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Motif
Jenna Cato Bass

Jenna Cato Bass

Director, writer, producer, cinematographer and editor

Works as
Director, writer, producer, cinematographer and editor
Titles
5 on Motif · 10 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 39 days to Oct 28Down 2% in 30 days

What are Jenna Cato Bass' films like?

Across their 5 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
41%
Self
19%
Power
16%
Ideas
13%
Society
11%
Romantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 5 · Intense 0

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

Steady 0 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 3 · 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 0 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 1

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 1 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Melancholic
3
Romantic
2
Absurd
2
Bittersweet
2
Other
3

How their films linger

Thought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Bittersweet1
  • Ambiguous4

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 Jenna Cato Bass' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 5 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jenna Cato Bass' titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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

10 credits, 5 with a Motif page.

  • Future Tense(2026)

    Director · Writer

    Motif score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Tug of War (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)

    Writer

  • Good Madam(2021)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Production Design · Writer

    Motif score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Neighbors (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer

  • Flatland (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Rafiki(2018)

    Writer

    Motif score: 77th percentile of all films

  • High Fantasy(2017)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · Writer

    Motif score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Love the One You Love(2014)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Producer · Screenplay · Story

    Motif score: 73rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Africa First: Volume One (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2011)

    Director

  • The Tunnel (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 10 titles from 2010 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Rafiki (2018)

$181K worldwide

Highest rated

Rafiki (2018)

Motif 77th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing8 of 10: 2 only directing, 6 with another roleWriting8 of 10: 2 only writing, 6 with another role · typical Motif score55thProducing4 of 10: 0 only producing, 4 with another roleCinematography1 of 10: 0 only cinematography, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 10: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

10 titles, 6 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

2010s7 · crew2020s3 · 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 Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Jenna Cato Bass' films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 51st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

61stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Motif score across 5 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

2 of their 5 titles are Divisive.

  • Divisive2
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · director, writer, producer, cinematographer

High Fantasy (2017)

95th percentile spread · 30% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Rafiki (2018)

Motif 77th · 64% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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 Jenna Cato Bass work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jenna Cato Bass' Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Steven Markovitz shares the most, 3.

Actors

Editors

Producers