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Joshua James Richards

Joshua James Richards

Cinematographer · USA

Joshua James Richards is an English-born cinematographer, best known for his work with his partner, director Chloé Zhao. Description above from the Wikipedia article Joshua James Richards, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Biography from TMDB.

From
USA
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
5 on MovieCove · 9 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 63 days to Oct 26Up 6% in 30 days

What are Joshua James Richards' films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
39%
Bonds
24%
Society
21%
Survival
12%
Power
4%
Community2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 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 1 · Dark 3

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

Grounded 4 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 0

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · 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 1 · 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 2 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 2

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

Resolved 1 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
3
Melancholic
3
Bittersweet
2
Hopeful
2
Warm
1

How their films linger

Hopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

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 Joshua James Richards' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 5 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Joshua James Richards' 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

9 credits, 5 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Eternals(2021)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Nomadland(2020)

    Cinematographer · Production Design

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Rider(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • God's Own Country(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Songs My Brothers Taught Me(2015)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Afronauts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Cinematographer

  • Boneshaker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Cinematographer

  • Our Secret (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Sound Designer

  • Gold Mountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 9 titles, 8 of them dated from 2011 to 2021.

Biggest box office

Nomadland (2020)

$39M worldwide

Highest rated

God's Own Country (2017)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Nomadland (2020)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Cinematography7 of 9: 6 only cinematography, 1 with another roleOther crew3 of 9: 2 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

2010s6 · crew2020s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Joshua James Richards' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 88th percentile, the median of all 5; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 90th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 5 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 5 titles divides audiences: 3 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed1

Most loved · cinematographer

God's Own Country (2017)

Midcredits 97th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 87/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 90, detractors 74. 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 Joshua James Richards' work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 38 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 43 · moderateMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 41 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 54 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 37 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

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

Who does Joshua James Richards work with?

People who share at least 2 of Joshua James Richards' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Chloé Zhao shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Producers