# James Belfer

James Belfer is an American independent film and TV producer. He is the founder and CEO of Cartuna, the 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 same year, Belfer founded Dogfish Pictures with co-founder Michelle Soffen 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.

## 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 Adam Belfer founded the animation studio Cartuna.
In 2024, Belfer began distributing films under the Cartuna brand. He launched a Blu-ray distribution label focused on animation, puppetry, DIY art, and alt-comedy. Films titles released are NUTS!, Adam Green's Aladdin and Hundreds of Beavers. In 2025, he made his first all-rights acquisition with the title Dead Lover.

### Filmography

| Year | Title | | Director | Notes | Accolates |
| 2010 | The Romantics | Paramount Vantage | Galt Niederhoffer | co-producer | 2010 Sundance Film Festival (premiere) |
| 2011 | Salvation Boulevard | IFC | George Ratliff | co-producer | 2011 Sundance Film Festival (premiere) |
| 2011 | Like Crazy | Paramount Pictures | Drake Doremus | associate producer | 2011 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize (premiere) |
| 2012 | Vamps | Anchor Bay | Amy Heckerling | co-executive producer | |
| 2012 | Compliance | Magnolia Pictures | Craig Zobel | executive producer | 2012 Sundance Film Festival (premiere) |
| 2013 | Prince Avalanche | Magnolia Pictures | David Gordon Green | producer | 2013 Sundance Film Festival (premiere), 63rd Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear for Best Director |
| 2016 | NUTS! | Amazon Studios | Penny Lane | producer | 2016 Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize (premiere) |
| 2016 | Diverge | Gravitas | James Morrison | producer | |
| 2017 | Like Me | Kino Lorber | Robert Mockler | producer | 2017 SXSW Film Festival (premiere) |
| 2017 | Sylvio | Factory 25 | Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley | executive producer | 2017 SXSW Film Festival (premiere) |
| 2017 | Dogs In A Park | Comedy Central, Watchable, IFC | Daniel Shepard and Keith Shepard | executive producer | |
| 2018 | Human Kind Of | Facebook Watch | Diana McCorry | executive producer | Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production, New York Comic Con |
| 2018 | Liverspots and Astronots | Facebook Watch | Rob Bohn and Nate Milton | executive producer | New York Comic Con |
| 2018 | Tammy's Tiny Tea Time | | Peter Gulsvig | executive producer | 2018 Sundance Film Festival (premiere) |
| 2018 | Museum of Human History | Topic Studios | Daniel Shepard | executive producer | |
| 2019 | Tux and Fanny | | Albert Birney | executive producer | Ottawa International Animation Festival (premiere), The New Yorker Best Movies of 2019 |
| 2019 | Under Covers | | Michaela Olsen | executive producer | 2019 Sundance Film Festival (premiere), Ottawa International Animation Festival, AFI Film Festival |
| 2019 | Science! | Syfy | Neal Holman | executive producer | |
| 2020 | Magical Girl Friendship Squad: Origins | Syfy | Kelsey Stephanides | executive producer | |
| 2020 | Magical Girl Friendship Squad | Syfy, Peacock | Kelsey Stephanides | executive producer | San Diego Comic-Con |
| 2020 | Desus & Mero | Showtime | Desus Nice, The Kid Mero | animation producer | |
| 2020 | Loafy | Comedy Central | Bobby Moynihan | executive animation producer | |
| 2020 | Blackheads | | Emily Ann Hoffman | executive producer | 2020 South by Southwest (premiere) |
| 2021 | Strawberry Mansion | Music Box Films | Albert Birney and Kentucker Audley | executive producer | 2021 Sundance Film Festival (premiere) |
| 2025 | OBEX | | Albert Birney | producer | 2025 Sundance Film Festival (premiere) |
| 2025 | By Design | | Amanda Kramer | executive producer | 2025 Sundance Film Festival (premiere) |

## 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.

## Personal life

He currently resides in New York City.