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Nat Sanders

Nat Sanders

Editor · Born August 8, 1980 (46) · New London, Connecticut, USA

Oscar nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Nathaniel Sanders (born August 9, 1980) is an American film editor. He is best known for his collaborations with Destin Daniel Cretton and Barry Jenkins. He won Independent Spirit Awards for both Short Term 12 (2013) and Moonlight (2016), as well as being nominated for an Academy Award for the latter. Description above from the Wikipedia article Nat Sanders, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 8, 1980 (46)
From
New London, Connecticut, USA
Works as
Editor
Titles
23 on MovieCove · 27 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 28Up 151% in 30 days

What are Nat Sanders' films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 55th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 86th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 89th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography 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
Bonds
43%
Self
26%
Survival
13%
Morality
11%
Power
4%
Society
3%
Family bonds8 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 9 · Serious 1 · Dark 5

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

Grounded 9 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 5 · Charged 5 · Intense 5

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

A split, not a type: Steady 7 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 4

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

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 7 · 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 6 · Engaged 8 · 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 4 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 6

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

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
8
Tense
7
Hopeful
6
Bittersweet
4
Absurd
5
Other
13

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet10
  • 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 Nat Sanders' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 23 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Nat Sanders' 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

27 credits, 23 with a MovieCove page.

  • Spider-Man: Brand New Day(2026)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • A Sad and Beautiful World(2025)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Next Goal Wins(2023)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Quiz Lady(2023)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings(2021)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Just Mercy(2019)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • If Beale Street Could Talk(2018)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Glass Castle(2017)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Moonlight(2016)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Tig(2015)

    Additional Editor

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Togetherness(2015)

    Show 3 episodes · Editor

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Laggies(2014)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The One I Love(2014)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Short Term 12(2013)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • She Said, She Said (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Editor

  • The Do-Deca-Pentathlon(2012)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Girls(2012)

    Show 9 episodes · Editor

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Nature Calls(2012)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • On the Ice(2011)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Your Sister's Sister(2011)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Our Idiot Brother(2011)

    Additional Editor

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Tiny Furniture(2010)

    Thanks · as Gallery-Goer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Freebie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Editor

  • Medicine for Melancholy(2008)

    Editor · Sound Designer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Humpday(2009)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Fashion House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 7 episodes · Editor

  • A Work in Progress (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    First Assistant Director

Career shape

A full career of 27 titles from 2002 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

$432M worldwide

Highest rated

Short Term 12 (2013)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 27: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleEditing24 of 27: 23 only editing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score69thOther crew4 of 27: 2 only other crew, 2 with another role

By decade

2000s4 · crew2010s18 · 1 acting · 18 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.

Awards

2 major awards from 4 major nominations, 2014–2017.

WinNomination
  1. 2017
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Film Editing
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Editing
  2. 2016
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Editing
  3. 2014
    • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Editing

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 Nat Sanders' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 21; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 23 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 23 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · editor

Nature Calls (2012)

54th percentile spread · 58% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · editor

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the pacing 49/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 60, 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.

Is Nat Sanders' work okay for kids?

Across up to 12 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles12–58 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity12 titles11–60 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity10 titles43–78 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs9 titles29–71 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles3–64 · median 44 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian 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 Nat Sanders work with?

People who share at least 2 of Nat Sanders' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Destin Daniel Cretton shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers