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Ben Lester

Ben Lester

Editor · Born March 16, 1978 (48) · London, England, UK

BAFTA Award winner

Ben Lester was born on 16 March 1978 in London, England, UK. Ben is an editor and producer, known for Bird Box (2018), The Night Manager (2016) and Nine Perfect Strangers (2021).

Biography from IMDb.

Born
March 16, 1978 (48)
From
London, England, UK
Works as
Editor
Titles
24 on MovieCove · 32 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 11% in 30 days

What are Ben Lester's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
34%
Morality
27%
Self
16%
Bonds
15%
Society
6%
Power
3%
Justice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMortality2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 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 7

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

Grounded 5 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 6

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

Steady 5 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 4 · 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 1 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

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

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 7

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

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Melancholic
9
Dread
5
Contemplative
3
Thrilling
2
Other
6

How their films linger

Hopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet9
  • Tragic2

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 Ben Lester's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 24 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ben Lester'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

32 credits, 24 with a MovieCove page.

  • Margo's Got Money Troubles(2026)

    Show 8 episodes · Co-Producer · Editor

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Zero Day(2025)

    Show 6 episodes · Editor

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows

  • Presumed Innocent(2024)

    Show 8 episodes · Consulting Producer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • A Man in Full(2024)

    Show 2 episodes · Editor

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Love & Death(2023)

    Show 3 episodes · Editor

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Nine Perfect Strangers(2021)

    Show 8 episodes · Consulting Producer · Editor

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows

  • The Undoing(2020)

    Show 6 episodes · Editor

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all shows

  • Bird Box(2018)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Electric Dreams(2017)

    Show 1 episode · Editor

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • NW(2016)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Night Manager(2016)

    Show 6 episodes · Editor

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Black Work(2015)

    Show Editor

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • The Widower(2014)

    Show Editor

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • The White Queen(2013)

    Show 3 episodes · Editor

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Shetland(2013)

    Show 2 episodes · Editor

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Bird in a Box (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Editor

  • Mrs Biggs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Editor

  • Mrs Biggs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Show 5 episodes · Editor

  • The Dinosaur Project(2012)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Black Mirror(2011)

    Show 1 episode · Editor

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Marchlands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 5 episodes · Editor

  • The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister(2010)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Day of the Triffids (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 2 episodes · Editor

  • The Diary of Anne Frank (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Show 2 episodes · Editor

  • 1929: The Great Crash (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Editor

  • 9/11: Phone Calls from the Towers(2009)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Secret Diary of the Holocaust(2009)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Day of the Kamikaze(2008)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Beckoning Silence(2007)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Deep Water(2006)

    Editor

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • I Shouldn't Be Alive(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Editor

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • Seconds from Disaster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Editor

Career shape

A full career of 27 titles from 2005 to 2026.

Biggest box office

The Dinosaur Project (2012)

$2.4M worldwide

Highest rated

Deep Water (2006)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

The Night Manager (2016)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Producing3 of 27: 1 only producing, 2 with another roleEditing26 of 27: 24 only editing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score78th

By decade

2000s7 · crew2010s13 · crew2020s7 · 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

a BAFTA Award from 2 major nominations, 2010–2017.

WinNomination
  1. 2017
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Editing: Fiction
  2. 2010
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Sound Factual

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 Ben Lester's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 9 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 9

Approval · how many liked their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 24 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 24 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · editor

The Secret Diary of the Holocaust (2009)

60th percentile spread · 16% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · editor

Black Mirror (2011)

Midcredits 98th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the pacing 66/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 35. 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 Ben Lester work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ben Lester's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Smithson shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers

Producers