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Sara Bernstein

Sara Bernstein

Producer · USA

6 Primetime Emmys · 1 other major award body

Sara Bernstein is an award-winning producer and Executive Vice President at Imagine Documentaries the newly launched documentary division of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's, Imagine Entertainment. Recent feature films she has executive produced include Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band (2019) and Dads (2019) which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The Ron Howard-directed documentary film, Rebuilding Paradise (2020), for National Geographic Films, D.Wade: Life Unexpected (2020) for ESPN Films and the documentary feature film on legendary chef Julia Child, Julia (2021) directed by Academy Award nominees Julie Cohen and Betsy West. Prior to joining Imagine, Bernstein was Senior Vice President, HBO Documentary Films over seeing nonfiction development and production for HBO. Credits include Academy Award-winner Citizenfour (2014), Academy Award-winner Music by Prudence (2010), Academy Award nominees Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country (2008), Iraq In Fragments (2006), The Children of Leningradsky (2005), Poster Girl (2010). Emmy-nominated The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (2019), Emmy-nominated The Case Against Adnan Syed (2019), Judd Apatow's Emmy-winning The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling (2018), Emmy winners Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015), White Light, Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (2007) and Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (2012). Emmy-nominated The Case Against 8 (2014), Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures (2016), Chris Hegedus & D.A. Pennebaker's Emmy-nominated Unlocking The Cage (2016); Beware the Slenderman (2016), I Love You Now Die (2019) and Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017). Bernstein has garnered 10 Emmy wins, 29 Emmy nominations and 11 Peabody Awards. Documentaries she has supervised have garnered 2 Oscars and 13 Oscar nominations.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

From
USA
Works as
Producer
Titles
84 on MovieCove · 103 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26

What are Sara Bernstein's films like?

Across their 82 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
23%
Self
19%
Survival
16%
Morality
16%
Power
9%
Ideas
9%
Bonds
8%
Community19 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice20 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity14 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma13 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame14 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition11 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt11 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds11 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 62 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 21 · Serious 10 · Dark 31

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 56 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 20 · Charged 22 · Intense 20

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 43 · Shifting 17 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 49 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 46 · Even-paced 15 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 21 · Engaged 32 · Full focus 9

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 20 · Affecting 16 · Heavy 26

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 50 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
41
Contemplative
38
Melancholic
29
Dread
20
Hopeful
27
Other
70

How their films linger

Thought-provoking42 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful32 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet49
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous20
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Sara Bernstein's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 76 of their 84 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (29).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sara Bernstein's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

103 credits, 84 with a MovieCove page.

  • Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing(2026)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Kyle Larson vs. The Double(2026)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Avedon(2026)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Marty, Life Is Short(2026)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Summer of 94(2026)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Swipe Right on the Devil(2026)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything(2025)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Pets(2025)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series(2025)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • David Blaine: Do Not Attempt(2025)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Harlem Ice(2025)

    Show 5 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Earnhardt(2025)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Churchill at War(2024)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Mamus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Executive Producer

  • The Lost Children(2024)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Music by John Williams(2024)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • I'm Not a Monster: The Lois Riess Murders(2024)

    Show 2 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all shows

  • Jim Henson: Idea Man(2024)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Frida(2024)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Stormy(2024)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Dynasty: New England Patriots(2024)

    Show 10 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • The Truth About Jim(2024)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all shows

  • Choir (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

  • This Is Brighton (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Executive Producer

  • Carlos(2023)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Super Models(2023)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman(2023)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Murf the Surf(2023)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows

  • Judy Blume Forever(2023)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Crime Scene: The Texas Killing Fields(2022)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari(2022)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Personality Crisis: One Night Only(2022)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues(2022)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Light & Magic(2022)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Web of Make Believe: Death, Lies and the Internet(2022)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows

  • Leave No Trace(2022)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • We Feed People(2022)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Downfall: The Case Against Boeing(2022)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Lucy and Desi(2022)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer(2021)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Paper & Glue(2021)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Julia(2021)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Gossip(2021)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all shows

  • Who Are You, Charlie Brown?(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Coded: The Hidden Love of J.C. Leyendecker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Executive Producer

  • The Day Sports Stood Still(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Supervillain: The Making of Tekashi 6ix9ine(2021)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all shows

  • Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel(2021)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all shows

  • We Are: The Brooklyn Saints(2021)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows

  • On Pointe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

  • D. Wade Life Unexpected(2020)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Once Were Brothers(2019)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Rebuilding Paradise(2020)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Show 2 episodes · Supervising Producer

  • Wig(2019)

    Co-Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Case Against Adnan Syed(2019)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all shows

  • The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley(2019)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Dads(2019)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Truth About Killer Robots(2018)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • The Price of Everything(2018)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • War Dog: A Soldier's Best Friend(2017)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 2 episodes · Senior Executive Consultant

  • Warning: This Drug May Kill You(2017)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Mommy Dead and Dearest(2017)

    Supervising Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Meth Storm(2017)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Risky Drinking(2016)

    Producer · Senior Executive Consultant

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Clínica de Migrantes: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Executive Producer

  • Suited(2016)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Abortion: Stories Women Tell(2016)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Beware the Slenderman(2016)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures(2016)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Unlocking the Cage(2016)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Latin Explosion: A New America(2015)

    Supervising Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness(2015)

    Supervising Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop(2015)

    Supervising Producer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Cobain: Montage of Heck(2015)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief(2015)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Citizenfour(2014)

    Producer · Supervisor of Production Resources

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • My Depression(2014)

    Supervising Producer · Supervisor of Production Resources

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Case Against 8(2014)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Crash Reel(2013)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God(2012)

    Supervising Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Love Crimes of Kabul(2011)

    Supervising Producer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Hot Coffee(2011)

    Supervising Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Education of Dee Dee Ricks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Producer

  • Secrets of the Tribe(2010)

    Supervising Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • El espiritu de la salsa(2010)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • No Contract, No Cookies: The Stella D'Oro Strike(2010)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Final Inch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Supervising Producer

  • Katie Morgan's Sex Tips 2: Any More Questions? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Supervising Producer

  • Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country(2008)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Katie Morgan's Porn 101 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Coordinating Producer

  • Katie Morgan on Sex Toys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Coordinating Producer

  • Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq(2007)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Children of God: Lost and Found(2007)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki(2007)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Baghdad ER(2006)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Children of Leningradsky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Production Coordinator

  • And Along Came a Spider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Associate Producer

  • Thoth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Coordinating Producer

  • Pa'l Pueblo: Fania for the People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • The Hands That Held the Knives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Executive Producer

  • The Sound of Philadelphia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Executive Producer

Career shape

A full career of 84 titles, 81 of them dated from 2002 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Citizenfour (2014)

$3.8M worldwide

Highest rated

Music by John Williams (2024)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Producing80 of 84: 79 only producing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score83rdOther crew5 of 84: 4 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

2000s7 · crew2010s23 · crew2020s51 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

6 Primetime Emmys and 1 other major award from 16 major nominations, 2008–2026.

WinNomination
  1. 2026
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Music Film
  2. 2024
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
  3. 2023
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
  4. 2022
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
  5. 2020
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
  6. 2019
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
  7. 2018
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
  8. 2016
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
Show 4 earlier years
  1. 2015
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated ×2 · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
  2. 2014
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Children's Program
  3. 2013
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
  4. 2008
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Nonfiction Special

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Sara Bernstein's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 87th percentile, the median of all 64; across their 62 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 86th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 62

Approval · how many liked their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 62

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 62

Midcredits score across 84 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up52
  • 50th to 74th13
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th8

Shape of the crowd

33 of their 84 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved23
  • Divisive3
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser33
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed19

Most divisive · producer

Harlem Ice (2025)

99th percentile spread · 49% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Earnhardt (2025)

Midcredits 99th · 95% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Sara Bernstein's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 45 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles11–79 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles33–77 · median 52 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 56 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Sara Bernstein work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sara Bernstein's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Justin Wilkes shares the most, 48.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

  • Justin Wilkes48 titles    See newest 12 of 48 shared titles with Justin Wilkes
  • Brian Grazer45 titles    See newest 12 of 45 shared titles with Brian Grazer
  • Sheila Nevins28 titles    See newest 12 of 28 shared titles with Sheila Nevins
  • Meredith Kaulfers27 titles    See newest 12 of 27 shared titles with Meredith Kaulfers

Mixed roles