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Anna Foerster

Anna Foerster

Director and cinematographer · Born January 1, 1971 (55) · Germany

Anna J. Foerster (born 1971) is a German-born American film and television cinematographer and director. She is best known for collaborations with director Roland Emmerich, working under different capacities on every film directed by him dating back to Independence Day (1996), with the exception of the film The Patriot (2000). As a second unit cinematographer, Foerster worked on the films Alien Resurrection (1997), Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002), Johnson Family Vacation (2004), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Æon Flux (2005), and 10,000 BC (2008), also working as a second unit director on the latter four films. She was the cinematographer for the visual effects and/or miniature unit on Independence Day)Day (1996Godzilla (1998), Pitch Black (2000), and Stuart Little 2 (2002). As a director, she directed five episodes of the television series Criminal Minds, an episode of its spin-off Criminal Minds: Suspect Behaviour, three episodes of Unforgettable, and four episodes of the Starz series Outlander. In 2008, she was reported to be developing a film, Secret Hunter, based on the Ranulph Fiennes novel The Secret Hunters (2002). Foerster made her feature film directing debut with the action horror film Underworld: Blood Wars (2016).In 2016, J. J. Abrams and his production company, Bad Robot, hired Foerster to direct Lou, a thriller about a mother trying to recover her abducted child. Description above from the Wikipedia article Anna Foerster, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 1, 1971 (55)
From
Germany
Works as
Director and cinematographer
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 22 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 155 days to Oct 26Down 48% in 30 days

What are Anna Foerster's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Power.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
28%
Power
26%
Morality
22%
Self
20%
Society
4%
Family bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

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

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 0 · Dark 3

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

Grounded 0 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 3

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

Steady 2 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · 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 3 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 1

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

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
5
Thrilling
4
Dread
3
Melancholic
2
Joyful
1
Other
2

How their films linger

Fun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

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 Anna Foerster's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Anna Foerster'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

22 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Dune: Prophecy(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Lou(2022)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Carnival Row(2019)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Underworld: Blood Wars(2016)

    Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Westworld(2016)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Jessica Jones(2015)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Madam Secretary(2014)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Outlander(2014)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • White House Down(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Anonymous(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Unforgettable(2011)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all shows

  • 2012(2009)

    Aerial Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • 10,000 BC(2008)

    Aerial Director of Photography · Second Unit Director · Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Army Wives(2007)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Æon Flux(2005)

    Second Unit Director · Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Criminal Minds(2005)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • The Day After Tomorrow(2004)

    Second Unit Director · Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Johnson Family Vacation(2004)

    Second Unit Director · Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Coronado(2003)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever(2002)

    Second Unit Director of Photography

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Eight Legged Freaks(2002)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Calliope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Camera Operator

Career shape

A full career of 22 titles from 1994 to 2024.

Biggest box office

White House Down (2013)

$205M worldwide

Highest rated

Anonymous (2011)

Midcredits 67th

Most popular right now

Dune: Prophecy (2024)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing11 of 22: 9 only directing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score80thProducing2 of 22: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleCinematography9 of 22: 5 only cinematography, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score20thOther crew6 of 22: 2 only other crew, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score20th

22 titles, 6 with more than one role.

By decade

1990s1 · crew2000s10 · crew2010s9 · crew2020s2 · 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 Anna Foerster's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 29th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 45th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

92ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 21 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · cinematographer

Johnson Family Vacation (2004)

69th percentile spread · 45% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Westworld (2016)

Midcredits 95th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 68/100 and the pacing 49/100 in their films, across 5 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.

Is Anna Foerster's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 76 · intenseMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles9–61 · median 42 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 53 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 27 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 61 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Anna Foerster work with?

People who share at least 2 of Anna Foerster's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Roland Emmerich shares the most, 2.

Directors

Composers

Producers