Since the early 2010's, Cianfrance had been working on a fictional documentary called "Metalhead", which centered on a metal drummer who becomes deaf. The film featured the members of the band Jucifer portraying themselves. The project was developed for years with Cianfrance eventually passing the reigns over to his friend and "The Place Beyond the Pines" co-writer Darius Marder resulting in "Sound of Metal" (2019). Starring Riz Ahmed, the film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and was released by Amazon Studios in 2020. Cianfrance, Marder, and his brother Abraham Marder, received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nomination for the film.