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Michael Tessari

Michael Tessari

Cinematographer · Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Michael Tessari ACS is an Australian cinematographer working on narrative films, series and commercials. In the last 24 months Tessari has served as Director of Photography on the Screen Australia financed feature drama, With or Without You, the horror film Diabolic, the action film The Run and the anticipated, yet to be released thriller - The Debt. With or Without You, Diabolic and The Run have all been released across Australian/international Cinemas and various streaming platforms. Additionally each has received accolades at the Australian Cinematographers Society Awards. Other recently released films include the sci-fi thriller Monolith, Tessari's work on which earned a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize in Cinematography at the 2023 SXSW festival, alongside a National ACS Award of Distinction. Monolith had a successful festival run across the world at SXSW, AFF, FrightFest, Bifan, MIFF and Sitges before landing on VOD. Tessari has consistently worked on successful narrative projects. The horror film Awoken was released theatrically across North America and the world; The Netflix Original Series Gymnastics Academy trended at #1 across multiple countries and many of his short films have premiered at film festivals across the globe. In 2024 Tessari was listed in IF magazine's Rising Star list and in 2026 he was accredited by the Australian Cinematographers Society.

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Biography from TMDB.

From
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
6 on MovieCove · 17 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 30% in 30 days

What are Michael Tessari's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
29%
Survival
23%
Morality
17%
Ideas
16%
Bonds
13%
Society
3%
Identity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFate2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

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

Light 0 · Serious 0 · Dark 5

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 4

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 5 · 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

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 1 · Heavy 3

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Dread
5
Tense
5
Melancholic
4
Contemplative
2
Hopeful
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Unsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 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 · 2 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • 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 Michael Tessari's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Tessari'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

17 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Run(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Diabolic(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • With or Without You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Cinematographer

  • I'm the Most Racist Person I Know (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Cinematographer · Colorist

  • Monolith(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

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

    Cinematographer

  • The Red Book Ritual(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films

  • Stomp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Cinematographer

  • Gymnastics Academy: A Second Chance!(2022)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

  • The Rover of Tobruk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Cinematographer

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

    Cinematographer · Colorist

  • Stackorama! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Colorist

  • Carrie's Doing Great (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Cinematographer

  • Awoken(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Crush (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Cinematographer

  • Wild (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Cinematographer

  • Burnout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 16 titles, 15 of them dated from 2018 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Diabolic (2025)

$1M worldwide

Highest rated

Awoken (2019)

Midcredits 55th

Most popular right now

Diabolic (2025)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography15 of 16: 13 only cinematography, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score35thOther crew3 of 16: 1 only other crew, 2 with another role

By decade

2010s3 · crew2020s12 · 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 Michael Tessari's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 35th percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 22nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

22ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

29thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 6 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

2 of their 6 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · cinematographer

Gymnastics Academy: A Second Chance! (2022)

77th percentile spread · 20% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Awoken (2019)

Midcredits 55th · 78% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 66/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 73, 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.

Is Michael Tessari's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 15 · mildMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Michael Tessari work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Tessari's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Daniel J. Phillips shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers