Neill Blomkamp (Afrikaans: [ˈnil ˈblɔmkamp]; born 17 September 1979) is a South African and Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is known as the co-writer and director of the science fiction action film District 9 (2009), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the director of the dystopian science fiction action film Elysium(2013), which garnered moderately positive reviews. He also directed the science fiction action film Chappie (2015) and the sports drama film Gran Turismo (2023). Blomkamp employs a documentary-style, hand-held cinéma vérité technique, blending naturalistic and photorealistic computer-generated visual effects. His films often deal with themes of xenophobia and social segregation. He is also known for his collaborations with actor Sharlto Copley. Time named Blomkamp as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2009. A 2011 Forbes article named him the 21st most powerful celebrity from Africa. Description above from the Wikipedia article Neill Blomkamp, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 17, 1979 (47)
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Director, writer and producer
- 8 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
Known for
What are Neill Blomkamp's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Power.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 3
Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 5
Steady 0 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 2
Casual 0 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 4
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet4
- Ambiguous2
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 Neill Blomkamp's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Neill Blomkamp'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
38 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Ash(2025)
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
Gran Turismo(2023)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Switcher – Off the Grid Cinema (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Oats Studios: Volume 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Oats Studios(2017)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all shows
Demonic(2021)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Bad President - Kenya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
God: City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Kapture: Locust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Adam: The Prophet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Lima (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Gdansk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Praetoria: Part One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Adam: The Mirror (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Kapture: Fluke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Zygote (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
God: Serengeti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Firebase (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Bad President - All My Sh*t (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Bad President - Oil Spill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Cooking with Bill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Rakka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
The Escape (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Chappie(2015)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
Elysium(2013)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
District 9(2009)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Crossing the Line (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Halo: Landfall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Tempbot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Adicolor Yellow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Alive in Joburg (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Tetra Vaal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
The Hire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
3000 Miles to Graceland(2001)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all filmsAlpha (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
District 10 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Starship Troopers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Gone World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 38 titles, 34 of them dated from 2001 to 2025.
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 major nominations and no wins, 2001–2010.
- Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Director
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay - Adapted
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Screenplay, Adapted
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series
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 Neill Blomkamp's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
None of their 8 titles divides audiences: 3 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Universally Panned1
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the atmosphere 68/100 and the pacing 46/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
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 Neill Blomkamp's work okay for kids?
Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.
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 Neill Blomkamp work with?
People who share at least 2 of Neill Blomkamp's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Julian Clarke shares the most, 4.
Writers
- Terri TatchellShared titles: Chappie (2015), District 9 (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Terri Tatchell
Actors
- Sharlto CopleyShared titles: Chappie (2015), Elysium (2013), District 9 (2009)See all 3 shared titles with Sharlto Copley
- Carly PopeShared titles: Demonic (2021), Oats Studios (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Carly Pope
- Nat BolttShared titles: Demonic (2021), District 9 (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Nat Boltt
- Jason CopeShared titles: Oats Studios (2017), District 9 (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Jason Cope
Cinematographers and editors
- Julian ClarkeShared titles: Oats Studios (2017), Chappie (2015), Elysium (2013), District 9 (2009)See all 4 shared titles with Julian Clarke
- Trent OpalochShared titles: Chappie (2015), Elysium (2013), District 9 (2009)See all 3 shared titles with Trent Opaloch
- Austyn DainesShared titles: Gran Turismo (2023), Demonic (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Austyn Daines
Producers
- Mike BlomkampShared titles: Demonic (2021), Oats Studios (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Mike Blomkamp
- Steven St. ArnaudShared titles: Demonic (2021), Oats Studios (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Steven St. Arnaud
- Simon KinbergShared titles: Chappie (2015), Elysium (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Simon Kinberg
- Trishia DownieShared titles: Chappie (2015), District 9 (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Trishia Downie