Charles Burnett is an American film director, producer, writer, editor, actor, photographer, and cinematographer. His most popular films include Killer of Sheep (1977), My Brother’s Wedding (1983), To Sleep with Anger (1990), The Glass Shield (1994), and Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (2007). He has been involved in other types of motion pictures including shorts, documentaries, and a TV series. Considered by the Chicago Tribune as “one of America’s very best filmmakers”, and by the New York Times as “the nation’s least-known great filmmaker and most gifted black director”, Charles Burnett has had a long and diverse filmmaking career.
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Biography from TMDB.
- April 13, 1944 (82)
- Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA
- Director, writer, cinematographer, editor and producer, also actor
- 8 on MovieCove · 39 credits in all
What are Charles Burnett's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Power.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 5
Grounded 6 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 3 · Charged 4 · Intense 1
Steady 7 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 4 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1
A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 5
A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 3
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet3
- Ambiguous3
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 Charles Burnett's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Charles Burnett'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
39 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Cinetracts '20 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
The Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
42 One Dream Rush (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Relative Stranger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Quiet as Kept (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Warming by the Devil's Fire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
The Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
For Reel? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Finding Buck McHenry(2000)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all filmsOlivia's Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
The Annihilation of Fish(1999)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Independent Lens (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Selma, Lord, Selma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
The Wedding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Documenta X - Die Filme (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
The Final Insult (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Nightjohn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
When It Rains (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
The Glass Shield(1994)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Sa-I-Gu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
America Becoming (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
To Sleep with Anger(1990)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Guests of Hotel Astoria (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
From Rags to Reality (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Crocodile Conspiracy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
My Brother's Wedding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
A Different Image (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Illusions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
The Pocketbook (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Bush Mama (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Your Children Come Back to You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)
Killer of Sheep(1978)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Welcome Home Brother Charles (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)
The Horse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Several Friends (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
69 Pickup (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Career shape
A full career of 39 titles from 1969 to 2020.
Biggest box office
The Glass Shield (1994)
Highest rated
Killer of Sheep (1978)
Most popular right now
The Glass Shield (1994)
By role
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.
How do Charles Burnett's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 76th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the atmosphere 76/100 and the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 7 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.
Who does Charles Burnett work with?
People who share at least 2 of Charles Burnett's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John L. Demps Jr. shares the most, 4.
Actors
- Carl LumblyShared titles: Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (2007), Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property (2003), To Sleep with Anger (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Carl Lumbly
- Danny GloverShared titles: Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (2007), To Sleep with Anger (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Danny Glover
- Angela BurnettShared titles: Bless Their Little Hearts (1983), Killer of Sheep (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Angela Burnett
- Kaycee MooreShared titles: Bless Their Little Hearts (1983), Killer of Sheep (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Kaycee Moore
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- John L. Demps Jr.Shared titles: Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (2007), Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property (2003), Finding Buck McHenry (2000), The Annihilation of Fish (1999)See all 4 shared titles with John L. Demps Jr.
- Stephen James TaylorShared titles: Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (2007), Finding Buck McHenry (2000), The Glass Shield (1994), To Sleep with Anger (1990)See all 4 shared titles with Stephen James Taylor
- Nancy RichardsonShared titles: The Annihilation of Fish (1999), To Sleep with Anger (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Nancy Richardson
Producers
- Thomas S. ByrnesShared titles: The Glass Shield (1994), To Sleep with Anger (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Thomas S. Byrnes