Justin Simien

What are Justin Simien's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.

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 Justin Simien's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (3).

• Netflix3 titles, browse their movies on this service
  • Moonlight (2016) · thanks
  • Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop (2023) · producer
  • Dear White People (2017) · director, writer, producer
• Disney+2 titles, browse their movies on this service
  • Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop (2023) · producer
  • Haunted Mansion (2023) · director
• Hulu2 titles, browse their movies on this service
  • Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop (2023) · producer
  • Bad Hair (2020) · actor, director, writer, producer
• MGM+1 title, browse their movies on this service
  • Hollywood Black (2024) · actor, director, producer
• Tubi1 title, browse their movies on this service
  • Moonlight (2016) · thanks · free

Subscription and free streaming for Justin Simien'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

11 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page; 8 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

• 

  Stay for the Q&A (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

  as Victor Zigler, CVS (Cinematographer)
• 

  Hollywood Black(2024)

  Show 4 episodes · Director · Executive Producer · as Self

  Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all shows26^th
• 

  Haunted Mansion(2023)

  Director

  Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films41^st
• 

  Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop(2023)

  Show Producer

  Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows56^th
• 

  Bad Hair(2020)

  Director · Producer · Screenplay · as Reggie Watson

  Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films31^st
• 

  After Trek (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

  Show 1 episode · Actor
• 

  Dear White People(2017)

  Show 40 episodes · Director · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

  Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all shows21^st
• 

  Moonlight(2016)

  Thanks

  Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films92^nd
• 

  Dear White People(2014)

  Director · Producer · Screenplay

  Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films56^th
• 

  The Goldfish (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

  Editor
• Untitled Star Trek Live-Action Comedy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

  Show 1 episode · Creator · Executive Producer

Career shape

A full career of 10 titles, 9 of them dated from 2013 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Haunted Mansion (2023)

$117M worldwide

Highest rated

Dear White People (2014)

Midcredits 56^th

Most popular right now

Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop (2023)

Awards

3 major awards from 5 major nominations, 2014–2025.

1. 2025
   • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
2. 2015
   • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best First Screenplay
   • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best First Feature
3. 2014
   • Sundance award, won · Dramatic
   • Sundance award, nominated · Dramatic

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 Justin Simien's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49^th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 38^th percentile for acclaim.

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 7 titles are Mixed.

2113

• Divisive2
• Cult Classic1
• Crowd Pleaser1
• Mixed3

Most divisive · actor, director, producer

Hollywood Black (2024)

96^th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer, producer

Dear White People (2014)

Midcredits 56^th · 52% liked

Reviewers score the pacing 43/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 52, detractors 22. 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.

Is Justin Simien'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 Justin Simien work with?

People who share at least 2 of Justin Simien's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Lena Waithe shares the most, 3.