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Billy Corben

Billy Corben

Director, producer and actor, also editor · Fort Myers, Florida, USA

William Cohen (born 1978), better known by the stage name Billy Corben, is an American documentary film director. As a co-founder of the Miami-based studio Rakontur, along with producing partner Alfred Spellman, he has created films such as Cocaine Cowboys, Dawg Fight, and ESPN's 30 for 30 The U and The U Part 2.

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Biography from TMDB.

From
Fort Myers, Florida, USA
Works as
Director, producer and actor, also editor
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 27 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 156 days to Oct 27Down 13% in 30 days

What are Billy Corben's films like?

Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
44%
Morality
14%
Self
12%
Survival
12%
Bonds
11%
Society
7%
Power5 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed4 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

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

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 3 · Dark 5

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

Grounded 7 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 6

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 8 · 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 3 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Thrilling
4
Dread
3
Warm
2
Bittersweet
3
Other
6

How their films linger

Thought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous3
  • Cyclical1

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 Billy Corben's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Billy Corben'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

27 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Canceled: The Paula Deen Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Director

  • From Russia with Lev (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Director · Producer

  • Men of War(2024)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • God Forbid(2022)

    Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami(2021)

    Show 6 episodes · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • 537 Votes(2020)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Screwball (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Magic City Hustle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Director

  • Dawg Fight(2015)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The U Part 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director

  • Cocaine Cowboys: Reloaded(2014)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Tanning of America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show Creator

  • Collision Course: The Murder of Don Aronow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director

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

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Limelight(2011)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Square Grouper(2011)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The U (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Producer · as Self

  • 30 for 30(2009)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Cocaine Cowboys 2(2008)

    Director · Editor · Producer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Cocaine Cowboys(2006)

    Director · Editor · Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Raw Deal: A Question Of Consent (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · Producer

  • Stepmonster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Todd Dougherty

  • Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again(1990)

    as Jordan 'Jughead Junior' Jones

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Dear John (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Show 3 episodes · as Matthew Lacey

  • L.A. Law(1986)

    Show 2 episodes · as Alexander Brackman

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Night Court(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Billy MacDonald (as Billy Cohen)

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • True Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Director

Career shape

A full career of 27 titles, 26 of them dated from 1984 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Cocaine Cowboys (2006)

$167K worldwide

Highest rated

Cocaine Cowboys (2006)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

God Forbid (2022)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting5 of 27: 5 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting21 of 27: 12 only directing, 9 with another role · typical Midcredits score68thWriting2 of 27: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing9 of 27: 0 only producing, 9 with another roleEditing1 of 27: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 27: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

27 titles, 9 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 9 of them.

By decade

1980s3 · acting1990s2 · acting2000s5 · crew2010s10 · 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.

How do Billy Corben's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 10; 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

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 14 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again (1990)

73rd percentile spread · 30% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

30 for 30 (2009)

Midcredits 96th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 62/100 and the pacing 49/100 in their films, across 10 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 Billy Corben work with?

People who share at least 2 of Billy Corben's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alfred Spellman shares the most, 10.

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers