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Sean Ellis

Sean Ellis

Director, writer, producer and cinematographer · Born January 1, 1970 (56) · Brighton, Sussex, England, UK

Oscar nominee · BAFTA Award nominee · 1 other major award body

Sean Ellis (born 1970) is a British film director, writer, producer and fashion photographer. He is best known for his films Cashback (2004), the Tagalog-language film Metro Manila (2013), and Anthropoid (2016). Description above from the Wikipedia article Sean Ellis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 1, 1970 (56)
From
Brighton, Sussex, England, UK
Works as
Director, writer, producer and cinematographer
Titles
7 on MovieCove · 12 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 157 days to Oct 28Down 17% in 30 days

What are Sean Ellis' films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
27%
Morality
26%
Survival
17%
Bonds
15%
Society
11%
Ideas
5%
Guilt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 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 5

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 4

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

Steady 0 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 3 · 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 1 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 2

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 5

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 4 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Dread
4
Melancholic
5
Bittersweet
1
Contemplative
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Haunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Bittersweet4
  • 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 Sean Ellis' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Sean Ellis' 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, 7 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Cut(2024)

    Director · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Cursed(2021)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Anthropoid(2016)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • CityLights(2014)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Metro Manila (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Director · Cinematographer · Executive Producer · Producer · Screenplay · Story

  • The Broken(2008)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Business Trip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer

  • Flashbacks of a Fool(2008)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Cashback(2006)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Cashback (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director · Writer

  • Left Turn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · Writer

  • End of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 11 titles, 10 of them dated from 2001 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Anthropoid (2016)

$5.1M worldwide

Highest rated

CityLights (2014)

Midcredits 89th

Most popular right now

Cashback (2006)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing10 of 11: 1 only directing, 9 with another role · typical Midcredits score52ndWriting8 of 11: 0 only writing, 8 with another roleProducing6 of 11: 1 only producing, 5 with another roleCinematography4 of 11: 0 only cinematography, 4 with another role

11 titles, 9 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 8 of them.

By decade

2000s6 · crew2010s2 · 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 5 major nominations, 2006–2014.

WinNomination
  1. 2014
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Film not in the English Language
  2. 2013
    • Sundance award, won · World Cinema - Dramatic
    • Sundance award, nominated · World Cinema - Dramatic
  3. 2009
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Short Film
  4. 2006
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Short Film, Live Action

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 Sean Ellis' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 70th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 7 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 7 titles divides audiences: 4 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most loved · writer, producer

CityLights (2014)

Midcredits 89th · 80% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 75/100 and the pacing 39/100 in their films, across 7 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.

Is Sean Ellis' work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 89 · severeMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles33–75 · median 52 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 29 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 41 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 89 · severeMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Sean Ellis work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sean Ellis' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Lene Bausager shares the most, 3.

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers