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Ali Helnwein

Composer · Born March 25, 1982 (44) · Vienna, Austria

Composer/ conductor Ali Helnwein was born in Vienna, Austria. His music has been heard on TV and Radio, in venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and has been performed by world class musicians, including principal members of orchestras such as the LA Phil and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. In the field of arranging/ orchestrating, he has worked on a Grammy Nominated album (writing all the orchestral arrangements, for artist Draco Rosa). Ali's film scores have contributed to many prestigious film festival awards. In 2010 his "Rain" Violin Concerto was commissioned by Kat Von D and premiered in downtown LA's historic Million Dollar Theater, conducted by David Campbell. In 2006 he founded the Traction Avenue Chamber Orchestra, which he has been successfully conducting since. The orchestra has become known for showing up in places where one normally wouldn't expect an orchestra, premiering new works, and playing to new audiences - performing in places such as a skatepark, a Chinatown Alley, the rooftop of the Standard, etc. Aside from his own orchestra, he has worked with many other orchestras across the U.S. and around the World. In his early career, Ali studied at Media Ventures - Hans Zimmer's film music studio, and 7 years under David Campbell (over 427 Gold and Platinum albums). At both Media Ventures and under David Campbell he was involved in the working process of several Oscar nominated and Oscar winning scores. Press articles mentioning Ali include Los Angeles Times, W Magazine, LA Record, LA Weekly, The Huffington Post, Juxtapoz, Foam and many others.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
March 25, 1982 (44)
From
Vienna, Austria
Works as
Composer
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 57 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 39 days to Oct 28Down 8% in 30 days

What are Ali Helnwein's films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Genres

Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 26th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Horror3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 12th percentile
: browse their Horror movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Thriller2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 29th 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
Survival
30%
Self
19%
Morality
17%
Bonds
14%
Society
11%
Power
9%
Ideas
1%
Survival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief5 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 11 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 7 · Intense 6

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

Steady 6 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 6

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

Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 3

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

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

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

Easy watch 5 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 4

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 9 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
12
Melancholic
9
Contemplative
5
Absurd
6
Dread
3
Other
18

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet9
  • 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 Ali Helnwein's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ali Helnwein'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

57 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page.

  • Soirée Gauche (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Composer

  • The Symphony of Dance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Composer

  • Gaza's Twins, Come Back to Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Composer

  • Imago (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Composer

  • Electra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Composer

  • Such a Pretty Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Composer

  • Everyone Does It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Score Engineer

  • The Guy Who Got Cut Wrong (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Composer

  • Happy Birthday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Composer

  • Play Hard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Composer

  • Made in Ethiopia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Composer

  • A Time Apart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Composer

  • The Tamarind Singer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Composer

  • Love Bomb(2024)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Burned to the Ground (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Composer

  • This Much We Know(2022)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Xie Xie, Ollie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Composer

  • MOTHER OF THE DAWN (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Composer

  • 80 for Brady(2023)

    Additional Music

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Bravo, Burkina!(2023)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Stray in Kars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Composer

  • He Watches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Composer

  • Brut Force(2022)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Other Monsters(2022)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • The Ticket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Composer

  • Stray(2020)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Mail Companion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer

  • Squeegee (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Composer

  • Ed Ruscha - Motorized Photographs of Sunset Blvd. and Other L.A. Streets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Composer

  • Darlin'(2019)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Bug Bite (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Composer

  • Connecting the Dots: The Story of Feeling Through (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Composer

  • Father Figurine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Composer

  • Balloon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Composer

  • Ruta Madre(2019)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • The VelociPastor(2018)

    Music Arranger

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Red Light (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Composer · Editor

  • Le Mans 1955 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Composer

  • Ascension(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Chi-Town(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Hospitality(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Lilith(2018)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Nevada (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Composer

  • Kaleidoscope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Composer

  • Pretext (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Composer

  • Boomtown(2017)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Frontier(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • No Way to Live(2016)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • The Asian Connection(2016)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • The Wicked Within (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Composer

  • Bad Roomies(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Keep in Touch(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Pups United(2015)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Fruits De Mer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Accordionist

  • Face in the Crowd (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Composer

  • La Petite Mort (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Composer

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

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 46 titles from 2010 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Stray (2020)

$54K worldwide

Highest rated

Stray (2020)

Midcredits 79th

Most popular right now

Darlin' (2019)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 46: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleMusic43 of 46: 42 only music, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score34thEditing1 of 46: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew2 of 46: 2 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

2010s20 · 1 acting · 19 crew2020s26 · 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 Ali Helnwein's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 26th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 21st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

21stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

26thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th10

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 21 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive2
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · composer

Ruta Madre (2019)

95th percentile spread · 38% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Chi-Town (2018)

Midcredits 93rd · 80% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 50/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles; fans 70, detractors 28. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

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 Ali Helnwein's 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 Ali Helnwein work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ali Helnwein's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; D.A. McCormick shares the most, 6.

Directors

Actors

Composers

Producers