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Sam Dunn

Sam Dunn

Director, producer and writer, also actor · Born March 20, 1974 (52) · Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Sam Dunn is a Canadian anthropologist and film-maker whose work focuses on the culture of heavy metal. Together with Scot McFadyen, Dunn owns Toronto-based production company Banger Films, Inc. Description above from the Wikipedia article Sam Dunn, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 20, 1974 (52)
From
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Works as
Director, producer and writer, also actor
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 22 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 33% in 30 days

What are Sam Dunn's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
39%
Self
24%
Bonds
14%
Ideas
11%
Survival
10%
Power
2%
Legacy7 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 10 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 9 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 7 · Intense 2

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

Steady 7 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 6 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
7
Warm
7
Contemplative
6
Thrilling
5
Triumphant
5
Other
8

How their films linger

Rousing9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous1
  • 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 Sam Dunn's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sam Dunn'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

22 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Neil Peart: No One's Disciple(2026)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Ballad of Judas Priest(2026)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Profumo Affair: Stephen Thrower on "The Perfume of the Lady in Black" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Executive Producer

  • Heavy Metal Hitchhiker: The Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Executive Producer

  • Nurture & Nature (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Executive Producer

  • Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story(2024)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Geddy Lee Asks: Are Bass Players Human Too?(2023)

    Show 4 episodes · Director · Creator · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine(2021)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas(2019)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Long Time Running(2017)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Hip-Hop Evolution(2016)

    Show 16 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Satan Lives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director · Writer

  • Super Duper Alice Cooper(2014)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Gaming Show (In My Parents Garage)(2014)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all shows

  • Story of Metal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 11 episodes · Creator · as Sam Dunn

  • Metal Evolution(2011)

    Show 12 episodes · Director · Creator · as Himself

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Rush: Time Machine - Live in Cleveland 02011(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage(2010)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Joe Bonamassa: Live from the Royal Albert Hall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Camera Operator

  • Iron Maiden: Flight 666(2009)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Global Metal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Himself

  • Metal: A Headbanger's Journey(2005)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 19 titles from 2005 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 (2009)

$233K worldwide

Highest rated

Neil Peart: No One's Disciple (2026)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Metal Evolution (2011)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 19: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting14 of 19: 4 only directing, 10 with another role · typical Midcredits score97thWriting6 of 19: 0 only writing, 6 with another roleProducing10 of 19: 4 only producing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score93rdOther crew4 of 19: 0 only other crew, 4 with another role

19 titles, 11 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

2000s4 · crew2010s8 · 1 acting · 8 crew2020s7 · 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 Sam Dunn's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 96th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 95th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

96thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up14
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 15 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved10
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · producer

Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story (2024)

90th percentile spread · 22% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer, producer

Neil Peart: No One's Disciple (2026)

Midcredits 99th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 76/100 and the pacing 67/100 in their films, across 8 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 Sam Dunn work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sam Dunn's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Scot McFadyen shares the most, 13.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers