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Roland Joffé

Roland Joffé

Director, producer and writer · Born November 17, 1945 (80) · London, England, UK

Roland Joffé (/ˈdʒɒfeɪ/; born 17 November 1945) is an English film and television director, producer and screenwriter. He is known for directing the critically acclaimed films The Killing Fields (1984) and The Mission (1986), earning him Academy Award nominations for Best Director. The latter won the Palme d'Or at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival. Joffé began his career in television, with early credits including episodes of Coronation Street and an adaptation of The Stars Look Down for Granada. He gained a reputation for hard-hitting political stories with the series Bill Brand and factual dramas for Play for Today. In the late 1980s, he co-founded the production company Lightmotive with Ben Myron. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roland Joffé, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 17, 1945 (80)
From
London, England, UK
Works as
Director, producer and writer
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 39 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 26% in 30 days

What are Roland Joffé's films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Power.

Genres

Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 28th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Biography4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile
: browse their Crime movies

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

share of theme weight
Morality
38%
Power
19%
Bonds
18%
Survival
8%
Society
8%
Self
6%
Ideas
2%
Freedom4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeForgiveness3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 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 7 · Dark 9

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 9 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 1

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 7 · Intense 8

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 9 · 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 4 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Melancholic
11
Hopeful
6
Dread
4
Romantic
3
Other
10

How their films linger

Bittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet9
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous3

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 Roland Joffé's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Roland Joffé'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

39 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • November 1963 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Director

  • The Gray House(2024)

    Show 8 episodes · Director · Creator

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Blood on the Crown(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • A Lover Scorned(2019)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Forgiven(2017)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Sun Records(2017)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • Texas Rising(2015)

    Show 5 episodes · Director · Creator

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • The Lovers(2015)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • There Be Dragons(2011)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • You and I(2008)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Captivity(2007)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Vatel(2000)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Waterproof(2000)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Undressed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Goodbye Lover(1998)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Scarlet Letter(1995)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Super Mario Bros.(1993)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • City of Joy(1992)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • A Taste of Freedom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Producer

  • Fat Man and Little Boy(1989)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Swimming to Cambodia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Thanks

  • The Mission(1986)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Killing Fields(1984)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • United Kingdom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director

  • 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director

  • No Mama No (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director

  • The Legion Hall Bombing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • The Spongers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • Twelve Off the Belt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Director

  • Headmaster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Bill Brand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • The Stars Look Down (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

  • Second City Firsts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Sam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Crown Court (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Play for Today (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • ITV Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Coronation Street(1960)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all shows

  • L'Inverno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 38 titles, 36 of them dated from 1960 to 2026.

Biggest box office

The Killing Fields (1984)

$35M worldwide

Highest rated

The Killing Fields (1984)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

The Mission (1986)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing34 of 38: 25 only directing, 9 with another role · typical Midcredits score34thWriting4 of 38: 0 only writing, 4 with another roleProducing8 of 38: 3 only producing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score39thOther crew3 of 38: 1 only other crew, 2 with another role

38 titles, 9 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1960s2 · crew1970s11 · crew1980s6 · crew1990s6 · crew2000s2 · crew2010s7 · 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 Roland Joffé's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 34th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 34th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

34thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

40thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

82ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 20 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · director

You and I (2008)

88th percentile spread · 38% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

The Killing Fields (1984)

Midcredits 97th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 65/100 and the pacing 41/100 in their films, across 16 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 Roland Joffé's work okay for kids?

Across up to 11 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and sex & nudity run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles53–96 · median 65 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity11 titles25–63 · median 44 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 53 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 34 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 75 · 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 Roland Joffé work with?

People who share at least 2 of Roland Joffé's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ennio Morricone shares the most, 4.

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers