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Sam A. Davis

Sam A. Davis

Cinematographer, editor, producer and director · Michigan, USA

Oscar winner

Sam Davis is an American filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California.

Biography from TMDB.

From
Michigan, USA
Works as
Cinematographer, editor, producer and director
Titles
8 on Motif · 29 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 26% in 30 days

What are Sam A. Davis' films like?

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

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
41%
Self
21%
Ideas
18%
Bonds
14%
Power
6%
Community3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 5 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 5 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
4
Contemplative
4
Joyful
4
Hopeful
3
Melancholic
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Hopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet2
  • Cyclical1
  • Other1

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 Sam A. Davis' films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 8 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (4).

Subscription and free streaming for Sam A. Davis' 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

29 credits, 8 with a Motif page.

  • Listen (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2026)

    Producer

  • He's Out There (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2026)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer

  • The Singers(2025)

    Director · Adaptation · Cinematographer · Editor · Producer · Writer

    Motif score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Callback (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2026)

    Cinematographer

  • The First Rain (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2025)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor

  • Dìdi(2024)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Motif score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Nai Nai & Wài Pó(2023)

    Cinematographer · Producer

    Motif score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Chef's Table: Noodles(2024)

    Show Cinematographer

    Motif score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • You Know Where to Find Me (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2023)

    Director · Cinematographer · Writer

  • Trap Jazz(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Long Line of Ladies (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2022)

    Cinematographer · Editor · Producer

  • Sunday (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2021)

    Cinematographer

  • Are You Still There? (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2021)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Sound Designer · Writer

  • Strip Down, Rise Up(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 48th percentile of all films

  • A Woman's Place (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2020)

    Editor

  • AKA Jane Roe(2020)

    Cinematographer

    Motif score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Just Hold On (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2020)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor

  • Jack and Jo Don't Want to Die (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    Cinematographer

  • (SHn(y)o͞of) (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    Director · Cinematographer · Editor · Writer

  • We Home (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)

    Cinematographer · Writer

  • Period. End of Sentence.(2018)

    Cinematographer · Co-Producer · Editor · Sound Designer

    Motif score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Madaran (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Cinematographer · Co-Producer · Editor

  • CAMP (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2013)

    Show 10 episodes · Second Assistant Camera

  • Higher Power (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

  • Manzanar (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Cinematographer · Producer

  • Notice Me (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

  • One Twenty-Six (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

  • Serenity (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

  • They Came From All Over (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 27 titles, 21 of them dated from 2013 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Dìdi (2024)

$5.2M worldwide

Highest rated

Period. End of Sentence. (2018)

Motif 94th

Most popular right now

Dìdi (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing7 of 27: 0 only directing, 7 with another roleWriting5 of 27: 0 only writing, 5 with another roleProducing8 of 27: 1 only producing, 7 with another roleCinematography24 of 27: 11 only cinematography, 13 with another role · typical Motif score88thEditing9 of 27: 1 only editing, 8 with another roleOther crew3 of 27: 1 only other crew, 2 with another role

27 titles, 13 with more than one role — cinematography and editing overlap on 8 of them.

By decade

2010s6 · crew2020s15 · 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.

Awards

an Oscar from 2 major nominations, 2024–2026.

WinNomination
  1. 2026
    • Oscar, won · Best Live Action Short Film
  2. 2024
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Documentary Short Film

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 Sam A. Davis' films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 87th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 89th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Motif score across 8 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · cinematographer

Strip Down, Rise Up (2021)

89th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer, cinematographer, editor

Period. End of Sentence. (2018)

Motif 94th · 81% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 63/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 70, detractors 48. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

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 Sam A. Davis work with?

People who share at least 2 of Sam A. Davis' Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Rayka Zehtabchi shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers

Producers