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Josh Penn

Josh Penn

Producer

Oscar nominee · 2 other major award bodies

Josh Penn is a producer with Serenade and the Department of Motion Pictures. He has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and Outstanding Producer at the Producers Guild Awards. He also won a Peabody Award and the Sundance Producers Award. Since 2012, he has premiered a dozen films at Sundance, earning six awards from the festival. His productions include "Beasts of the Southern Wild" (Sundance Grand Jury Prize, Cannes Caméra d'Or, and four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture), "32 Sounds" (Oscar Shortlist), "Monsters and Men" (Sundance Special Jury Prize), the series "Philly D.A." (Gotham and Peabody Award winner), "A Thousand Thoughts," "Wendy," "Users" (Sundance Best Directors Award), "Oldest Person in the World," "Farewell Amor," and "The White House Effect" (Telluride, Netflix), among others. He served as Executive Producer on "Patti Cake$," "Western" (Sundance Special Jury Prize), and "Bloody Nose Empty Pockets" and a Co-Producer on "The Great Invisible" *(SXSW Grand Jury Prize). Josh has served on boards including the Documentary Producers Alliance, Brown Girls Doc Mafia Capacity Council, Rooftop Films, New Orleans Film Society, and Diversify.film. He has also mentored at institutions such as the Sundance Institute, Film Independent, NYU, and AFI. In 2017, the state of Louisiana officially recognized Josh as a Louisiana Ambassador for his contributions to the motion picture industry. In 2018, he became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Outside of film, Josh has worked in politics including leading roles on the digital teams for both Obama presidential campaigns.

Read more

Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Producer
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 26 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 22% in 30 days

What are Josh Penn's films like?

Across their 20 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Bonds.

Genres

Documentary10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 72nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure 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
Society
22%
Bonds
21%
Self
20%
Ideas
13%
Power
9%
Survival
8%
Morality
8%
Community6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMortality2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 19 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 7 · Serious 6 · Dark 6

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 12 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 4

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

Gentle 5 · Charged 10 · Intense 4

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

Steady 12 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 17 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 5 · 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 7 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 0

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 6 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 9

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 8 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 6

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
12
Melancholic
10
Tense
6
Hopeful
7
Warm
6
Other
16

How their films linger

Thought-provoking10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet13
  • Ambiguous6

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 Josh Penn's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Josh Penn'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

26 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Oldest Person in the World(2026)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • O'Dessa(2025)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The White House Effect(2024)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Gasoline Rainbow(2023)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Users(2021)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • 32 Sounds(2022)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Philly D.A.(2021)

    Show 8 episodes · Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Annea Lockwood: A Film About Listening (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Producer

  • Wendy(2020)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets(2020)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Farewell Amor(2020)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • So Late So Soon(2020)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Roads Not Taken(2020)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • No Time To Look Back (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Producer

  • Monsters and Men(2018)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Patti Cake$(2017)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Approaching the Unknown(2016)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Temporary Color (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Actor

  • Contemporary Color(2016)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Western(2015)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Last Season (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Producer

  • The Great Invisible(2014)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Beasts of the Southern Wild(2012)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Tchoupitoulas(2012)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Here for the Weekend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Nobody Nothing Nowhere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

Career shape

A full career of 22 titles, 20 of them dated from 2012 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

$21M worldwide

Highest rated

32 Sounds (2022)

Midcredits 89th

Most popular right now

The Roads Not Taken (2020)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 22: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleProducing21 of 22: 21 only producing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score70th

By decade

2010s9 · 1 acting · 8 crew2020s11 · 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

4 major nominations and no wins, 2013–2022.

  1. 2022
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series
  2. 2013
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Motion Picture of the Year
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
      • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
      • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Feature

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 Josh Penn's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 64th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 74th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 20 titles are Mixed.

  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · producer

O'Dessa (2025)

90th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

32 Sounds (2022)

Midcredits 89th · 76% liked

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 Josh Penn's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 31 · mildMedian of all films: 32

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

Who does Josh Penn work with?

People who share at least 2 of Josh Penn's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Gottwald shares the most, 14.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles