Ben Barenholtz (October 5, 1935 – June 27, 2019) was a Polish-born American film producer, exhibitor, and distributor with a significant presence in the independent film scene since the late 1960s. In 1968 Barenholtz opened The Elgin Cinema in New York City which was known for its experimental midnight screenings of new filmmakers. Barenholtz was known for his eye in discovering new directors such as The Coen Brothers, David Lynch, John Sayles and Guy Maddin, and was the first to bring Cousin Cousine, and John Woo's The Killer to the American screens. He is often credited with launching and being a close collaborator of the Coen Brothers. He developed and produced a number of cult movies including Barton Fink, Miller's Crossing and Requiem for a Dream. Barenholtz appeared in the documentary The Hicks of Hollywood, had a bit role in Liquid Sky, and appeared as a zombie in Romero's classic Dawn of the Dead. He was the subject in Stuart Samuels' 2005 documentary Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream. In 2005 Barenholtz directed his first feature, Music Inn, a documentary about the famed jazz venue and was the producer of Jamie Greenberg's feature film Stags. In 2012, he produced Suzuya Bobo's first feature, Family Games. In 2012 he directed and produced Wakaliwood: The Documentary, shot in the slums of Kampala, Uganda. In 2016, he received the Berlinale Camera award from the Berlinale Film Festival to honor his contributions to the independent film scene. Barenholtz directed his first and only fiction film, Alina, starring Darya Ekamasova, which was released in the fall of 2017. At the time of his death he was developing the sequel to Alina as well as working on an autobiographical film, Aaron. He died on June 27, 2019, in Prague, Czech Republic, at the age of 83. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ben Barenholtz, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- October 5, 1935
- June 26, 2019 (aged 83)
- Kupiczów, Poland [now Kupychiv, Ukraine]
- Producer and actor
- 12 on MovieCove · 19 credits in all
What are Ben Barenholtz's films like?
Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 3 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
Light 1 · Serious 3 · Dark 7
A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 6
Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 6
Steady 1 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 5
Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 2
Casual 3 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 4
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 6
A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 5
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet3
- Tragic3
- 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 Ben Barenholtz's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).
Subscription and free streaming for Ben Barenholtz'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
19 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
April X(2025)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Beach House(2018)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
Alina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Family Games (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Wakaliwood: The Documentary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Stags (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Music Inn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Shadowplay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Bruiser(2000)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Requiem for a Dream(2000)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
The Naked Man(1999)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Bleeding Hearts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Georgia(1995)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Barton Fink(1991)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Miller's Crossing(1990)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Blood Simple(1984)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Liquid Sky(1982)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films
Dawn of the Dead(1978)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Martin(1977)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 17 titles from 1978 to 2017.
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 Ben Barenholtz's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 63rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 12 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved5
- Loved with Detractors1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
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 Ben Barenholtz's work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.
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 Ben Barenholtz work with?
People who share at least 2 of Ben Barenholtz's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; George A. Romero shares the most, 3.
Directors
- George A. RomeroShared titles: Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2005), Bruiser (2000), Martin (1977)See all 3 shared titles with George A. Romero
- Ethan CoenShared titles: The Naked Man (1999), Barton Fink (1991), Miller's Crossing (1990)See all 3 shared titles with Ethan Coen
- Joel CoenShared titles: Barton Fink (1991), Miller's Crossing (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Joel Coen
Actors
- John TurturroShared titles: Barton Fink (1991), Miller's Crossing (1990)See all 2 shared titles with John Turturro
- Jon PolitoShared titles: Barton Fink (1991), Miller's Crossing (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Jon Polito
- Steve BuscemiShared titles: Barton Fink (1991), Miller's Crossing (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Steve Buscemi
Composers
- Donald RubinsteinShared titles: Bruiser (2000), Martin (1977)See all 2 shared titles with Donald Rubinstein
- Carter BurwellShared titles: Barton Fink (1991), Miller's Crossing (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Carter Burwell
Producers
- Graham PlaceShared titles: Barton Fink (1991), Miller's Crossing (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Graham Place