Filmmaker and installation artist, Isaac Julien was born in 1960 in London, where he currently lives and works. His multi-screen film installations and photographs incorporate different artistic disciplines to create a poetic and unique visual language. His 1989 documentary-drama exploring author Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance titled Looking for Langston garnered Julien a cult following while his 1991 debut feature Young Soul Rebels won the Semaine de la Critique prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
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Biography from TMDB.
- February 21, 1960 (66)
- East End, London, England, UK
- Director and writer
- 4 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Known for
What are Isaac Julien's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 1
Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 0
Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
A split, not a type: Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 0
Resolved 2 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
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 Isaac Julien's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Isaac Julien'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
35 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Once Again... (Statues Never Die) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
Once Again... (Statues Never Die) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Encore No.1 Paradise Omeros (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Kill Your TV: Jim Moir’s Weird World of Video Art (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Lina Bo Bardi — A Marvelous Entanglement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Lessons of the Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Playtime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Ten Thousand Waves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Derek (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Western Union: Small Boats (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Portrait in Blue: Essex Hemphill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Fantôme Afrique (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Fantôme Creole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Encore II (Radioactive) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
True North (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Baltimore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Lost Boundaries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Baadasssss Cinema(2002)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Paradise Omeros (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Three (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Vagabondia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Long Road to Mazatlán (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
The Darker Side of Black (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
The Attendant (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Significant (Br)other (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Black and White in Colour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Young Soul Rebels(1991)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Looking for Langston (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Dreaming Rivers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
This Is Not an AIDS Advertisement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
The Passion of Remembrance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Territories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Who Killed Colin Roach? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Career shape
A full career of 35 titles from 1983 to 2025.
How do Isaac Julien's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 65th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th3
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 4 titles are Mixed.
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Mixed3
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 Isaac Julien work with?
People who share at least 2 of Isaac Julien's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Adam Finch shares the most, 2.
Cinematographers and editors
- Adam FinchShared titles: 30/30 Vision: 3 Decades of Strand Releasing (2019), Baadasssss Cinema (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Adam Finch
- Nina KellgrenShared titles: Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Mask (1995), Young Soul Rebels (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Nina Kellgren
Producers
- Colin MacCabeShared titles: Baadasssss Cinema (2002), Young Soul Rebels (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Colin MacCabe
