Mike Saenz is a filmmaker based in Austin, Texas. His USC short film, "Casablanca" was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival. As Editor, he has cut feature films and documentaries, both long form and short. His first feature as Editor, "Special," was selected for the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. He cut "In Perpetuity," a documentary featurette produced by the USC Shoah Foundation Institute in partnership with Steven Spielberg. The film aired with "Schindler's List" on HBO. Mike cut Richard Linklater's first television series, "Up to Speed," featuring Timothy "Speed" Levitch, and has worked as Assistant Editor for Sandra Adair on Linklater's "Bernie," "Before Midnight," and That's What I'm Talking About." He was First Assistant Editor for Sandra Adair on "Boyhood," which was nominated for the 2015 Academy Award for Best Film Editing.
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Biography from IMDb.
- November 20, 1972 (53)
- Howard AFB, Panama City, Panama
- Editor, actor and producer
- 9 on MovieCove · 12 credits in all
What are Mike Saenz's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Ideas.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 1 · Dark 1
Grounded 5 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 1
Steady 4 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
A split, not a type: Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 1
Casual 4 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 0
A split, not a type: Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet3
- Ambiguous2
- 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 Mike Saenz's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Mike Saenz'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
12 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page.
Chop & Steele(2022)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Kid 90(2021)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Fugitive Dreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
Happy Jail(2019)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows
The Honor Farm(2017)
Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films
The Citizen(2012)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Up to Speed(2012)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows
Broken Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Special(2006)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
Unrest(2006)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Casablanca (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Career shape
A full career of 9 titles from 2002 to 2022.
Film career
- 2006Screen debut· Special
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 Mike Saenz's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 48th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th3
- 25th to 49th3
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 9 titles are Mixed.
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the pacing 42/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 61, detractors 24. The element that speaks to their work as an editor.
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 Mike Saenz work with?
People who share at least 2 of Mike Saenz's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Graham Reynolds shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Jason Todd IpsonShared titles: Everybody Wants to Be Italian (2007), Unrest (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Jason Todd Ipson
Actors
- Jay JablonskiShared titles: Everybody Wants to Be Italian (2007), Unrest (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Jay Jablonski
- Marisa PetroroShared titles: Everybody Wants to Be Italian (2007), Unrest (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Marisa Petroro
Composers and cinematographers
- Graham ReynoldsShared titles: Happy Jail (2019), The Honor Farm (2017), Up to Speed (2012)See all 3 shared titles with Graham Reynolds
- Michael CohenShared titles: Everybody Wants to Be Italian (2007), Unrest (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Cohen
- Michael FimognariShared titles: Everybody Wants to Be Italian (2007), Unrest (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Fimognari
Producers
- Jaime BurkeShared titles: Everybody Wants to Be Italian (2007), Unrest (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Jaime Burke
- James HuntsmanShared titles: Everybody Wants to Be Italian (2007), Unrest (2006)See all 2 shared titles with James Huntsman
