Over the course of his career, Friedberg has been known for his collaborative  relationships with auteur directors—visionaries such as Darren Aronofsky, Barry Jenkins, Jim Jarmusch, Todd Haynes, and Spike Lee. His longtime collaborations also include multiple films with Ang Lee (The Ice Storm, Ride with the Devil, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk) and Wes Anderson (The Life Aquatic, The Darjeeling Limited), as well as Across the Universe and The Tempest with Julie Taymor and Pollock with Ed Harris. 

Friedberg has designed a wide array of iconic films from the highly stylized melodrama  Far from Heaven to the fractured surrealism of Synecdoche, New York and the poetic  realism of If Beale Street Could Talk. He has presented historical settings for the socially relevant Selma and Underground Railroad. Friedberg has defined his career by working on films of all sizes from the monumental Noah to the contained intimacy of The Whale. His work reveals a profound sensitivity to tone, narrative, and place. His production design centers around emotional architecture—spaces that reflect the interior lives of  the characters aligning them with the deeper rhythms of the story.  

He received a BAFTA nomination for his design of Joker, an Emmy Award for Mildred  Pierce, and served as executive producer and designer on its sequel Joker: Folie à Deux. Most recently, Friedberg completed production design for Aronofsky’s upcoming Caught Stealing and Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest. 

Friedberg is also a mentor to a new generation of designers and filmmakers, sharing the hard-earned insights of a life in visual storytelling while learning fresh approaches along the way. His legacy is not only visible in the films he has helped shape but also in the creative paths of those he has guided. 

In all of his work—on screen and beyond—Friedberg remains deeply rooted in the  artistic community of the East End, where the harmony between nature, memory, and  imagination remain essential.