THE QUEEN'S JEWELS
FEATURE FILM
premiere april 8th, 2025!

Writer and director Joshua C. Friedman’s vibrantly eclectic filmography brims with a reporter’s keen eye for engrossing storylines, a poet’s sense of symbolism, and an empath’s ability to authentically transfer these everyday epics back out to rest of the world. With 10 years and 10 films under his belt, the South Florida-based-filmmaker has been awarded international and national recognition in the festival circuit, racking up 20-plus awards for short-form movies which he has written, directed, and mostly produced. Fresh off the success of last year’s The Queen's Jewels, Friedman is young, upcoming, buzzed about, and ready to explore full-length feature films.  

Friedman’s own story could be the subject of one of his productions. It’s an anthemic Americana story of a young, gifted writer living in a small town—Newtown, Connecticut —who fixes his longing eyes on Hollywood and ends up working for film mogul Vince Jolivette (Saturday Night, The Disaster Artist, Zola) as well as actor, writer, and producer James Franco’s production company, before moving onto making his own films. If featured on screen, Friedman’s life, thus far, would have us cheering in the aisles.

Besides talent and ambition, Friedman’s restlessly creative spirit might be his biggest asset. This attribute is boldly reflected in his artistic choices which defy categorization—his filmography winds through a wild array of genres, epochs, and locales. Signature to all of his work, however, is highlighting his character's humanity while whisking the viewer off to adventures glowing with childlike wonder but grounded in well-focused storybook composition.

So far, Friedman’s selected career highlights are the films Sophia's Song (2016), The Disaster Artist (2017), and The Queen's Jewels (2022). In just the past 2 years, Friedman's accolades and awards include two New York Cinematography Awards in 2023 for “Best USA Film” and “Best Cinematographer”; an Atlantis Award for “Best Screenplay” in 2023; a Siren by the Sea Award for “Best Feature Screenplay” in 2022; and earning selections from FilmGate Festival, Hollywood Florida Film Festival, Jacksonville Film Festival, and Vero Beach Film Festival.

The scope of Friedman’s gifts as a writer probably became most evident during high school, when a teacher singled out his short-story entry, printed it out, put it on every desk, and invited him to read it out loud to the whole class. Artistically assured and fueled by self-knowledge and a supportive family, Friedman soon landed his first New York City production company internship at just 18 years of age. That opportunity was quickly followed by an offer from MTV which he couldn’t accept because it conflicted with his college semester. This missed opportunity became a catalyst for Friedman to work harder for his dreams.

As soon as he graduated college, Friedman moved to Los Angeles, California to begin his journey in film where he was immediately snatched up to work for Jolivette and Franco’s production company, Rabbit Bandini Productions. While working at Rabbit Bandini, he became one of the first students for Jolivette and Franco’s school for filmmakers and actors, Studio 4. During his time with Studio 4, Friedman took every class offered by the new institution, and discovered he had a passion for directing. Seeing firsthand how a creative person could take the stories they were writing with all the nuance, imagery, and creative flourishes and bring them to life on the screen was immensely satisfying for the young creative. After he directed his first film, Friedman immediately knew he found his life’s work.

Today, Friedman is eager and ready to work on a grander scale. He’s currently in pre-production on a feature film themed around his highly regarded short, The Queen’s Jewels, that expands the small-town-surfer-with royal-lineage narrative. It’s a fantastical how-did-I-get-here story that almost recalls Friedman’s sweeping story of an aspiring writer kid from small town New England making it to superstar-filled LA and beyond. Look for Friedman’s work on the big screen very soon.