Sara Murphy | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Producer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
Sara Murphy is an American music video and film producer, known for her works with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Thomas Anderson, Aaron Katz and Barry Jenkins, for which she was nominated at the Academy Awards, BAFTA Award and Grammy Awards.
Through her career Murphy has won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award for Land Ho! (2014), the Independent Spirit Award for Best Film for If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) and the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Feature for One Battle After Another (2025).
Murphy initially went to school for engineering, and eventually landed a job as Philip Seymour Hoffman's assistant. [1] In 2010 she served as an associate producer on Jack Goes Boating directed by Hoffman. [2]
In 2014, Murphy produced Land Ho! directed by Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz, which won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award. [3]
Hoffman, years later would recommend Murphy to Paul Thomas Anderson after he agreed to direct a music video. [4] She has served as producer on his music videos for Joanna Newsom, [5] Haim, [6] Radiohead, [7] and The Smile. [8] In 2020 Murphy served as producer for Thom Yorke's music film Anima being nominated at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards for Best Music Film.
In 2020 Murphy has also worked at PASTEL, the production company founded by Barry Jenkins, where she produced Never Rarely Sometimes Always and If Beale Street Could Talk , winning for the latter the Independent Spirit Award for Best Film. [9] In 2021 Murphy has produced Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza, earning her a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Film and Academy Award for Best Picture. [10] [11] [12]
In 2022, Murphy launched Fat City alongside Ryan Zacarias, where she has produced Mother, Couch and If I Had Legs I'd Kick You . [13] [14] In 2025 she produced with Adam Somner and Paul Thomas Anderson One Battle After Another, for which she won the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Feature. [15]
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Land Ho | Martha Stephens Aaron Katz | |
| 2016 | Morris from America | Chad Hartigan | |
| Hunter Gatherer | Josh Locy | ||
| 2017 | Person to Person | Dustin Guy Defa | |
| Gemini | Aaron Katz | ||
| 2018 | The Mountain | Rick Alverson | |
| If Beale Street Could Talk | Barry Jenkins | ||
| The Amaranth | Albert Chi | ||
| 2019 | Anima | Paul Thomas Anderson | Short film |
| 2020 | Never Rarely Sometimes Always | Eliza Hittman | |
| 2021 | Licorice Pizza | Paul Thomas Anderson | |
| 2023 | Mother, Couch | Niclas Larsson | |
| 2025 | If I Had Legs I'd Kick You | Mary Bronstein | |
| The History of Sound | Oliver Hermanus | ||
| One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| Year | Title | Artist | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Sapokanikan | Joanna Newsom | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 2016 | Daydreaming | Radiohead | |
| 2019 | Now I'm in It | Haim | |
| 2023 | Wall of Eyes | The Smile |
| Award | Year | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AACTA International Awards | 2022 | Best Film | Licorice Pizza | Nominated | [16] |
| Academy Awards | 2022 | Best Picture | Licorice Pizza | Nominated | [17] |
| 2026 | Best Picture | One Battle After Another | Pending | ||
| British Academy Film Awards | 2022 | Best Film | Licorice Pizza | Nominated | [18] |
| British Independent Film Awards | 2021 | Best International Independent Film | Never Rarely Sometimes Always | Nominated | [19] |
| Film Independent Spirit Awards | 2014 | Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award | Land Ho! | Won | |
| 2019 | Best Feature | If Beale Street Could Talk | Won | [20] | |
| 2021 | Never Rarely Sometimes Always | Nominated | [21] | ||
| Gotham Awards | 2021 | Best Feature | Never Rarely Sometimes Always | Nominated | [22] |
| 2025 | One Battle After Another | Won | [23] [15] | ||
| If I Had Legs I'd Kick You | Nominated | ||||
| Grammy Awards | 2020 | Best Music Film | Anima | Nominated | [24] |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | 2022 | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Licorice Pizza | Nominated | [25] |
| 2026 | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | One Battle After Another | Pending | ||