Eli Despres, ACE, created and directed the acclaimed Showtime series Couples Therapy with partners Josh Kriegman & Elyse Steinberg. He co-wrote and edited 'Weiner' (winner of the 2016 Sundance Grand Jury Prize, BAFTA nominee & shortlisted for the Academy Awards, 97% 'Fresh' at rottentomatoes.com). Despres co-wrote and edited 'Blackfish' (BAFTA nominee & shortlisted for the Academy Awards, 98% 'Fresh' at rottentomatoes.com), which was viewed by over 21 million people in the US alone, has catalyzed state and federal legislation. His other writing and editing credits include 'Red Army' (Cannes 2014, Sony Pictures Classics 97% 'Fresh' at rottentomatoes.com), 'They Call Us Monsters' (PBS), the Emmy-winning investigative journalism series 'Exposé' (PBS), feature documentary 'City Lax' (ESPN), short documentary 'At Risk' (ACAP) and the fiction feature 'Wilderness Survival for Girls' (ContentFilm/Image Entertainment), which he also directed. The Hollywood Reporter described his work as "Shattering... Eli Despres edits with propulsive narrative drive." Eli was nominated for the American Cinema Editors' Documentary award in 2014 and 2017. He is an active member of the American Cinema Editors (ACE) and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
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Biography from TMDB.
- Editor, producer, director and writer
- 7 on MovieCove · 9 credits in all
What are Eli B. Despres' films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
Light 1 · Serious 2 · Dark 2
Grounded 5 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 2
A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet4
- Ambiguous3
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 Eli B. Despres' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Eli B. Despres' 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
9 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all shows
Spermworld(2024)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
The Fight(2020)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Couples Therapy(2019)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
They Call Us Monsters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Weiner(2016)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Red Army(2014)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Blackfish(2013)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Wilderness Survival for Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Career shape
A full career of 9 titles from 2004 to 2024.
Awards
1 major award from 2 major nominations, 2020.
- Sundance award, won · Social Impact Filmmaking
- Sundance award, nominated · Documentary
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 Eli B. Despres' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 96th percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 93rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 7 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved4
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser1
Reviewers score the pacing 80/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 60. 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 Eli B. Despres work with?
People who share at least 2 of Eli B. Despres' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Elyse Steinberg shares the most, 5.
Directors
- Elyse SteinbergShared titles: Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (2024), Spermworld (2024), The Fight (2020), Couples Therapy (2019), Weiner (2016)See all 5 shared titles with Elyse Steinberg
- Josh KriegmanShared titles: Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (2024), Spermworld (2024), The Fight (2020), Couples Therapy (2019), Weiner (2016)See all 5 shared titles with Josh Kriegman
Actors
- Kali CyrusShared titles: Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (2024), Couples Therapy (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Kali Cyrus
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Sean McGingShared titles: Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (2024), The Fight (2020), Couples Therapy (2019), Weiner (2016)See all 4 shared titles with Sean McGing
- Kim RobertsShared titles: Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (2024), The Fight (2020), Couples Therapy (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Kim Roberts
- Delaney LynchShared titles: Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (2024), Couples Therapy (2019)See all 2 shared titles with Delaney Lynch
- Jeff BealShared titles: Weiner (2016), Blackfish (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Jeff Beal
Producers
- Christine AllenShared titles: Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (2024), Spermworld (2024), Couples Therapy (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Christine Allen
- Maya SeidlerShared titles: Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (2024), The Fight (2020), Couples Therapy (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Maya Seidler
- Olivia CucinottaShared titles: Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (2024), Spermworld (2024), Couples Therapy (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Olivia Cucinotta
- Sophie KissingerShared titles: Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (2024), Spermworld (2024), Couples Therapy (2019)See all 3 shared titles with Sophie Kissinger