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Tia Lessin

Tia Lessin

Producer and director, also actor and writer

Oscar nominee · Primetime Emmy nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Tia Lessin is an American film and television producer and director, especially for documentaries.

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Producer and director, also actor and writer
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 17 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 155 days to Oct 26Up 4% in 30 days

What are Tia Lessin's films like?

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

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
27%
Society
26%
Ideas
19%
Survival
15%
Morality
9%
Bonds
5%
Community4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope3 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 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 6

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

Grounded 11 · Stylized 0 · 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

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 4 · 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 2 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 0

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 5 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 2

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

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Hopeful
7
Tense
6
Contemplative
5
Absurd
3
Warm
2
Other
6

How their films linger

Hopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous6
  • Other1

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 Tia Lessin's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Tia Lessin'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

17 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.

  • Steal This Story, Please!(2025)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • The Janes(2022)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Cooked: Survival by Zip Code(2019)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Fahrenheit 11/9(2018)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Michael Moore in TrumpLand(2016)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Where to Invade Next(2015)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Citizen Koch(2013)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • George Harrison: Living in the Material World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 2 episodes · Consulting Producer

  • Capitalism: A Love Story(2009)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Trouble the Water(2008)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Amazing Journey: The Story of the Who(2007)

    Supervising Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Bowling for Columbine(2002)

    Supervising Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • The Awful Truth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 24 episodes · Producer

  • The Big One(1997)

    Coordinating Producer · as Herself

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Associate Producer

  • Behind the Labels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • Sink or Swim (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 14 titles, 12 of them dated from 1995 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

$58M worldwide

Highest rated

Steal This Story, Please! (2025)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing6 of 14: 4 only directing, 2 with another roleProducing10 of 14: 8 only producing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score90th

By decade

1990s3 · crew2000s3 · crew2010s4 · crew2020s2 · 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

1 major award from 7 major nominations, 1999–2022.

WinNomination
  1. 2022
    • Sundance award, nominated · Documentary
  2. 2013
    • Sundance award, nominated · Documentary
  3. 2009
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Documentary, Features
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
  4. 2008
    • Sundance award, won · Documentary
  5. 2001
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Reality)
  6. 1999
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Non-Fiction Series

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 Tia Lessin's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 86th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 83rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

65thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 12 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · producer

Michael Moore in TrumpLand (2016)

84th percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, producer

Steal This Story, Please! (2025)

Midcredits 98th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 67/100 and the pacing 58/100 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 Tia Lessin work with?

People who share at least 2 of Tia Lessin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Carl Deal shares the most, 6.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles