Willie Nel

Cinematographer

Works as: Cinematographer
Titles: 8 on MovieCove · 14 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 28Up 27% in 30 days

What are Willie Nel's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.

Genres

Drama3 titles36^th

Thriller2 titles45^th

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

share of theme weight

Survival

41%

Bonds

25%

Society

16%

Self

11%

Morality

4%

Ideas

2%

Survival3 Trauma4 Family bonds2 Isolation2

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films

ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

Earnest

Tone · Sincerity

ironicearnest

Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8

Serious

Tone · Weight

lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 5

Grounded

Tone · Style

naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

Charged

Feel · Intensity

gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 5 · Intense 3

Shifting

Feel · Swings

steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced

Feel · Humor

noneconstant

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 1

Even-paced

Demand · Pace

slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 1

Engaged

Demand · Attention

casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 0

Heavy

Demand · Emotional cost

easyheavy

Easy watch 2 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 5

Open-ended

Demand · Resolution

resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense

6

Melancholic

3

Dread

2

Bittersweet

3

Hopeful

2

Other

5

How their films linger

Haunting3 Hopeful3 Bittersweet2 Unsettling2 Thought-provoking2 Wistful2

How their films end

Happy1
Bittersweet6
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 Willie Nel's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Magnolia Selects1 title, show their title on Magnolia Selects
Monsters and Nightmares1 title, show their title on Monsters and Nightmares
Sundance Now1 title, show their title on Sundance Now
Warriors & Gangsters1 title, show their title on Warriors & Gangsters

Subscription and free streaming for Willie Nel'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

14 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight(2024)
Cinematographer
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Sophia(2025)
Cinematographer
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Queenstown Kings(2023)
Cinematographer
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Blood Psalms (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Show 11 episodes · Cinematographer
Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story(2023)
Cinematographer
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Settlers(2021)
Cinematographer
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
The Story of Racheltjie De Beer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Cinematographer
Knuckle City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Cinematographer
Meerkat Moonship (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Cinematographer
Tiger House(2015)
Cinematographer
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Spud 3: Learning to Fly(2014)
"A" Camera Operator · Cinematographer
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
Sleeper's Wake(2012)
Cinematographer
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Lucky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Cinematographer
White Wedding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 11 titles from 2009 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight (2024)

$833K worldwide

Highest rated

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight (2024)

Midcredits 77^th

By role

only this rolewith another role

Cinematography11 of 11 · 36^thOther crew1 of 11

By decade

2000s1 · crew2010s6 · crew2020s4 · 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.

How do Willie Nel's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 42^nd percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 38^th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

38^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

46^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

57^thpercentile

Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 8 titles, by percentile

75^th and up2
50^th to 74^th1
25^th to 49^th2
Below 25^th3

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 8 titles are Mixed.

Divisive1
Cult Classic1
Crowd Pleaser1
Mixed5

Most divisive · cinematographer

The Queenstown Kings (2023)

94^th percentile spread · 37% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight (2024)

Midcredits 77^th · 67% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 70/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 60. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

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 Willie Nel's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films

Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 28 · mild

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Willie Nel work with?

People who share at least 2 of Willie Nel's MovieCove titles; Ronnie Apteker shares the most, 2.

Ronnie Apteker2 titles See all 2 shared titles with Ronnie Apteker