Two-time Emmy-winning filmmaker David Nordstrom has worked as a writer, director, producer, editor, and actor on numerous projects for film and TV. A graduate of the Film Directing Program at CalArts, Nordstrom directed, executive produced, and was a supervising editor on HBO's Navajo Police: Class 57. Previously, he was a supervising editor and supervising story producer on the first season of the celebrated Netflix series Cheer, which earned him an Emmy and ACE award. Previously, he served as supervising editor on three seasons of the Peabody, and IDA award-nominated Last Chance U. In 2019 he won an Emmy for Outstanding Editing on the PBS documentary Wildland. Nordstrom also wrote and directed the feature film Sawdust City which premiered in competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival by Film Independent. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Arielle Kilker.
Read moreShow less
Biography from IMDb.
- Actor, editor and director, also producer
- 12 on MovieCove · 25 credits in all
What are David Nordstrom's films like?
Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 7
A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 1 · Dark 3
Grounded 5 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 2
Steady 2 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
A split, not a type: Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 3
A split, not a type: Resolved 4 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Roles they play
- Heroas Pincus in Pincus (2012)
- Shadowas Hiram Good in The Murder of Hi Good (2012)
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet2
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous6
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 David Nordstrom's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for David Nordstrom'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
25 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page.
Adulthood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Going Sane: The Rise and Fall of the Center for Feeling Therapy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
The Creep Tapes(2024)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Navajo Police: Class 57(2023)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows
Cheer(2020)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows
Wildland(2018)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Day of Forevermore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Last Chance U(2016)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Hang Loose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Giuseppe Makes a Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Bad Milo!(2013)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Pearblossom Hwy(2012)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Pincus(2012)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Murder of Hi Good(2012)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)Leave Me Like You Found Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Sawdust City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Littlerock(2010)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all filmsThe Hemingway Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Kid Icarus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Untitled (Thanks. Get in...) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Trona (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
DTLA (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Mom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 21 titles, 19 of them dated from 2004 to 2026.
Awards
Won a Primetime Emmy in 2020, Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program.
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 David Nordstrom's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 61st percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up5
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 12 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Divisive2
- Cult Classic3
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the acting 62/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 30. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
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 David Nordstrom's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does David Nordstrom work with?
People who share at least 2 of David Nordstrom's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Mike Ott shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Mike OttShared titles: Pearblossom Hwy (2012), The Murder of Hi Good (2012), Littlerock (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Mike Ott
- Alex JablonskiShared titles: Navajo Police: Class 57 (2023), Wildland (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Alex Jablonski
Writers
- Atsuko OkatsukaShared titles: Pearblossom Hwy (2012), Littlerock (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Atsuko Okatsuka
Actors
- Cory ZachariaShared titles: Pearblossom Hwy (2012), The Murder of Hi Good (2012), Littlerock (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Cory Zacharia
- Roberto SanchezShared titles: Pearblossom Hwy (2012), Littlerock (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Roberto Sanchez
- Ryan DillonShared titles: Pearblossom Hwy (2012), Littlerock (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Ryan Dillon
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Arielle KilkerShared titles: Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted (2024), Navajo Police: Class 57 (2023), Last Chance U (2016)See all 3 shared titles with Arielle Kilker
- Kahlil HudsonShared titles: Navajo Police: Class 57 (2023), Wildland (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Kahlil Hudson
- Tyler StricklandShared titles: Navajo Police: Class 57 (2023), Wildland (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Tyler Strickland
- James LaxtonShared titles: Bad Milo! (2013), The Murder of Hi Good (2012)See all 2 shared titles with James Laxton
Producers
- Frederick ThorntonShared titles: Pearblossom Hwy (2012), The Murder of Hi Good (2012), Littlerock (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Frederick Thornton
- Jay DuplassShared titles: The Creep Tapes (2024), Bad Milo! (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Jay Duplass
- Mark DuplassShared titles: The Creep Tapes (2024), Bad Milo! (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Mark Duplass
- Mark CumminsShared titles: Navajo Police: Class 57 (2023), Last Chance U (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Mark Cummins
Mixed roles
- Lee LynchShared titles: The Murder of Hi Good (2012), Littlerock (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Lee Lynch