Sara Murphy is an American music video and film producer, known for her works with Paul Thomas Anderson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Aaron Katz and Barry Jenkins. Throughout her career, Murphy has won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award for Land Ho!, the Independent Spirit Award for Best Film for If Beale Street Could Talk and numerous awards. She also won the Academy Award for Best Picture for One Battle After Another.
Career Murphy initially went to school for engineering, and eventually landed a job as Philip Seymour Hoffman's assistant. In 2010, she served as an associate producer on Jack Goes Boating directed by Hoffman.
In 2014, Murphy produced Land Ho! directed by Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz, which won the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award.
After Hoffman's death in 2014, Murphy was hired by Paul Thomas Anderson to produce a music video. She has served as producer on his music videos for Joanna Newsom, Haim, Radiohead, and The Smile. In 2019, Murphy served as producer for Thom Yorke's music film Anima, which was nominated at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards for Best Music Film.
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. In 2021, Murphy produced Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza, which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Film and Academy Award for Best Picture.
In 2022, Murphy launched Fat City alongside Ryan Zacarias, where she has produced Mother, Couch and If I Had Legs I'd Kick You. In 2025, she produced Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another with Anderson and Adam Somner (who died ten months before the film's release), for which she won the Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Feature, the BAFTA Award for Best Film and the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Filmography Producer
Film Year Title Director Notes 2010 Jack Goes Boating Philip Seymour Hoffman Associate producer 2014 Land Ho Martha StephensAaron Katz2016 Morris from America Chad Hartigan Hunter Gatherer Josh Locy2017 Person to Person Dustin Guy Defa Gemini Aaron Katz2018 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 Larsson2025 If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Mary Bronstein The History of Sound Oliver Hermanus One Battle After Another Paul Thomas Anderson
Music videos Year Title Artist Director 2015 "Sapokanikan" Joanna NewsomPaul Thomas Anderson2016 "Daydreaming" Radiohead2019 "Now I'm in It" Haim2023 "Wall of Eyes" The Smile
Awards and nominations Award Year Work Category Result AACTA International Awards2022 Best Film Licorice Pizza Academy Awards2022 Best Picture Licorice Pizza2026 One Battle After AnotherBritish Academy Film Awards2022Best FilmLicorice Pizza 2026One Battle After Another British Independent Film Awards 2021 Best International Independent FilmNever Rarely Sometimes Always Film Independent Spirit Awards 2014Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award Land Ho! 2019Best Feature If Beale Street Could Talk 2021Never Rarely Sometimes Always Gotham Awards2021Best FeatureNever Rarely Sometimes Always 2025 One Battle After Another If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Grammy Awards 2020 Best Music Film Anima Producers Guild of America Awards 2022 Best Theatrical Motion Picture Licorice Pizza 2026 One Battle After Another
References
External links