Skip to content
MovieCove
James Friend

James Friend

Cinematographer, also producer

Oscar winner · 2 BAFTA Awards

James Friend is a British cinematographer best known for his work on Edward Berger's All Quiet on the Western Front, which earned him the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and the BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography. In 2024, Friend received an Honorary Fellowship from The Royal Photographic Society. Friend grew up in Maidstone, Kent, where he attended Sutton Valence School. He was awarded a Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society for his film work in 2020. Friend's television credits include Patrick Melrose and Your Honor, in which he collaborated with Berger. Additionally, Friend worked on the 2024 Disney+ series The Acolyte, an instalment in the Star Wars franchise. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Friend, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Cinematographer, also producer
Titles
24 on MovieCove · 38 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 32% in 30 days

What are James Friend's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.

Genres

Horror4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 16th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 37th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 18th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 16th percentile
: browse their Crime 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
Survival
42%
Morality
27%
Bonds
13%
Self
11%
Ideas
3%
Power
2%
Society
2%
Survival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 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 3 · Dark 10

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

Grounded 9 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 9 · Intense 5

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

Steady 5 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 3

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

Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 8 · 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 3 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 0

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

A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 5

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 6 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
16
Dread
9
Melancholic
6
Absurd
4
Thrilling
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Unsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic5
  • 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 James Friend's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 24 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Friend'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, 24 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Cinematographer

  • The Great Beyond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Cinematographer

  • Supergirl(2026)

    Additional Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Ballad of a Small Player(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The Acolyte(2024)

    Show 4 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all shows

  • Heart of Stone(2023)

    Additional Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Luther: The Fallen Sun(2023)

    Additional Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • All Quiet on the Western Front(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The War of the Worlds(2019)

    Show 3 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all shows

  • MotherFatherSon(2019)

    Show 8 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • Patrick Melrose(2018)

    Show 5 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Lady M (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Cinematographer

  • Rillington Place(2016)

    Show 3 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Victoria(2016)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Breakdown(2016)

    Camera Operator · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Hoodies vs. Hooligans(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 12 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Lords of London(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Robbie Williams: One Night at the Palladium(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Little Favour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Cinematographer

  • 3 Days in Havana(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Papadopoulos & Sons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Cinematographer

  • Truth or Dare(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Piggy(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Liability(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • A Vampire's Tale(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • The Hike(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • 7lives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Cinematographer

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

    Cinematographer

  • Ghosted(2011)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Stalker(2010)

    Camera Operator · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Dead Cert(2010)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Baseline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

  • Carmen's Kiss (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Cinematographer

  • Macbeth's Disciple (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Camera Operator

  • Wishbaby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Camera Operator

  • The Man Who Sold The World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Cinematographer

  • Angels in the Asylum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Associate Producer · Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 36 titles, 33 of them dated from 2006 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Truth or Dare (2012)

$2.5M worldwide

Highest rated

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

Midcredits 98th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Producing2 of 36: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleCinematography34 of 36: 30 only cinematography, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score31stOther crew4 of 36: 2 only other crew, 2 with another role

36 titles, 4 with more than one role — cinematography and other crew overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

2000s3 · crew2010s24 · crew2020s6 · 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

an Oscar and 2 BAFTA Awards from 4 major nominations, 2017–2023.

WinNomination
  1. 2023
    • Oscar, won · Best Achievement in Cinematography
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Cinematography
  2. 2022
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Photography & Lighting, Fiction
  3. 2017
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Photography & Lighting: Fiction

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 James Friend's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 30th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 24th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

24thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

29thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 24 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 24 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed15

Most divisive · cinematographer

A Vampire's Tale (2009)

89th percentile spread · 63% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

Midcredits 98th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 63/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 56. 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 James Friend's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles46–95 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles8–48 · median 28 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles13–68 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles21–76 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles47–86 · median 55 · moderateheavier 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 James Friend work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Friend's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Craig Viveiros shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles