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Pawel Pogorzelski

Pawel Pogorzelski

Cinematographer · Born July 30, 1979 (47) · Wloclawek, Poland

Independent Spirit Award nominee

Pawel Pogorzelski (born 1979) is a Polish-Canadian cinematographer, known for his work with director Ari Aster. Pogorzelski was born in 1979 in Włocławek, Poland but moved to Montreal with his family when he was 2. He studied at Concordia University, receiving an undergraduate degree in media communication. He moved to Los Angeles in 2008, where he studied at the American Film Institute Conservatory. Pogorzelski garnered critical acclaim for his work on the 2018 psychological horror film Hereditary, directed by Ari Aster. They would work together again on the 2019 film Midsommar, for which he received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography at the 35th Independent Spirit Awards. In 2021, he was the director of photography for the action film Nobody and the Hulu horror film False Positive. In 2023, he served as cinematographer for the DC Comics film Blue Beetle and once again worked with Ari Aster on his surrealist tragicomedy/horror Beau Is Afraid.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 30, 1979 (47)
From
Wloclawek, Poland
Works as
Cinematographer
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 9% in 30 days

What are Pawel Pogorzelski's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 14th percentile
: browse their Horror 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
Bonds
30%
Survival
25%
Self
22%
Morality
15%
Society
7%
Identity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 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 4 · Serious 5 · Dark 7

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

Grounded 5 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 4

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 8 · Intense 8

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 6

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 1

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 7 · Full focus 5

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 4 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 9

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

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Dread
9
Thrilling
5
Absurd
5
Melancholic
6
Other
13

How their films linger

Unsettling8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet6
  • Ambiguous7

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 Pawel Pogorzelski's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Pawel Pogorzelski'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

35 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page.

  • Karoshi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Cinematographer

  • Lilla Marie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Executive Producer

  • The Woman in the Yard(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Holland(2025)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Blue Beetle(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Beau Is Afraid(2023)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Witchcraft Motion Picture Company Presents: Horror Anthology - Volume 1(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Fresh(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • False Positive(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Goodnight Darling (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Cinematographer

  • Nobody(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Homemade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 1 episode · Cinematographer · Producer

  • Ride It Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Cinematographer · Producer

  • Midsommar(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Home Videos (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Cinematographer

  • Hereditary(2018)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Tragedy Girls(2017)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Boost(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Comedian (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Cinematographer

  • iFeel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Cinematographer

  • We're Still Together(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Code Blue: A Love Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Cinematographer

  • Slips (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Cinematographer

  • Patchwork(2015)

    Camera Operator · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Baddest Part (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Cinematographer

  • The 10 Year Plan(2014)

    Cinematographer · Colorist

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

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

    Cinematographer

  • Defending Santa(2013)

    Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

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

    Cinematographer

  • Show Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    First Assistant Camera · Gaffer

  • The Strange Thing About the Johnsons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Cinematographer

  • On the Trail of Igor Rizzi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    as L'ouvrier polonais

  • Sigma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Cinematographer

  • Becoming Capa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Cinematographer

Career shape

A full career of 35 titles, 33 of them dated from 2005 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Blue Beetle (2023)

$131M worldwide

Highest rated

Nobody (2021)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

Midsommar (2019)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 35: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleProducing3 of 35: 1 only producing, 2 with another roleCinematography31 of 35: 27 only cinematography, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score50thOther crew4 of 35: 2 only other crew, 2 with another role

35 titles, 4 with more than one role — cinematography and other crew overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

2000s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew2010s18 · crew2020s13 · 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

Nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in 2020, Best Cinematography.

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 Pawel Pogorzelski's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 17 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · cinematographer

We're Still Together (2016)

76th percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Nobody (2021)

Midcredits 92nd · 82% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 73/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 57. 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 Pawel Pogorzelski's work okay for kids?

Across up to 12 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore11 titles55–94 · median 87 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity12 titles22–76 · median 42 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity11 titles45–81 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles28–74 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense11 titles54–92 · median 79 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian 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 Pawel Pogorzelski work with?

People who share at least 2 of Pawel Pogorzelski's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ari Aster shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers