Born in Jordan, raised in Columbus, Ohio, and living in Los Angeles for the past 19 years, Sundance-winning writer/director Amin Matalqa makes films about dreamers and unsung heroes. His first feature Captain Abu Raed, won the Sundance World Cinema Audience Award (2008) and was the first Oscar submission from Jordan. Next he directed Disney's soccer drama, The United, followed by Strangely In Love, a Chaplinesque Los Angeles-set romantic comedy featuring Amanda Plummer; and The Rendezvous, a Hitchcockian caper adventure starring Stana Katic (Castle, Absentia) set across the Arabian desert. In Television, he co-wrote the pilot and directed two episodes of Netflix's teenage supernatural thriller, Jinn (2019). Amin has an MFA in Directing from the American Film Institute and is an alumnus of the ABC/DGA TV Directors program. His most recent film for Sony, 5000 Blankets, stars Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect) and is in post-production.
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Biography from TMDB.
- February 27, 1976 (50)
- Amman, Jordan
- Director, writer and producer
- 5 on MovieCove · 7 credits in all
What are Amin Matalqa's films like?
Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
Light 2 · Serious 2 · Dark 0
A split, not a type: Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1
Gentle 3 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 0
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet3
- Ambiguous1
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 Amin Matalqa's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 5 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).
Subscription and free streaming for Amin Matalqa'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
7 credits, 5 with a MovieCove page.
5000 Blankets(2022)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Jinn(2019)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all shows
The Rendezvous(2016)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Strangely in Love(2014)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all filmsThe United (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Captain Abu Raed(2007)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Hump (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 7 titles, 6 of them dated from 2008 to 2022.
Biggest box office
Captain Abu Raed (2007)
Highest rated
Captain Abu Raed (2007)
Most popular right now
5000 Blankets (2022)
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 Amin Matalqa's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 39th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 42nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 5 titles are Mixed.
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the atmosphere 68/100 and the pacing 45/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
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 Amin Matalqa work with?
People who share at least 2 of Amin Matalqa's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Matthew Antonelli shares the most, 3.
Writers
- Matthew AntonelliShared titles: 5000 Blankets (2022), Jinn (2019), Strangely in Love (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Matthew Antonelli
Actors
- Nadim SawalhaShared titles: The Rendezvous (2016), Captain Abu Raed (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Nadim Sawalha
Composers and cinematographers
- Austin WintoryShared titles: The Rendezvous (2016), Strangely in Love (2014), Captain Abu Raed (2007)See all 3 shared titles with Austin Wintory
- Reinhart 'Rayteam' PeschkeShared titles: Strangely in Love (2014), Captain Abu Raed (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Reinhart 'Rayteam' Peschke