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Matt Porwoll

Matt Porwoll

Cinematographer, also producer · Born February 8, 1983 (43) · Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Primetime Emmy winner · 1 other major award body

Matt Porwoll is an Emmy® and Sundance award-winning cinematographer based in New York. His work has screened theatrically, appeared on TV networks such as HBO, Showtime, Amazon, Netflix, Apple+, Discovery, CNN, A&E, and PBS, and has screened at film festivals worldwide. Porwoll shot the film TIGERLAND, directed by Academy Award®-winner Ross Kauffman, that premiered in competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and garnered a 2020 Cinema Eye Honors nomination for Best Broadcast Cinematography. Showtime's THE TRADE: SEASON 1, a 5-part documentary series about the opioid epidemic, was "beautifully shot" and "looks like carefully composed narrative cinema," says The Hollywood Reporter. The feature documentary CARTEL LAND, which Matt shot and co-produced, "allows us to care deeply about people while creating images that propel us through a landscape of nightmares." It won Best Cinematography Awards at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, 2016 Cinema Eye Honors and 2016 Primetime Emmys. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature. In addition to capturing intimate cinéma vérité, Porwoll also shot "dramatic recreations" for CNN's 4-part series LBJ: TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY and Showtime's CATCHING LIGHTNING with "reenactments that Errol Morris would approve of," says Rolling Stone. Porwoll has served as an additional cinematographer on numerous other films including THE FIRST WAVE, CITY OF GHOSTS and ESCAPE FIRE: THE FIGHT TO RESCUE AMERICAN HEALTHCARE, directed by Academy Award®-nominated director Matthew Heineman, THE ME YOU CAN'T SEE, executive-produced by Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry, HBO's Emmy®-nominated BY THE PEOPLE: THE ELECTION OF BARACK OBAMA, and HBO's CRISIS HOTLINE: VETERANS PRESS 1, which won the 2015 Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short. In addition to working as a cinematographer, Matt enjoys sharing the technical side of the craft as well. Whether its discussing documentary cinematography on his YouTube channel or collaborating with manufacturers about working with their equipment, teaching and sharing his experiences has been a rewarding complement to his work.

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Biography from IMDb.

Born
February 8, 1983 (43)
From
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Works as
Cinematographer, also producer
Titles
16 on MovieCove · 22 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 28Down 26% in 30 days

What are Matt Porwoll's films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
22%
Self
19%
Power
19%
Society
17%
Survival
12%
Bonds
7%
Ideas
5%
Justice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 3 · Dark 4

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 9 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 5 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 7 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Contemplative
11
Melancholic
6
Hopeful
4
Cold
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Thought-provoking10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet5
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous8

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 Matt Porwoll's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Matt Porwoll'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

22 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page.

  • All the Empty Rooms(2025)

    Cinematographer · Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Dynasty: New England Patriots(2024)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Once Upon a Time in Uganda(2021)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Catching Lightning(2023)

    Show 4 episodes · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Omara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Cinematographer

  • Tiger(2021)

    Show 1 episode · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • The Antidote(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Fandango at the Wall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Cinematographer

  • The Scheme(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America's Elections(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Suite No. 1, Prelude (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Cinematographer

  • The Pursuit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Cinematographer

  • Tigerland(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Trade(2018)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Unspeakable Crime: The Killing of Jessica Chambers(2018)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • Perfectly Normal for Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Cinematographer

  • Gone: The Forgotten Women of Ohio(2017)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Hate Rising with Jorge Ramos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Cinematographer

  • At the Fork(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Cartel Land(2015)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare(2012)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 17 titles from 2015 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Cartel Land (2015)

$1.1M worldwide

Highest rated

All the Empty Rooms (2025)

Midcredits 93rd

Most popular right now

The Dynasty: New England Patriots (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Producing1 of 17: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleCinematography17 of 17: 16 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score82nd

By decade

2010s7 · crew2020s10 · 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.

Awards

a Primetime Emmy and 1 other major award from 2 major nominations, 2015–2016.

  1. 2016
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program
  2. 2015
    • Sundance award, won · Documentary

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 Matt Porwoll's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 84th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 82nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

30thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · cinematographer

The Antidote (2020)

98th percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer, cinematographer

All the Empty Rooms (2025)

Midcredits 93rd · 80% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 75/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 70. 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.

Who does Matt Porwoll work with?

People who share at least 2 of Matt Porwoll's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Matthew Heineman shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Composers and editors

Producers