life, from Script to Stage (2013)
      ANNIE: It's the Hard-Knock Life, from Script to Stage
      7.8
      TV Movie
      • producer
      • 2013

    Director



    • Alive and Kicking
      • director
      • Filming



    • A Century of Flight (2025)
      A Century of Flight
      Video
      • Director
      • 2025
    • All the Empty Rooms (2025)
      All the Empty Rooms
      7.5
      Short
      • Director
      • 2025
    • Stranger at the Gate (2022)
      Stranger at the Gate
      6.6
      Short
      • Director
      • 2022
    • NYCNext: New York State of Mind (2021)
      NYCNext: New York State of Mind
      8.0
      Music Video
      • Director
      • 2021
    • Go Together
      Short
      • Director
      • 2019
    • The Secret History of Muslims (2018)
      The Secret History of Muslims
      Short
      • Director
      • 2018
    • The Secret Life of Muslims (2016)
      The Secret Life of Muslims
      6.4
      TV Series
      • directed by
      • Director
      • 2016–2017
    • Zain's Summer: From Refugee to American Boy (2016)
      Zain's Summer: From Refugee to American Boy
      Short
      • Director
      • 2016
    • NPR One - Good Morning (2015)
      NPR One - Good Morning
      Video
      • Director
      • 2015
    • The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano (2015)
      The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano
      7.1
      Short
      • Director
      • 2015
    • Tom Scholz: Sound Machine
      Short
      • Director
      • 2014
    • The Home Team (2014)
      The Home Team
      Short
      • Director
      • 2014
    • ANNIE: It's the Hard-Knock Life, from Script to Stage (2013)
      ANNIE: It's the Hard-Knock Life, from Script to Stage
      7.8
      TV Movie
      • Director
      • 2013
    • Future Files
      TV Movie
      • Director
      • 2012
    • Rodney Brooks, Robert Krulwich, Jacob Ward, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Sherry Turkle, Carla Wohl, Ziya Tong, Kristi Curry Rogers, David Pogue, Raymond Rogers, Mary Schweitzer, Peter Standring, Manel Esteller, Derek Briggs, Brian Hare, David Spergel, Jim Gillogly, Chad Cohen, James Sanborn, Jennifer Wittmeyer, Ed Scheidt, Elonka Dunin, Said Musa, Arlie Petters, Bernice Waight, Jean-Pierre Issa, and Randy Jirtle in Nova ScienceNow (2005)
      Nova ScienceNow
      8.5
      TV Series
      • Director
      • segment director
      • directed by (segment "Profile: Jason Leigh")
      • 2008–2012

    Writer



    • The Secret Life of Muslims (2016)
      The Secret Life of Muslims
      6.4
      TV Series
      • created by
      • series created by
      • 2016–2017
    • Tom Scholz: Sound Machine
      Short
      • story
      • 2014
    • Rodney Brooks, Robert Krulwich, Jacob Ward, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Sherry Turkle, Carla Wohl, Ziya Tong, Kristi Curry Rogers, David Pogue, Raymond Rogers, Mary Schweitzer, Peter Standring, Manel Esteller, Derek Briggs, Brian Hare, David Spergel, Jim Gillogly, Chad Cohen, James Sanborn, Jennifer Wittmeyer, Ed Scheidt, Elonka Dunin, Said Musa, Arlie Petters, Bernice Waight, Jean-Pierre Issa, and Randy Jirtle in Nova ScienceNow (2005)
      Nova ScienceNow
      8.5
      TV Series
      • written by
      • Writer
      • segment writer (segment "Profile: Jason Leigh", segment "Profile: Andre Fenton") ...
      • 2011–2012
    • Jacob Ward, Diana Reiss, Irene Pepperberg, Roger Hanlon, Brian Hare, Jean Berko Gleason, Dallas K. Schittler Jr., John W. Pilly, Arlene Lewin, Anna Schwartz, Mark Hall, Teri Bolton, Clive D.L. Wynne, Carol Sokalski, Stan Kuczaj, Kathleen Lance, Kathie Hahn, and Doug Hamilton in Nova Science Now: How Smart Are Animals? (2011)
      Nova Science Now: How Smart Are Animals?
      7.6
      TV Series
      • Writer
      • 2011
    • Breaking the Mold: The Kee Malesky Story (2003)
      Breaking the Mold: The Kee Malesky Story
      8.1
      • writer
      • 2003
    • The Real Russell
      Short
      • Writer
      • 1996
    • Taking on the Kennedys (1996)
      Taking on the Kennedys
      7.9
      TV Movie
      • Writer
      • 1996
    • Old Warrior (1994)
      Old Warrior
      Short
      • Writer
      • 1994
    • Lost and Found (1992)
      Lost and Found
      Short
      • Writer
      • 1992

    • In-development projects at IMDbPro

    Personal details

    • Official site
      • Seftel Productions
    • Alternative name
      • Josh Seftel
    • Height
      • 6′ (1.83 m)
    • Born
      • July 17, 1968
      • Schenectady, New York, USA
    • Parents
        Pat Seftel
    • Relatives
      • Judy Blume(Cousin)
    • Publicity listings
      • 3 Articles

    Did you know

    • Trivia
      Attended Tufts University
    • Quotes
      [on directing 'John Cusack' in War, Inc.] When he would do a scene, he'd nail it in one or two takes, and he'd give me two or three more takes that were slightly different. There was such precision to it, how they were different: Here's one that's slightly funnier; here's one that's slightly more serious; here's one that's slightly more concerned. He had such control over his instrument, his body.

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