Andrew Swant is a filmmaker known for The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012), What What (In the Butt) (2007), William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet (2009), and Bon Iver: Autumn (2019). Swant wrote and starred as Jeffrey Dahmer in The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012), a New York Times Critic's Pick which premiered at SXSW and was acquired by IFC Films for broad distribution. He also wrote and produced Modus Operandi (2009), which screened at AFI Fest and received positive reviews from critics including Roger Ebert. Swant and collaborator Bobby Ciraldo created a seminal viral video called What What (In the Butt) (2007), which appeared in art galleries and was watched over 75 million times on YouTube. The duo then co-directed William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet (2009), an award-winning documentary starring William Shatner, and Hamlet A.D.D. (2014), a comedy which premiered at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. Swant directed Bon Iver: Autumn (2019) and Silently Steal Away (2017) (Hot Docs), both starring Grammy winning musician Justin Vernon, and co-produced Give Me Liberty (2019) (Sundance, Cannes), which won the 2020 John Cassavetes Spirit Award and ranked #11 on The New York Times' Best Movies of the Year list. In 2020 he directed a Sylvan Esso music video for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and in recent years he was a producer on three feature documentaries: Out of the Picture (2024) (Smithsonian), We Are Not Ghouls (2022) (SXSW Audience Award), and Now! More! Yes! (2025) (SXSW 2025).
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Biography from IMDb.
- May 21, 1976 (50)
- Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Actor, director, writer and producer
- 6 on MovieCove · 13 credits in all
What are Andrew Swant's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 5
A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 3
Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 0
Steady 3 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 1
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- 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 Andrew Swant's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Andrew Swant'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
13 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
We Are Not Ghouls(2022)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Snapshot(2019)
Bon Iver: Autumn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Hamlet A.D.D. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
The Jeffrey Dahmer Files(2012)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Billy Club(2013)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Found Footage Festival Volume 6: Live in Chicago (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Swamphead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Found Footage Festival Volume 5: Live in Milwaukee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Modus Operandi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Blood Junkie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
Career shape
Star power in the 60th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 10 titles from 2009 to 2019.
Biggest box office
Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted (2024)
Highest rated
Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted (2024)
Most popular right now
Billy Club (2013)
Film career
- 2013Screen debut· The Jeffrey Dahmer Files
- 2013First top-billed film· The Jeffrey Dahmer Files
How do Andrew Swant's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 76th percentile, the median of the 5 of 6 with a score; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 62nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 5 titles are Loved with Detractors.
- Loved with Detractors2
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Mixed2
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 Andrew Swant work with?
People who share at least 2 of Andrew Swant's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Chris James Thompson shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Chris James ThompsonShared titles: We Are Not Ghouls (2022), The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Chris James Thompson
Actors
- Dick BlauShared titles: We Are Not Ghouls (2022), The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Dick Blau
- Mark BorchardtShared titles: The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012), SnapshotSee all 2 shared titles with Mark Borchardt
Cinematographers
- Michael T. VollmannShared titles: We Are Not Ghouls (2022), The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Michael T. Vollmann
Producers
- Jack TurnerShared titles: We Are Not Ghouls (2022), The Jeffrey Dahmer Files (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Jack Turner
- Patrick BuckleyShared titles: William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet (2009), SnapshotSee all 2 shared titles with Patrick Buckley