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Dustin Lance Black

Dustin Lance Black

Writer, director, producer and actor · Born June 10, 1974 (52) · Sacramento, California, USA

Oscar winner · BAFTA Award nominee · 3 other major award bodies

Dustin Lance Black (born June 10, 1974) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and LGBT rights activist. He is known for writing the film Milk, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2009. He has also subsequently written the screenplays for the film J. Edgar and the 2022 crime miniseries Under the Banner of Heaven.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 10, 1974 (52)
From
Sacramento, California, USA
Works as
Writer, director, producer and actor
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 19 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 26Down 33% in 30 days

What are Dustin Lance Black's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Bonds.

Genres

Documentary4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile
: browse their Biography movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
27%
Bonds
17%
Morality
16%
Self
14%
Society
13%
Ideas
8%
Survival
6%
Justice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 7 · Intense 1

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

Steady 5 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

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

A split, not a type: Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 1 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Hopeful
5
Melancholic
4
Triumphant
3
Contemplative
3
Other
4

How their films linger

Hopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1
  • Other2

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 Dustin Lance Black's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Dustin Lance Black'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

19 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page; 10 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Rock Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director

  • Rustin(2023)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Mama's Boy(2022)

    Book · as Self

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Under the Banner of Heaven(2022)

    Show 7 episodes · Director · Creator · Executive Producer · Story · Teleplay · Writer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • When We Rise: The People Behind The Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Actor

  • When We Rise(2017)

    Show 4 episodes · Director · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Prophet's Prey(2015)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Text (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director · Writer

  • 8(2012)

    Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • J. Edgar(2011)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Virginia(2010)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • 8: The Mormon Proposition (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Narrator

  • Milk(2008)

    Executive Producer · Writer · as Castro Clone

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Pedro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Screenplay · Story

  • Big Love(2006)

    Show 5 episodes · Executive Story Editor · Staff Writer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • The Singing Forest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Bill

  • Becoming Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Producer

  • On the Bus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director · as Self

  • The Journey of Jared Price (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 19 titles from 2000 to 2025.

Biggest box office

J. Edgar (2011)

$85M worldwide

Highest rated

Milk (2008)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

J. Edgar (2011)

Film career

MilestoneAward win
  • 2008Screen debut· Milk
  • 2008Oscar win· Milk

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting4 of 19: 3 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting7 of 19: 2 only directing, 5 with another roleWriting12 of 19: 6 only writing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score74thProducing6 of 19: 2 only producing, 4 with another roleOther crew2 of 19: 0 only other crew, 2 with another role

19 titles, 6 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

2000s7 · 2 acting · 6 crew2010s8 · 2 acting · 6 crew2020s4 · 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

an Oscar and 3 other major awards from 7 major nominations, 2009–2010.

WinNomination
  1. 2010
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Long Form - Original
  2. 2009
    • Oscar, won · Best Writing, Original Screenplay
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay - Original
    • +3 other major bodies · 3 wins and 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, won · Best Original Screenplay
      • Writers Guild Award, won
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Writer
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best First Screenplay

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 Dustin Lance Black's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 77th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th4
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 10 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · actor, writer

8 (2012)

95th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, writer, producer

Milk (2008)

Midcredits 94th · 83% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 53/100 and the plot and story 61/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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 Dustin Lance Black's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Dustin Lance Black work with?

People who share at least 2 of Dustin Lance Black's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bruce Cohen shares the most, 3.

Producers

Mixed roles