Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keywords "based-on-true-story", "immigration"
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1. The Goat Life (2024)
173 min | Adventure, Drama
The real-life incident of an Indian migrant worker, Najeeb Muhammad, who goes to Saudi Arabia to earn money. However, in a twist of fate, he finds himself living a slave-like existence, herding goats in the middle of the desert.
Director: Blessy | Stars: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Jimmy Jean-Louis, K.r. Gokul, Talib
Votes: 6,401
2. Heaven's Gate (1980)
R | 219 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
During the Johnson County War in 1890 Wyoming, a sheriff born into wealth does his best to protect immigrant farmers from rich cattle interests.
Director: Michael Cimino | Stars: Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, Sam Waterston
Votes: 17,183 | Gross: $3.48M
3. Exodus (1960)
Approved | 208 min | Action, Drama, War
The State of Israel is created in 1948, resulting in war with its Arab neighbors.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Ralph Richardson, Peter Lawford
Votes: 11,414 | Gross: $18.97M
4. Angela's Ashes (1999)
R | 145 min | Biography, Drama
An Irish Catholic family returns to 1930s Limerick after a child's death in America. The unemployed I.R.A. veteran father struggles with poverty, prejudice and alcoholism as the family endures harsh slum conditions.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Emily Watson, Robert Carlyle, Joe Breen, Ciaran Owens
Votes: 23,273 | Gross: $13.04M
5. Stardust (II) (2020)
Unrated | 109 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Chronicles the young David Bowie's first visit to the US in 1971 - a trip that inspired the invention of his iconic alter ego Ziggy Stardust.
Director: Gabriel Range | Stars: Johnny Flynn, Marc Maron, Jena Malone, Derek Moran
Votes: 2,301
6. To the North (2022)
123 min | Drama, Thriller
A Christian Filipino sailor decides to hide a Romanian stowaway onboard a transatlantic ship owing to his sense of duty to help a fellow man. But he isn't prepared for the cat-and-mouse game that ensues following this gesture of goodwill.
Director: Mihai Mincan | Stars: Soliman Cruz, Niko Becker, Bart Guingona, Alexandre Nguyen
Votes: 451
7. Brexit (2019 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 98 min | Biography, Drama, History
Political strategist Dominic Cummings leads a popular but controversial campaign to convince British voters to leave the European Union from 2015 up until the present day.
Director: Toby Haynes | Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Sarah Belcher, Malcolm Freeman, Lucy Russell
Votes: 17,753
8. S.O.S. Titanic (1979 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 194 min | Drama, History
On her maiden voyage in April 1912, the supposedly unsinkable R.M.S. Titanic strikes an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean.
Director: William Hale | Stars: David Janssen, Cloris Leachman, Harry Andrews, David Battley
Votes: 1,507
9. Mao's Last Dancer (2009)
PG | 117 min | Biography, Drama, Music
In Maoist China, a boy is taken from his family and trained to become a dancer, but everything he knows is challenged when he is chosen to attend a ballet summer school in Houston, Texas.
Director: Bruce Beresford | Stars: Chi Cao, Bruce Greenwood, Kyle MacLachlan, Penne Hackforth-Jones
Votes: 8,300 | Gross: $4.81M
10. Bread and Roses (2000)
R | 110 min | Drama
Two Latina sisters work as cleaners in a downtown office building, and fight for the right to unionize.
Director: Ken Loach | Stars: Pilar Padilla, Adrien Brody, Elpidia Carrillo, Jack McGee
Votes: 6,080 | Gross: $0.53M
11. America America (1963)
Approved | 174 min | Adventure, Drama
A young Greek stops at nothing to secure a passage to America.
Director: Elia Kazan | Stars: Stathis Giallelis, Frank Wolff, Elena Karam, Harry Davis
Votes: 5,997
12. The Devil Has a Name (2019)
R | 97 min | Drama, Thriller
A psychotic oil matriarch leaves the whole industry exposed when she attempts to outfight a bullish farmer whose water has been poisoned.
Director: Edward James Olmos | Stars: Kate Bosworth, Chivonne Michelle, Katie Lynn McDowell, Alfred Molina
Votes: 1,427
13. An American Rhapsody (2001)
PG-13 | 106 min | Drama
A young Hungarian girl struggles to find her place in the world when she's reunited with her parents in the USA years after she was left behind during their flight from the communist country in the 1950s.
Director: Éva Gárdos | Stars: Nastassja Kinski, Scarlett Johansson, Raffaella Bánsági, Tony Goldwyn
Votes: 4,599 | Gross: $0.85M
14. Christ Stopped at Eboli (1979)
150 min | Drama
A doctor in Fascist Italy is exiled to a remote village for his political views.
Director: Francesco Rosi | Stars: Gian Maria Volontè, Paolo Bonacelli, Alain Cuny, Lea Massari
Votes: 2,742 | Gross: $0.07M
15. The Gringo Hunters
Crime, Drama, Thriller | Post-production
Follows an elite Mexican police unit that hunts down fugitives, many American, who have fled to Mexico.
Stars: Sebastian Roché, Jessica Lindsey, Mayra Hermosillo, Harold Torres
16. Potato Dreams of America (2021)
TV-MA | 97 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
An autobiographical dark comedy about a gay boy growing up in the Soviet Union, his mail-order-bride mother, and their adventurous escape to America.
Director: Wes Hurley | Stars: Jonathan Bennett, Lauren Tewes, Lea DeLaria, Dan Lauria
Votes: 767
17. Marina (2013)
118 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The true story of Rocco Granata, an Italian coal miner's son who followed his passion for music against his father's wishes and social barriers.
Director: Stijn Coninx | Stars: Luigi Lo Cascio, Donatella Finocchiaro, Matteo Simoni, Evelien Bosmans
Votes: 3,792
18. Of Freaks and Men (1998)
93 min | Comedy, Drama, History
Dariya the maid getting a boy to touch her large breast is just one incident that occurs when Yohan and Victor infiltrate two families, forcing young Liza and blind Ekaterina to appear in porn, but they are not so innocent themselves.
Director: Aleksey Balabanov | Stars: Sergey Makovetskiy, Dinara Drukarova, Anzhelika Nevolina, Viktor Sukhorukov
Votes: 4,351
19. Closer to the Moon (2014)
Not Rated | 112 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A Romanian police officer teams up with a small crew of old friends from the World War II Jewish Resistance to pull off a heist by convincing everyone at the scene of the crime that they are only filming a movie.
Director: Nae Caranfil | Stars: Vera Farmiga, Mark Strong, Harry Lloyd, Anton Lesser
Votes: 4,339
20. Border Incident (1949)
Passed | 94 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Mexican and American federal agents tackle a vicious gang exploiting illegal farm workers in southern California.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, Howard Da Silva, James Mitchell
Votes: 2,741
21. Gaby: A True Story (1987)
R | 110 min | Drama, Romance
The life of Gaby Brimmer, a girl physically handicapped, who finally gets her goals of study and triumph.
Director: Luis Mandoki | Stars: Rachel Chagall, Liv Ullmann, Norma Aleandro, Robert Loggia
Votes: 801 | Gross: $0.13M
22. The Boat Is Full (1981)
PG | 101 min | Drama, War
During World War II, Switzerland severely limited refugees: "Our boat is full." A train from Germany halts briefly in an isolated corner of Switzerland. Six people jump off seeking asylum: ... See full summary »
Director: Markus Imhoof | Stars: Tina Engel, Hans Diehl, Martin Walz, Curt Bois
Votes: 704
23. Goodbye, Miss 4th of July (1988 TV Movie)
89 min | Drama, Family
This movie is the inspiring true-life drama of seventeen-year-old Niki Janus. After fleeing persecution in Greece, Niki and her family immigrate to West Virginia and begin living the ... See full summary »
Director: George Miller | Stars: Louis Gossett Jr., Chris Sarandon, Chantal Contouri, Chynna Phillips
Votes: 165
24. Across the Sea of Time (1995)
G | 51 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A young Russian boy, Thomas Minton, travels to New York as a passenger on a Russian freighter. Close to Ellis Island he gets off and thus starts his journey to America the same way as all ... See full summary »
Director: Stephen Low | Stars: Peter Reznick, John McDonough, Avi Hoffman, Victor Steinbach
Votes: 316 | Gross: $15.98M
25. Mediterranea (2015)
Unrated | 107 min | Drama
Two men make the dangerous journey from Africa to Italy for a better life, but then face hostility and violence in this shocking look at the life-and-death struggle of refugees.
Director: Jonas Carpignano | Stars: Alassane Sy, Koudous Seihon, Adam Gnegne, Mary Elizabeth Innocence
Votes: 1,792 | Gross: $0.01M
26. Almost a Woman (2002 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 97 min | Drama
Esmeralda Santiago (Ana Maria Lagasca) and her family move to New York from rural Puerto Rico and face a difficult transition because of many challenges. Esmeralda enrolls in school and ... See full summary »
Director: Betty Kaplan | Stars: Wanda De Jesus, Miriam Colon, Cliff De Young, Francesco Quinn
Votes: 161
27. Chasing Freedom (2004 TV Movie)
R | 88 min | Drama
A lawyer reluctantly takes on the pro bono asylum case of a woman who has fled the brutal Taliban regime in Afghanistan and arrived in the United States seeking freedom.
Director: Don McBrearty | Stars: Juliette Lewis, Layla Alizada, Bruce Gray, Michael David Simms
Votes: 415
28. Lucky Miles (2007)
Not Rated | 105 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Three mismatched blokes are stranded in the Australian desert.
Director: Michael James Rowland | Stars: Kenneth Moraleda, Rodney Afif, Srisacd Sacdpraseuth, Don Hany
Votes: 748
29. Fighting for Freedom (2013)
87 min | Drama
Two intertwined families, one American, one Mexican, and their fight to save three year old illegal Angelina from deportation.
Director: Farhad Mann | Stars: Bruce Dern, Kristanna Loken, José María Yazpik, Eddie Allen
Votes: 107
30. Un pasaje de Ida (1988)
90 min | Drama
A fictional retelling of the Regina Express tragedy, in which 22 Dominican stowaways died from suffocation in an attempt of illegal travel in September 1981.
Director: Agliberto Meléndez | Stars: Ángel Muñiz, Carlos Alfredo Fatule, Horacio Veloz, Miguel Bucarelly
Votes: 133
31. Maple Palm (2006)
R | 116 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A lesbian couple of fifteen years lives with the secret that one is an illegal immigrant. With no legal way to protect their relationship, the couple lives in fear of deportation. After an ... See full summary »
Director: Ralph Torjan | Stars: Deborah Stewart, Taymour Ghazi, Andrea Carvajal, Robert J. Feldman
Votes: 409
32. Lucrecia (1996 TV Movie)
Crime, Drama
Director: Mariano Barroso | Stars: Jaume Valls, Carme Elias, Toni Cantó, Juan Diego Botto
Votes: 15
33. The Interview (XXI)
Drama | Pre-production
4 people bring their hopes and dreams to the land of opportunity to achieve the American dream of freedom.
Director: Sinan Yalvac | Stars: Princess Punzalan, Mehmet Edip, Colin Morgan, Chris Pinto
34. Unwanted (I) (2016)
90 min | Action
Immigrants cross the border to live the American dream but later their dreams turn into a nightmare.
Director: Armando Suarez | Stars: Maria Alexandra, Adrian Barboza, Ermalinda Chavarria, Pablo Esparza
Votes: 10
35. Your Iron Lady (2020)
92 min | Drama
A year in the life of Teresa: an immigrant mother of four who after being married for 22 years, decides to leave her abusive husband upon her arrival to the U.S., in 1998.
Director: Jorge Xolalpa | Stars: Vanessa Benavente, Orlando Pineda, Summera Howell, Maria-Laura Quintero
Votes: 18
36. Un passo alla volta (2022)
15 min | Short, Drama
Festus and Seydou are two African men living in Italy. They are trying to get a stable job and realise their dreams.
Director: Alessio Avino | Stars: Enrico Basile, Carmine Claudio Covino, Festus Osayi Ebomwonyi, Michele Farina
37. Exiles in Paradise (2001)
90 min | Drama
Director: Wesley Lowe | Stars: Dmitri S. Boudrine, Benita Ha, JR Bourne, Tatiana Chekhova
Votes: 15
38. Witness (I) (2019)
11 min | Short, Drama
Sofia comes out to her parents which sadly ends with disappointment and a crushing feeling of abandonment, leaving the family broken and without hope to ever heal again.
Director: Marcello Daciano | Stars: Jovita Trujillo, Gerardo de Pablos, Magaly Castellanos, Sara Drust
Votes: 11
39. Yes I Canada (2016)
Short, Comedy
An enthusiastic candidate pleads his case with immigration.
Director: Katarzyna Kochany | Stars: Dan Willmott, Florian Francois
40. Camino a la victoria (2007)
44 min | Short, Drama
Camino a la Victoria is a docudrama/narrative about the tragedies that an immigrant has to go through in the borders of Mexico and the United States. Through the eyes of Cheko Carrivano, a ... See full summary »
Director: Chris Cepeda | Stars: Marbella Barreto, Brianna Campuzano, Chris Cepeda, Rob Cepeda
41.
The Magical World of Disney (1954–1997)
Episode:
The Girl Who Spelled Freedom
(1986)
Unrated | 90 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A Cambodian family is given sponsored immigration to the United States where one daughter becomes a spelling bee champion.
Director: Simon Wincer | Stars: Wayne Rogers, Mary Kay Place, Kieu Chinh, Kathleen Sisk
Votes: 235