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Mike Lerner

Producer and director

Oscar nominee · Primetime Emmy nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Mike Lerner has produced numerous documentary films and series, which have been broadcast on BBC, Channel 4, BFI, HBO, PBS, Discovery Channel and Netflix.

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Producer and director
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 34 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 Mike Lerner's films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
28%
Morality
23%
Survival
15%
Society
14%
Self
10%
Ideas
8%
Bonds
3%
Justice8 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 18 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 5 · Dark 12

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

Grounded 16 · Stylized 1 · 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 3 · Charged 6 · Intense 9

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

A split, not a type: Steady 10 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 17 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

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

A split, not a type: Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 10 · 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 9 · Full focus 5

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 9 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
16
Contemplative
13
Melancholic
8
Dread
7
Hopeful
5
Other
8

How their films linger

Thought-provoking20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous13

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 Mike Lerner's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Mike Lerner'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

34 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Mission (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Director · Producer

  • Spacey Unmasked(2024)

    Show 2 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all shows

  • The Accidental President (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Director · Producer

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

    Producer

  • Klarsfeld(2022)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Flight/Risk(2022)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • F@ck This Job (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Producer

  • Who Is Ghislaine Maxwell?(2022)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all shows

  • The Meaning of Hitler(2020)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Paris Stalingrad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Producer

  • The Vow(2020)

    Show 10 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Unmasking Jihadi John: Anatomy of a Terrorist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Executive Producer

  • The Hunt for Jihadi John (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Executive Producer

  • The Great Hack(2019)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Kleptocrats(2018)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Departure(2017)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Born to Be Free (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Producer

  • End of Truth(2019)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Cyber Attacks(2016)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • The Russian Woodpecker(2015)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Tierra Caliente(2015)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Elephant's Dream(2014)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Do Gooders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Producer

  • Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer(2013)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Smash & Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers(2013)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Square(2013)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • A Whole Lott More (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Producer

  • The Visit(2012)

    Producer

  • Hell and Back Again(2011)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star(2011)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Afghan Star(2009)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Picasso: Magic, Sex & Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 3 episodes · Producer

  • The Lost Supper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Producer

  • Arthouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 1 episode · Producer

Career shape

A full career of 27 titles from 1997 to 2026.

Biggest box office

The Square (2013)

$124K worldwide

Highest rated

The Square (2013)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

The Vow (2020)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing4 of 27: 2 only directing, 2 with another roleProducing25 of 27: 23 only producing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score64th

By decade

1990s2 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s14 · crew2020s10 · 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.

Awards

1 major award from 6 major nominations, 2012–2020.

WinNomination
  1. 2020
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
  2. 2016
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Documentary
  3. 2014
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
  4. 2013
    • Sundance award, won · World Cinema - Documentary
    • Sundance award, nominated · World Cinema - Documentary
  5. 2012
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Documentary, Features

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 Mike Lerner's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 67th percentile, the median of the 17 of 18 with a score; across their 18 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Approval · how many liked their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Reach · how many have seen their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 18

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser9
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · producer

The Meaning of Hitler (2020)

73rd percentile spread · 26% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

The Square (2013)

Midcredits 98th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 68/100 and the pacing 53/100 in their films, across 11 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.

Who does Mike Lerner work with?

People who share at least 2 of Mike Lerner's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Havana Marking shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles