Siân Heder (/ˈʃɑːn ˈheɪdər/; born June 23, 1977) is an American filmmaker who is best known for writing and directing the films Tallulah and CODA. CODA earned Heder an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film also won the Academy Award for Best Picture and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur. Description above from the Wikipedia article Siân Heder, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 23, 1977 (49)
- Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Director, actor, writer and producer
- 13 on Motif · 19 credits in all
What are Sian Heder's films like?
Across their 5 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
Light 2 · Serious 2 · Dark 1
Grounded 5 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 4 · Intense 0
Steady 1 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 1
Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet3
- Other1
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 Sian Heder's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 13 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Hulu (3).
Subscription and free streaming for Sian Heder's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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
19 credits, 13 with a Motif page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2027)
Being Heumann(2026)
Motif score: 84th percentile of all films
Dìdi(2024)
Motif score: 92nd percentile of all films
CODA(2021)
Motif score: 99th percentile of all films
Little America(2020)
Motif score: 70th percentile of all shows
Barry(2018)
Motif score: 96th percentile of all shows
GLOW(2017)
Motif score: 90th percentile of all shows
Tallulah(2016)
Motif score: 72nd percentile of all films
Orange Is the New Black(2013)
Motif score: 90th percentile of all shows
Dog Eat Dog (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)
Dirt (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)
Mother (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)
Dorian Blues(2004)
Motif score: 66th percentile of all films
Numb3rs(2005)
Motif score: 52nd percentile of all shows
Boston Legal(2004)
Motif score: 96th percentile of all shows
Motif score: 90th percentile of all shows
Charmed(1998)
Motif score: 70th percentile of all showsImpossible (not in the Motif catalog yet)
The Blue Afternoon That Lasted Forever (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 19 titles, 16 of them dated from 1998 to 2026.
Film career
- 2005Screen debut· Dorian Blues
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 Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.
How do Sian Heder's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 84th percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 87th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th5
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 13 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved4
- Crowd Pleaser8
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 66/100 and the pacing 49/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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 Sian Heder work with?
People who share at least 2 of Sian Heder's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Daniel Durant shares the most, 2.
Actors
- Daniel DurantShared titles: Being Heumann (2026), CODA (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Daniel Durant
- Marlee MatlinShared titles: Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (2025), CODA (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Marlee Matlin
- Troy KotsurShared titles: Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (2025), CODA (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Troy Kotsur
Cinematographers and editors
- Geraud BrissonShared titles: Being Heumann (2026), CODA (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Geraud Brisson
- Paula HuidobroShared titles: CODA (2021), Tallulah (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Paula Huidobro
Producers
- Ged DickersinShared titles: CODA (2021), Tallulah (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Ged Dickersin
