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Thimios Bakatakis

Thimios Bakatakis

Cinematographer · Born December 30, 1969 (56) · Atene, Grecia

Independent Spirit Award nominee

Thimios Bakatakis, born in 1970 in Athens, Greece, is a Greek cinematographer known for his work with director Yorgos Lanthimos. A graduate of the Hellenic Cinema and Television School Stavrakos. Like most of Lanthimos’ collaborators, Bakatakis knew him from a commercial advertising agency in the 1990s. He shot all Lanthimos’ films before The Favourite (2018), including Kinetta (2005), Dogtooth (2009), Alps (2011), and The Lobster (2015), each with a distinct visual style. His work extends to films like Attenberg (2010), Blind (2014), and Porfirio (2011), plus music videos and commercials. He also works as a theater lighting designer. Bakatakis received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) and contributed to Dogtooth’s Un Certain Regard win at Cannes 2009. He emphasizes unique shooting styles for each project.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 30, 1969 (56)
From
Atene, Grecia
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
13 on MovieCove · 28 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 26Up 42% in 30 days

What are Thimios Bakatakis' films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.

Genres

Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 51st percentile
: browse their Comedy 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
Self
27%
Survival
26%
Bonds
13%
Morality
13%
Society
12%
Power
9%
Trauma4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 0 · Dark 9

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 4

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 7

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 2 · 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 0 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 2

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 10

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

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 8

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Melancholic
7
Dread
4
Cold
4
Absurd
3
Other
1

How their films linger

Unsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous4

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 Thimios Bakatakis' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Thimios Bakatakis' 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

28 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Spectacle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Cinematographer

  • Atlantic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Cinematographer

  • Fior Di Latte(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Dive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director · Cinematographer · Writer

  • The Lodge(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Pity(2018)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Time of Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Director · Cinematographer · Still Photographer

  • The Killing of a Sacred Deer(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Una(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Chevalier(2015)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Lobster(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

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

    Cinematographer

  • Blind(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Venice 70: Future Reloaded (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Cinematographer

  • km (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Cinematographer

  • The Capsule (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Cinematographer

  • Keep the Lights On(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • In Search of Avery Willard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Additional Photography

  • L (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Cinematographer · Co-Producer · Thanks

  • Porfirio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Cinematographer

  • Alps(2011)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Attenberg(2010)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Dogtooth(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Last Fakir (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Cinematographer

  • Kinetta (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Cinematographer

  • Hardcore(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Uranisco Disco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Cinematographer

  • Cavafy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Second Assistant Camera

Career shape

A full career of 28 titles from 1996 to 2025.

Biggest box office

The Lobster (2015)

$18M worldwide

Highest rated

The Lobster (2015)

Midcredits 85th

Most popular right now

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing2 of 28: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting1 of 28: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing1 of 28: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleCinematography23 of 28: 20 only cinematography, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score61stOther crew7 of 28: 5 only other crew, 2 with another role

28 titles, 3 with more than one role — cinematography and other crew overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1990s1 · crew2000s5 · crew2010s17 · crew2020s5 · 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

Nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in 2018, Best Cinematography.

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 Thimios Bakatakis' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 67th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 13 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · cinematographer

Fior Di Latte (2025)

99th percentile spread · 43% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

The Lobster (2015)

Midcredits 85th · 73% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 73/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 49. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

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 Thimios Bakatakis' work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles13–78 · median 72 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles55–80 · median 67 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles40–58 · median 53 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles20–48 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles36–82 · median 75 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

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 Thimios Bakatakis work with?

People who share at least 2 of Thimios Bakatakis' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Yorgos Lanthimos shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Editors

Producers