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Benedict Neuenfels

Benedict Neuenfels

Cinematographer · Born March 11, 1966 (60) · Bern, Switzerland

Born 1966 in Bern/Switzerland as the son of actress Elisabeth Trissenaar and director Hans . First encounter with film-industry 1982 as production assistant for the feature Penthesiliea. He worked several years as camera assistant and operator for R.W. Fassbinder's former DP Xaver Schwarzenberger and Wim Wenders close collaborator Robby Mueller. In early years he founded his own low-budget orientated production company Giselafilms Berlin. Since his study at the german film and television school (dffb) in Berlin, he is responsible for the cinematography of more than 60 features and documentaries and additional for the lighting design of various stage plays in opera and theater. He is giving master- camera -classes in major film schools in Germany for more than 20 years. Benedict Neuenfels is member of the german, austrian and european film-academy. His work has been awarded numerous times. He received several times both the prestigious Grimme Award and the German Television award, the Bavarian and the German Film Award each, as well as seven times the German Camera Award for outstanding cinematography. The counterfeiters, which he photographed in 2007, won an Academy Award for best foreign feature film the following year. In 2011 he was honored by the German Academy of Arts for outstanding achievement in cinematography. In 2018 he received various awards for the feature STYX. In 2019 he received the Lifetime Honory Award for Cinematography - German Camera Award . So he will join the chain of outstanding former recipients like Michael Ballhaus, Robby Mueller, Renato Berta, Slawomir Idziak, Xaver Schwarzenberger, Judith Kaufmann, Elfie Mikesch, Jürgen Jürges...

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 11, 1966 (60)
From
Bern, Switzerland
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
16 on MovieCove · 39 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 3% in 30 days

What are Benedict Neuenfels' films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.

Genres

Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
25%
Morality
22%
Self
18%
Bonds
14%
Power
11%
Ideas
8%
Society
2%
Survival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 6 · Dark 7

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 2

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 6 · Intense 8

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 3

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

Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 8 · 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 3 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 2

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 8 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
12
Dread
5
Melancholic
7
Contemplative
6
Cold
4
Other
10

How their films linger

Thought-provoking12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous9

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 Benedict Neuenfels' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Benedict Neuenfels' 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

39 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Icefall(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Stella: A Life(2023)

    Cinematographer · Visual Effects Supervisor

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • In a Land That No Longer Exists(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Hinterland(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • I'm Your Man(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Narcissus and Goldmund(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • 8 Days (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Show 8 episodes · Camera Technician

  • Patient Zero(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Styx(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Cold Hell(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Fatal News (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 2 episodes · Cinematographer

  • Girl in the Ice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Cinematographer

  • Radical Evil(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Weekend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Cinematographer

  • Riskante Patienten (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Camera Operator

  • Cause I Have the Looks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Cinematographer

  • Homevideo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Cinematographer

  • Mahler on the Couch(2010)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • A Woman in Berlin(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Man from the Embassy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Cinematographer

  • Love Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Cinematographer

  • The Counterfeiters(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Red Cockatoo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Cinematographer

  • 21 Liebesbriefe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Cinematographer

  • They've Got Knut (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Cinematographer

  • A Map of the Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Cinematographer

  • Olga's Summer(2002)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • 99euro-films(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Ich bin keiner von uns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Cinematographer

  • Lost Killers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Camera Operator

  • Lady Rettich, Czerni and I (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Cinematographer

  • Mein großer Freund (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Cinematographer

  • The Scorpion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Cinematographer

  • Landgang für Ringo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Cinematographer

  • Bunte Hunde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Cinematographer

  • Frauen sind was Wunderbares (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Cinematographer

  • Ins Leere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Cinematographer

  • Tatort(1970)

    Show 4 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Kristallnacht (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 37 titles, 36 of them dated from 1970 to 2025.

Biggest box office

The Counterfeiters (2007)

$19M worldwide

Highest rated

The Counterfeiters (2007)

Midcredits 95th

Most popular right now

Icefall (2025)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography34 of 37: 33 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score56thOther crew4 of 37: 3 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1970s1 · crew1990s7 · crew2000s10 · crew2010s12 · 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 Benedict Neuenfels' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · cinematographer

Olga's Summer (2002)

65th percentile spread · 18% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

The Counterfeiters (2007)

Midcredits 95th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 71/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 51. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

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 Benedict Neuenfels' work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 50 · moderateMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Benedict Neuenfels work with?

People who share at least 2 of Benedict Neuenfels' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Stefan Ruzowitzky shares the most, 7.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers