Theodore Schaefer is a New York-based filmmaker. His directorial debut, Giving Birth to a Butterfly, was accepted to the Champs-Élysées film festival's U.S. in Progress and premiered at the 25th Fantasia International Film Festival 2021. Through his work at Dweck Productions, Theodore executive produced We're All Going to the World's Fair, which premiered at Sundance 2021 and is being released by Utopia and HBO Max. He began his career working as a first assistant director on independent features including How He Fell in Love and Framing John DeLorean, before joining Dweck Productions in 2018.
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Biography from IMDb.
- Producer, director and writer
- 10 on MovieCove
What are Theodore Schaefer's films like?
Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 8
A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 3 · Dark 2
A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 2
Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 4
Steady 2 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 1
Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 3 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 4
A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 6
A split, not a type: Resolved 1 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 4
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet6
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous2
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 Theodore Schaefer's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Theodore Schaefer'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
10 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Maddie's Secret(2025)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
On a String(2025)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Tendaberry(2024)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Vulcanizadora(2024)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
The Adults(2023)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Career shape
Across their 10 MovieCove titles from 2021 to 2026.
How do Theodore Schaefer's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 57th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th6
- 25th to 49th4
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 10 titles are Mixed.
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic3
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Mixed5
Reviewers score the atmosphere 74/100 and the pacing 33/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. 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.
Who does Theodore Schaefer work with?
People who share at least 2 of Theodore Schaefer's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hannah Dweck shares the most, 10.
Writers
- Patrick LawlerShared titles: The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight (2026), Giving Birth to a Butterfly (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Patrick Lawler
Actors
- Constance ShulmanShared titles: The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight (2026), Giving Birth to a Butterfly (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Constance Shulman
- Gus BirneyShared titles: The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight (2026), Giving Birth to a Butterfly (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Gus Birney
- John EarlyShared titles: The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight (2026), Maddie's Secret (2025)See all 2 shared titles with John Early
- Michael CeraShared titles: Christmas Eve in Miller's Point (2024), The Adults (2023)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Cera
Producers
- Hannah DweckShared titles: The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight (2026), Maddie's Secret (2025), On a String (2025), Christmas Eve in Miller's Point (2024), Tendaberry (2024), Vulcanizadora (2024), The Adults (2023), The Secret Art of Human Flight (2023), Giving Birth to a Butterfly (2021), We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021)See all 10 shared titles with Hannah Dweck
- Sarah WinshallShared titles: Maddie's Secret (2025), We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Sarah Winshall
- Carlos ZozayaShared titles: Tendaberry (2024), We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Carlos Zozaya
- Daniel Patrick CarboneShared titles: Tendaberry (2024), We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Daniel Patrick Carbone
Mixed roles
- Jane SchoenbrunShared titles: The Arrow at Rest at Every Instant of its Flight (2026), We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Jane Schoenbrun
