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Nainita Desai

Nainita Desai

Composer · London, England, UK

Primetime Emmy nominee

Nainita Desai is an Emmy winning composer whose genre spanning scores have made her a leading voice in contemporary screen music. She has amassed a multitude of awards and nominations, including an Emmy for The Reason I Jump, RTS craft, IFMCA, SCL and World Soundtrack Award Discovery Of The Year wins and numerous nominations from the Ivor Novello, BIFA, Critics’ Choice and Cinema Eye Honors juries . In 2025 she captured ASCAP’s top video game prize for her score to EA’s Bafta acclaimed game Tales of Kenzera: Zau and her title theme for the Disney+ / AMC fantasy series Nautilus (starring Shazad Latif) earned a nomination for Television Theme of the Year. Her slate spans high profile television dramas, feature documentaries and triple A video games as well as BBC1 scripted series The Split Up (Sister Pictures), and projects for Nat Geo, Netflix and the BBC. Desai has scored the Disney+ / AMC / Amazon adventure series Nautilus, and all three seasons of ITV’s crime drama The Tower (starring Gemma Whelan, Jimmy Akinbola). On the festival circuit she is celebrated for the Sundance craft winning documentary Nocturnes (Cinema Eye 2025 nominee) and Hulu’s headline grabbing doc The Contestant. Nainita has also scored scripted series including BBC One’s Crossfire (starring Keely Hawes), Sky’s Funny Woman (starring Gemma Arterton) and StudioCanal’s feature Something in the Water. Her passion for natural history is evident in landmark series including The Wild Ones (Apple TV+), Earthsounds (Apple TV+), James Cameron’s Ocean Xplorers, National Geographic’s Emmy winning series Secrets of the Penguins and Predators (Netflix). Desai gained international acclaim for her scores to the Oscar nominated and Bafta / Cannes winning For Sama, Netflix’s 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (Emmy nominated score), Body Parts (Emmy nominated score) and the hit Netflix film The Deepest Breath. She has scored multiple No. 1 Netflix documentaries of the year, from American Murder: The Family Next Door to What Jennifer Did. Her music has been performed by renowned orchestras including City Of Birmingham Orchestra, Film Music Krakow, WSA Ghent, MOSMA Malaga, the Camille Awards in Paris, and SXSW London 2025. Desai is celebrated for her collaborations with acclaimed game creator Sam Barlow, scoring the BAFTA-winning interactive movie-games Telling Lies and Immortality, Call of Duty Modern Warfare II and is currently scoring a multi-year international installation project alongside new AAA franchise games. Other projects include the recently released solo album Tessellation, created for a large scale permanent installation in California and Australia. In the world of immersive storytelling, Born in London to Indian parents, Desai’s eclectic upbringing led her to study sitar, piano, guitar, tabla, violin, and voice. After earning a degree in mathematics, she trained in sound design at the National Film and Television School, going on to work as a sound designer on feature films including films for Bernardo Bertolucci and Werner Herzog, and as an assistant engineer for Peter Gabriel. With a strong sense of narrative empathy, Nainita Desai’s music - whether sweeping orchestral fantasy, minimal understated scoring, experimental hand-crafted sound design, or dark, edgy electronics - is always emotionally immersive. Every project has its own unique sonic world, as she fuses custom-built instruments, vintage synths, found sounds, and global influences into scores that are both expansive and intimate, always rooted in the emotional truth of the story. Her approach has led to collaborations with artists from Eivør to the London Contemporary Orchestra, and to documentary-musicals such as the BBC’s City of Dreams.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

From
London, England, UK
Works as
Composer
Titles
55 on MovieCove · 75 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 26Up 9% in 30 days

What are Nainita Desai's films like?

Across their 51 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
24%
Self
16%
Ideas
16%
Society
14%
Power
11%
Bonds
10%
Morality
9%
Survival11 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice11 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma9 titles, browse their movies with this themeNature7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds9 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression6 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy6 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 30 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 6 · Serious 9 · Dark 15

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

Grounded 23 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 12 · Intense 12

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

Steady 18 · Shifting 12 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 28 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 20 · Even-paced 10 · 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 7 · Engaged 16 · Full focus 7

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 7 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 13

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

Resolved 21 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
24
Contemplative
30
Dread
15
Hopeful
12
Warm
11
Other
38

How their films linger

Thought-provoking27 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet24
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous17
  • Cyclical4

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 Nainita Desai's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 47 of their 55 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Nainita Desai'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

75 credits, 55 with a MovieCove page.

  • Murder in Monaco(2025)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Wild Ones(2025)

    Show 6 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • Love & Rage: Munroe Bergdorf(2025)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Secrets of the Penguins(2025)

    Show 3 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember(2025)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Nautilus(2024)

    Show 10 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows

  • Nocturnes(2024)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • What Jennifer Did(2024)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Something in the Water(2024)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Soul Paint (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Composer

  • Earthsounds(2024)

    Show 12 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • OceanXplorers(2024)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Moro (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Composer

  • The Contestant(2023)

    Composer · Score Engineer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Call Me Dancer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Composer

  • The Deepest Breath(2023)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Giants(2023)

    Show Composer

  • Phantom Parrot(2023)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Crossfire(2022)

    Show 3 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all shows

  • Maryland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Composer

  • Body Parts(2022)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Delikado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Composer

  • First Blood(2022)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows

  • Predators(2022)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows

  • The Confession(2022)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all shows

  • The Wall: Climb for Gold(2022)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Boycott(2021)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible(2021)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Missing Children(2021)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • One cup, a Thousand Stories(2021)

    Show 6 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • High: Confessions of an Ibiza Drug Mule(2021)

    Show 5 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all shows

  • Persona: The Dark Truth Behind Personality Tests(2021)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Look Away(2021)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Sophie: A Murder in West Cork(2021)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • My Family, The Holocaust And Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 2 episodes · Composer

  • Bad Boy Billionaires: India(2020)

    Show 4 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • American Murder: The Family Next Door(2020)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Reason I Jump(2020)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Enslaved(2020)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Jungle Animal Rescue(2020)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Walking with Elephants(2020)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • For Sama(2019)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Day We Walked on the Moon(2019)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Darkness Visible(2019)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Enemy Within(2019)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • My Grandparents' War(2019)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • //_sleeper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Composer · Sound Designer

  • Anemone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Composer

  • CUR:FEW (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Composer

  • Untamed Romania(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Diana: The Day Britain Cried (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Composer

  • My Family, Partition and Me: India 1947 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 2 episodes · Composer

  • First Ladies Revealed(2017)

    Show 4 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Lost in Lebanon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Composer

  • Hunting the KGB Killers(2017)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • B Is for Book (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Composer

  • African River Wild(2016)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Story of...Coffee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Composer

  • The Day Hitler Died(2016)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Confessions of Thomas Quick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Composer

  • Million Dollar American Princesses(2015)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • The Mekong River with Sue Perkins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 4 episodes · Composer

  • Kennedy's Suicide Bomber(2013)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Being Poirot(2013)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Day Kennedy Died(2013)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Hunt for Bin Laden(2012)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • David Suchet on the Orient Express(2010)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

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

    Composer

  • Life or Death(2007)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Little Terrorist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Composer

  • Lion Battlefield (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Composer

  • Star Wars Dreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Composer

  • Death Machine(1994)

    Sound Designer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Backbeat(1994)

    Assistant Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Lessons of Darkness(1992)

    Assistant Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 52 titles from 1992 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Something in the Water (2024)

$1.5M worldwide

Highest rated

For Sama (2019)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Crossfire (2022)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music48 of 52: 47 only music, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score66thOther crew5 of 52: 4 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1990s3 · crew2000s4 · crew2010s17 · crew2020s28 · 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 a Primetime Emmy in 2022, Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score).

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 Nainita Desai's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 76th percentile, the median of all 33; across their 30 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 84th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Approval · how many liked their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Reach · how many have seen their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Midcredits score across 54 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up24
  • 50th to 74th15
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

18 of their 54 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved9
  • Universally Panned2
  • Divisive2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser18
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed17

Most divisive · composer

Love & Rage: Munroe Bergdorf (2025)

93rd percentile spread · 56% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

For Sama (2019)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 53/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles; fans 65, detractors 31. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

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 Nainita Desai's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 52 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles9–49 · median 18 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 41 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 12 · minimalMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles59–90 · median 67 · 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 Nainita Desai work with?

People who share at least 2 of Nainita Desai's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Malcolm Laws shares the most, 6.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles