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Dani Salo

Dani Salo

Cinematographer and producer · Jerez de la Frontera

Dani is an avid moviegoer, and loves to chat about film. He speaks five languages, yet thinks that visual language is universal. Born in Andalucia, the land of Lorca, Picasso and Valdelomar, he lives and works in between Los Angeles, India and Spain. With laurels for his cinematography from the European Cinematography Awards, HatchFest, New York Cinematography Awards, Asian Cinematography Awards, and Los Angeles Film Festival Awards, as well as 3 Indian National Academy Awards, Dani lends his eye to films that aim to push for a version of reality in which we can understand the other. Diversity, Equality, Human Rights are at the core of his work in Mahanati (The Great Actress), The Journey Within Coke Studio, or HEAL, that are well known, and Miseducation of Bindu, Duende, San Pacchattar (Year 75), Virataparvam that will hit your screens soon. He also works as Director and DOP with commercials and music videos for T-Series, Samsung, Estrella Galicia, or Yash Raj Films. @buddhistandqueer: The Path from Sarees to Robes marks his documentary directorial debut. Dani studied Film and Visual Arts in Chapman University, Cornell University, the UK and Spain thanks to scholarships like La Caixa Fellowship. He enjoys sharing what he knows in workshops for institutions like FTII (Film and Television Institute of India), Chapman University, University of California Irvine, or NYFA in the USA, Sanjan Institute in Lahore, or UCA's Film School in Spain. Dani also exhibits his work in the museum space, with series like #rituals, River of Ashes, Transmission or Projections.

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Biography from IMDb.

From
Jerez de la Frontera
Works as
Cinematographer and producer
Titles
9 on MovieCove · 18 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 33% in 30 days

What are Dani Salo's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
28%
Bonds
25%
Society
24%
Survival
13%
Morality
5%
Ideas
3%
Power
2%
Romantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 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 0 · Dark 4

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 1 · Intense 3

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

Steady 2 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 3 · 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 1 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

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 1 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 3

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 3 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Romantic
4
Contemplative
3
Melancholic
3
Warm
1
Other
3

How their films linger

Bittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic2
  • 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 Dani Salo's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Dani Salo'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

18 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page.

  • Rakhi Sawant Ki Shaadi Mein (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Cinematographer

  • Kaantha(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Polar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Cinematographer

  • The English Neighborhood(2024)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • Fourteen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Calls from Moscow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Producer · Production Manager

  • Virata Parvam(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • @buddhistandqueer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Director

  • Boy Meets Boy(2021)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Miss India(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Miseducation of Bindu(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Mahanati(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Juice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director · Writer

  • The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Director · Writer

  • Les Cowboys(2015)

    as Italian

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Tamanchey: Pyar Mein Dil Pe Maar De Goli(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Heal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Camera Operator · Cinematographer

  • Last Call (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    First Assistant Camera

Career shape

A full career of 16 titles, 15 of them dated from 2009 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Kaantha (2025)

$342K worldwide

Highest rated

Mahanati (2018)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Kaantha (2025)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 16: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting5 of 16: 1 only directing, 4 with another roleWriting4 of 16: 0 only writing, 4 with another roleProducing2 of 16: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleCinematography8 of 16: 7 only cinematography, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stOther crew3 of 16: 1 only other crew, 2 with another role

16 titles, 6 with more than one role.

By decade

2000s1 · crew2010s6 · 1 acting · 5 crew2020s8 · 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 Dani Salo's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 52nd percentile, the median of all 8; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 45th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 9 titles, by percentile

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

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 9 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · cinematographer

Miss India (2020)

98th percentile spread · 41% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Mahanati (2018)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 66/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 86, detractors 53. 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 Dani Salo work with?

People who share at least 2 of Dani Salo's MovieCove titles; Dulquer Salmaan shares the most, 2.