Born in Helsinki, Finland, Friedman spent her childhood years growing up in Nummela in southern Finland before moving to the United States to study at the University of Rochester in New York.

She directed her first production, a television series called Team Suomi in 1994.

Friedman directed the short film Certainly Not a Fairytale in 2003 for the Fox Searchlight Searchlab development program.

[2][3] Her sole feature-length film was the 2011 black comedy The Family Tree starring Hope Davis, Keith Carradine, Dermot Mulroney and Selma Blair.

[4] Friedman was in a long-term relationship with Steven Kaminsky, a post production supervisor.