Joshua Oppenheimer was born on September 23, 1974 in Texas, USA. He is a producer and director, known for The Act of Killing (2012), The Look of Silence (2014) and The Entire History of the Louisiana Purchase (1998).
Biography from TMDB.
- September 23, 1974 (52)
- Texas, USA
- Director, producer, actor and writer
- 6 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
What are Joshua Oppenheimer's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 6
A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 2 · Dark 3
Grounded 5 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1
Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 2
Steady 3 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 3
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 2
A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet2
- Ambiguous5
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 Joshua Oppenheimer's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Joshua Oppenheimer'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
24 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
The Revolution Against Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Just Look Up(2026)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The End(2024)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
A Terrible Beauty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
2nd Chance(2022)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
All That Breathes(2022)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Songs of Repression (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
A Mother Brings Her Son to Be Shot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Joshua Oppenheimer on Night and Fog (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
The Look of Silence(2014)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Act of Killing(2012)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Postcard from Sun City, Arizona (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Market Update (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
A Brief History of Paradise as Told by the Cockroaches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Muzak, A Tool of Management (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
The Globalisation Tapes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Land of Enchantment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
The Entire History of the Louisiana Purchase (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Hugh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
These Places We've Learned to Call Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
The Challenge of Manufacturing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Camera Test (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Light Test (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Infinite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 22 titles, 21 of them dated from 1995 to 2026.
Awards
a BAFTA Award and 9 other major awards from 16 major nominations, 2013–2016.
- Oscar, nominated · Best Documentary, Feature
+1 other major body · 1 win
- Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Documentary
- Berlinale award, won
- Oscar, nominated · Best Documentary, Features
- BAFTA Award, won · Best Documentary
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Film not in the English Language
+3 other major bodies · 5 wins and 3 nominations
- Venice award, won · Best Euro-Mediterranean Film
- Venice award, won · Competition
- Venice award, won ×3
- Venice award, nominated
- Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
- Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Documentary
- Berlinale award, won · Documentary Film
- Berlinale award, won · Panorama
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 Joshua Oppenheimer's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 83rd percentile, the median of all 6; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 85th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 6 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved2
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 79/100 and the pacing 55/100 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.
Who does Joshua Oppenheimer work with?
People who share at least 2 of Joshua Oppenheimer's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Signe Byrge Sørensen shares the most, 4.
Cinematographers and editors
- Nils Pagh AndersenShared titles: The End (2024), The Look of Silence (2014), The Act of Killing (2012)See all 3 shared titles with Nils Pagh Andersen
- Charlotte Munch BengtsenShared titles: All That Breathes (2022), The Act of Killing (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Charlotte Munch Bengtsen
- Lars SkreeShared titles: The Look of Silence (2014), The Act of Killing (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Lars Skree
Producers
- Signe Byrge SørensenShared titles: Just Look Up (2026), The End (2024), The Look of Silence (2014), The Act of Killing (2012)See all 4 shared titles with Signe Byrge Sørensen
- Werner HerzogShared titles: The End (2024), Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer (2022), The Look of Silence (2014), The Act of Killing (2012)See all 4 shared titles with Werner Herzog
- Anne KöhnckeShared titles: The End (2024), The Look of Silence (2014), The Act of Killing (2012)See all 3 shared titles with Anne Köhncke
- André SingerShared titles: Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer (2022), The Look of Silence (2014), The Act of Killing (2012)See all 3 shared titles with André Singer
