James Belfer

James Belfer is an American independent film producer and financier. He is a co-founder and CEO of Cartuna, founder and CEO of Dogfish Pictures, and the founder and managing director of Dogfish Accelerator.
Early life.
Belfer grew up on Long Island, New York. He received his Bachelor's Degree from Northwestern University in 2009. That year, Belfer founded Dogfish Pictures to finance and produce several feature films per year. He attended NYU Stern in 2011 to receive his MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Digital Marketing, and Business Analytics. He was also an Associate for the 2012 Boulder Class of TechStars and an investor in the MESA+ venture fund. In 2012, he created Dogfish Accelerator, the first accelerator program for independent film producers. He currently resides in New York City.
Film career.
Belfer has produced and financed several films, including "The Romantics" (co-producer), "Salvation Boulevard" (co-producer), "Like Crazy" (associate producer), "Vamps" (co-executive producer), "Compliance" (executive producer), and "Prince Avalanche" (producer). He is currently an adjunct professor at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, teaching strategies for independent filmmaking to undergraduates in Film & Television. In 2015 Belfer alongside Daniel Shepard co-founded Cartuna.
Festivals.
Belfer's films have participated in the Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, South by Southwest, Locarno International Film Festival, BAMcinemaFest, Seattle International Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, and Stockholm International Film Festival. In 2011, Belfer's film "Like Crazy" won the Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2013, Belfer’s film Prince Avalanche premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the 2013 Berlinale Silver Bear Award for Best Director.
Honors.
In 2012, Belfer was named "Ten Producers To Keep Watching" by "Deadline Hollywood".