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David Zieff

David Zieff

Editor, director and producer, also writer

For nearly four decades, David Zieff has shaped award-winning documentaries, features and television across music, comedy, and sociopolitical landscapes. Most recently, he edited the Tribeca Festival Spotlight Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive and Matthew Heineman’s The First Wave, which earned seven Emmy nominations and three wins, including Best Editing. His work on Amazon’s Emmy-winning Wildcat received an IDA nomination for Best Editing. Zieff’s credits include the Tribeca-opening Time Is Illmatic, chronicling rap icon NAS’s landmark debut album, and Alive Inside, the Sundance Audience Award-winning film exploring music and memory. He also directed and edited McConkey, an Emmy-nominated portrait of the legendary extreme skier, and won a coveted Peabody Award for the documentary mini-series Black Magic. His numerous Sundance entries include Crazy Love-- which won Best Documentary at the Independent Spirit Awards, for which he was also a producer-- Happy Valley, Amir Bar-Lev’s exploration of the Penn State scandal, and ESPN’s acclaimed Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks. Zieff also edited the multi-award-winning Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, shaping 1,600 hours of footage into one of the most celebrated music films of all time. As a creative consultant, Zieff has contributed to dozens of films, including the Oscar-winning The Cove. A mentor and educator as well as an artist, he was selected to serve as a Creative Advisor at the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Edit & Story Lab and as an adjunct professor at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Editor, director and producer, also writer
Titles
24 on MovieCove · 30 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 28% in 30 days

What are David Zieff's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.

Genres

Documentary16 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile
: browse their Comedy 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
Society
35%
Self
24%
Morality
13%
Bonds
13%
Survival
11%
Power
3%
Ideas
1%
Community8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFaith2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 19 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 17 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 7 · Charged 5 · Intense 7

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

A split, not a type: Steady 11 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 4

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

Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 11 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Contemplative
10
Joyful
6
Hopeful
6
Melancholic
7
Other
19

How their films linger

Thought-provoking10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet13
  • Ambiguous5
  • 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 David Zieff's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 24 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David Zieff'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

30 credits, 24 with a MovieCove page.

  • Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive(2023)

    Editor · Producer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Wildcat(2022)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Human Trial(2022)

    Story Consultant

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The First Wave(2021)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52(2021)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • AKA Jane Roe(2020)

    Associate Editor

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Boy from Medellín(2020)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • After The Murder Of Albert Lima (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Editor

  • Basketball: A Love Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 62 episodes · Editor · Producer

  • Do or Die (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Editor

  • Speed Sisters(2015)

    Consulting Editor

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Among the Believers(2015)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Nas: Time Is Illmatic(2014)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory(2014)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Happy Valley(2014)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • McConkey(2013)

    Director · Editor · Writer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Kelly Clarkson's Cautionary Christmas Music Tale(2013)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Paul Williams: Still Alive(2011)

    Editor · Producer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Exporting Raymond(2010)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Editor

  • Black Magic(2008)

    Show Editor · Producer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

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

    Additional Editor

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Crazy Love(2007)

    Editor · Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Indian Point: Imagining the Unimaginable(2004)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Metallica: Some Kind of Monster(2004)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Next Big Thing(2001)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Robinson Crusoe(1997)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Escape From a Wonderful Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Wilderness: The Last Stand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Editor

  • The State(1993)

    Show Editor

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 21 titles from 1993 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)

$2M worldwide

Highest rated

Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory (2014)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

The State (1993)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing2 of 21: 2 only directing, 0 with another roleWriting1 of 21: 1 only writing, 0 with another roleProducing2 of 21: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleEditing16 of 21: 14 only editing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score82ndOther crew2 of 21: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1990s3 · crew2000s3 · crew2010s10 · crew2020s5 · 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 David Zieff's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 79th percentile, the median of all 22; across their 19 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 19

Approval · how many liked their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 24 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up15
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th3

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 24 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · editor

The Boy from Medellín (2020)

89th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · editor

Alive Inside: A Story of Music and Memory (2014)

Midcredits 98th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the pacing 54/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles; fans 63, detractors 31. 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 David Zieff work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Zieff's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; H. Scott Salinas shares the most, 3.

Directors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles