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Paul Ruven

Paul Ruven

Writer, director and producer · Born August 19, 1958 (68) · Den Helder, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Paul Ruven is a Dutch film director, writer and producer.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 19, 1958 (68)
From
Den Helder, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Works as
Writer, director and producer
Titles
5 on MovieCove · 50 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 20% in 30 days

What are Paul Ruven's films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Bonds.

Genres

Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Thriller2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 3rd percentile
: browse their Thriller 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
Power
32%
Bonds
31%
Morality
21%
Self
11%
Survival
6%
Freedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 2 · Dark 3

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

Grounded 4 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 4 · Intense 1

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

A split, not a type: Steady 2 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 0 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 1

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 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 3

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
3
Dread
3
Contemplative
2
Melancholic
2
Bittersweet
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Thought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous2

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 Paul Ruven's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 5 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Subscription and free streaming for Paul Ruven'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

50 credits, 5 with a MovieCove page.

  • How to Survive Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Diary of a Weak Yogi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Writer

  • Hockney: I Love View (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Director

  • The Tatta's (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Producer

  • Het nieuwe Soestdijk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Producer

  • My Best Friend Anne Frank(2021)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Before Bedtime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Producer

  • Soccer Is War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Producer

  • Hostage X(2017)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Safe(2017)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Robin de Puy: Ik ben het allemaal zelf (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Producer

  • The Surrender (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director

  • Ushi Must Marry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director · Producer · Scenario Writer

  • Tula: The Revolt(2013)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Het Bombardement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Producer · Screenplay

  • Kill Zombie! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Executive Producer

  • Aldus Libelle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Producer

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

    Producer

  • Me & Mr Jones on Natalee Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director · Screenplay

  • The Garden Party (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Writer

  • Gangsterboys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director · Writer

  • Surprise! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Writer

  • Gebak van Krul (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

  • The Emperor's Wife(2003)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Maxima's Miracle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director · Writer

  • Javier Guzman: Deelt Uit I (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Director · Writer

  • Enigma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • The Fourteenth Chick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Scenario Writer

  • Sur place (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Filmpje! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Writer

  • Paradise Framed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Dream of a Shadow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Scenario Writer

  • ZAP (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director

  • En Route (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Writer

  • Witness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Director · Writer

  • Love Hurts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Writer

  • The Best Thing in Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Director · Writer

  • Ivanhood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director · Scenario Writer

  • Sahara Sandwich (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director · Writer

  • The Tears of Maria Machita (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director

  • Revelations of an Insomniac (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Scenario Writer

  • How to Survive a Broken Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director · Writer

  • Let the Music Dance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Writer

  • The Night of the Wild Donkeys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Writer

  • Max & Laura & Henk & Willie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director · Writer

  • Alaska (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Writer

  • Lost in Amsterdam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Writer

  • Pierrot Lunaire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Naughty Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    as Paul

  • Casta Diva (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Actor

Career shape

A full career of 49 titles from 1982 to 2026.

Biggest box office

My Best Friend Anne Frank (2021)

$1.8M worldwide

Highest rated

My Best Friend Anne Frank (2021)

Midcredits 60th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 49: 2 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting26 of 49: 7 only directing, 19 with another roleWriting31 of 49: 11 only writing, 20 with another roleProducing13 of 49: 8 only producing, 5 with another role

49 titles, 21 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 18 of them.

By decade

1980s6 · 2 acting · 4 crew1990s18 · crew2000s5 · crew2010s13 · crew2020s7 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Paul Ruven's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 23rd percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 17th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

17thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

32ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 5 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 5 titles are Mixed.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · director, producer

Hostage X (2017)

81st percentile spread · 72% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer, producer

My Best Friend Anne Frank (2021)

Midcredits 60th · 48% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 16/100 and the plot and story 29/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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 Paul Ruven work with?

People who share at least 2 of Paul Ruven's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Marian Batavier shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers