Great Documentaries About Filmmaking
Great documentaries about the art of filmmaking or some specific aspects of it.
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- DirectorMohsen MakhmalbafStarsShaghayeh DjodatBehzad DoraniFeizola GashghaiMakhmalbaf puts an advertisement in the papers calling for an open casting for his next movie. However when hundreds of people show up, he decides to make a movie about the casting and the screen tests of the would-be actors.
- DirectorMorgan NevilleStarsAlan CummingPeter BogdanovichOja KodarIn the final fifteen years of the life of legendary director Orson Welles, he pins his Hollywood comeback hopes on a film, The Other Side of the Wind (2018), in itself a film about an aging film director trying to finish his last great movie.
- DirectorFrank PavichStarsAlejandro JodorowskyMichel SeydouxH.R. GigerThe story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.
- DirectorLes BlankStarsWerner HerzogKlaus KinskiClaudia CardinaleA documentary following German auteur Werner Herzog as he deals with difficult actors, bad weather and getting a boat over a mountain, all in an effort to make his film Fitzcarraldo (1982).
- DirectorWim WendersStarsWim WendersMichelangelo AntonioniMaroun BagdadiDuring the '35th Cannes International Film Festival' (14th-26th May 1982), German director Wim Wenders asked a sample of 15 other international film directors to get, each one at a time, into the same hotel room to answer in solitude the same question about the future of cinema, while they were filmed with a 16mm camera and recorded with a Nagra sound recorder. In social sciences the goal of standardization is that each person is exposed to the same question experience, and that the recording setting of answers is the same, too, so that any differences in the answers can be correctly interpreted as reflecting differences between persons rather than differences in the process that produced the answer. The wide sampling frame in "Room 666" included European 'auteurs' and Hollywood directors, narrative and experimental filmmakers, male and female professional film directors that presented their films or were simply present at the 35th Cannes Festival in May 1982. The directors came from France, Italy, Brazil, Lebanon, Germany, Turkey, the Philippines and the USA. This unique documentary shows the complete footage (or selected parts) of the 15 answers that resulted from this 'standardized survey interviews'. The historical value of "Room 666" has increased over time: The 5 directors Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Yilmaz Güney, Maroun Bagdadi, Robert Kramer and Michelangelo Antonioni have died since then in this order. Fassbinder died only a few weeks later on June 10th 1982 and gave his last 'interview' in "Room 666".
- DirectorPedro CostaThierry LounasStarsDanièle HuilletJean-Marie StraubTwo directors struggle to survive in the movie industry.
- DirectorPaul MarianoKurt NortonStarsJeff AdachiJames H. BillingtonRobin BlaetzTells the history and importance of The National Film Registry, a roll call of American cinema treasures that reflects the diversity of film, and indeed the American experience itself.
- DirectorRay MüllerStarsLeni RiefenstahlMarlene DietrichArnold FanckA documentary about the life and work of Leni Riefenstahl, a German film director most notorious for making the most effective propaganda films for the Nazis.
- DirectorXan CassavetesStarsJerry HarveyChuck RossTimothy RyersonThe story of Z Channel, one of the first U.S. pay cable stations and its programming chief, Jerry Harvey. Debuting in 1974 in LA, their eclectic slate of movies became a prime example of the untapped power of cable television.
- DirectorTom DonahueStarsDeborah AquilaRisa Bramon GarciaEllen ChenowethThe surprising, never-before-told tale of the indispensable yet unsung Casting Director - Iconoclasts whose keen eye, exquisite taste and gut instincts redefined Hollywood.
- DirectorStevan RileyStarsMarlon BrandoStella AdlerBernardo BertolucciA documentary that utilizes hundreds of hours of audio that Marlon Brando recorded over the course of his life to tell the screen legend's story.
- DirectorCraig McCallStarsJack CardiffMartin ScorseseKirk DouglasIn 2001 Jack Cardiff (1914-2009) became the first director of photography in the history of the Academy Awards to win an Honorary Oscar. But the first time he clasped the famous statuette in his hand was a half-century earlier when his Technicolor camerawork was awarded for Powell and Pressburger's Black Narcissus. Beyond John Huston's The African Queen and King Vidor's War and Peace, the films of the British-Hungarian creative duo (The Red Shoes and A Matter of Life and Death too) guaranteed immortality for the renowned cameraman whose career spanned seventy years.
- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsdon Andrea CarraroPier Paolo PasoliniWhile scouting locations for his classic "The Gospel According to St. Matthew", director Pier Paolo Pasolini noticed that filming in the actual site of the story, in Palestine, wouldn't be much of a great choice due to the modern invasion which completely altered the biblical settings. Here, the director explained his reasons of why his search in the Middle East end up being wrong - though somewhat fruitful and rewarding in other ways - and why his native Italy surprised him and became the scenario for his religious epic.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsWerner HerzogKlaus KinskiClaudia CardinaleThe love-hate relationship between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, the deep trust between the director and the actor, and their independently and simultaneously hatched plans to murder one another.
- DirectorMark RanceStarsPaul Thomas AndersonFiona AppleWilliam ArnoldA behind-the-scenes documentary, following the 80+ days of filming Paul Thomas Anderson's epic film Magnolia.
- 20031h 59mTV-147.5 (3.1K)DirectorKenneth BowserStarsMartin ScorseseDennis HopperPeter BogdanovichA look at 1970s Hollywood when it was known as New Hollywood, and the director was the star of the movie.
- DirectorJames ChressanthisStarsKaren BlackPeter BogdanovichSandra BullockThe lifelong friendship of the great Hungarian-born cinematographers László Kovács and Vilmos Zsigmond and their impact on American cinema.
- 20141h 37mNot Rated7.5 (4.4K)DirectorDavid GregoryStarsRichard StanleyKier-La JanisseMichael GingoldA behind the scenes chronicle of how clash of vision, bad creative decisions, lack of interest and really bad weather plagued the disastrous production of the infamous The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996).
- DirectorKirby DickStarsKirby DickKimberly PeirceDarren AronofskyKirby Dick's exposé about the American movie ratings board.
- DirectorRob EpsteinJeffrey FriedmanStarsAnjelica HustonBilly CrystalTom HanksThe history of the Academy Awards.
- DirectorAlex StapletonStarsRoger CormanMartin ScorseseQuentin TarantinoA documentary on DIY producer/director Roger Corman and his alternative approach to making movies in Hollywood.
- DirectorNoah BaumbachJake PaltrowStarsBrian De PalmaMark HamillAmy IrvingA documentary about writer and director Brian De Palma.
- DirectorJan HarlanStarsKatharina KubrickMalcolm McDowellStanley KubrickThe career and life of Stanley Kubrick is explored through pictures, clips from his films, his old home movies, comments from his colleagues and a narration by Tom Cruise.
- 1995–19983h 45m8.5 (5.1K)TV EpisodeDirectorMartin ScorseseMichael Henry WilsonStarsMartin ScorseseAllison AndersKathryn BigelowMartin Scorsese describes his initial and growing obsession with films from the 1940s and 50s as the art form developed and grew with clips from classics and cult classics.
- DirectorNanette BursteinBrett MorgenStarsRobert EvansEddie AlbertPeter BartDocumentary about legendary Paramount producer Robert Evans (the film shares the same name as Evans's famous 1994 autobiography).
- DirectorFax BahrGeorge HickenlooperEleanor CoppolaStarsDennis HopperMartin SheenMarlon BrandoDocumentary that chronicles how Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problems--nearly destroying the life and career of the celebrated director.
- DirectorTed DemmeRichard LaGraveneseStarsFrancis Ford CoppolaWilliam FriedkinRobert AltmanA documentary examining the decade of the 1970s as a turning point in American cinema. Some of today's best filmmakers interview the influential directors of that time.
- StarsMark CousinsJuan Diego BottoAleksandr SokurovA comprehensive history of the medium and art of motion pictures.
- DirectorMark CousinsStarsMark CousinsMark Cousins offers hope and optimism while he explores different movies and talks about how technology is changing the course of cinema in a new century and how Covid continues the process.
- DirectorArnold GlassmanTodd McCarthyStuart SamuelsStarsConrad L. HallJohn BaileyVilmos ZsigmondCameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography, illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from The Birth of a Nation (1915) to Do the Right Thing (1989).
- DirectorChristopher KenneallyStarsDerek AmbrosiMichael BallhausAndrzej BartkowiakThe documentary investigates the history, process and workflow of both digital and photochemical film creation.
- DirectorKeith FultonLouis PepeStarsTerry GilliamJohnny DeppJeff BridgesTerry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), off the ground.
- DirectorTheodoros AngelopoulosVicente ArandaJohn BoormanStarsPernilla AugustMax von SydowMerzak Allouache40 international directors were asked to make a short film using the original Cinematographe invented by the Lumière brothers.
- DirectorKent JonesStarsWes AndersonPeter BogdanovichDavid FincherFilmmakers discuss how Francois Truffaut's 1966 book "Cinema According to Hitchcock" influenced their work.
- DirectorSteve JamesStarsRoger EbertChaz EbertGene SiskelThe life and career of the renowned film critic and social commentator, Roger Ebert.
- DirectorNicholas RayWim WendersStarsGerry BammanRonee BlakleyPierre CottrellWim Wenders abandons the shoot of one of his own films in order to help his friend and fellow director Nicholas Ray create his swan song before he dies.
- DirectorSusan LacyStarsSteven SpielbergMartin ScorseseRichard DreyfussA documentary on Steven Spielberg, filmmaker. Includes interviews with relatives, film critics, peers and people who have worked with him.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsCatherine E. CoulsonDavid LynchJack NanceThe enduring hope that humanity may or may not persevere. A tale of love and abandonment.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsJim CarreyDanny DeVitoMilos FormanA behind-the-scenes look at how Jim Carrey adopted the persona of idiosyncratic comedian Andy Kaufman on the set of Man on the Moon (1999).
- DirectorMark HartleyStarsSam FirstenbergDavid PaulsenLuigi CozziThe history of the independent film company, The Cannon Film Group, Inc..
- DirectorMatt SchraderStarsMarco BeltramiJon BurlingameLeonard MaltinA look at the cinematic art of the film musical score, and the artists who create them.
- 1989– 1h 10mNot Rated6.8 (182)TV Episode71MetascoreDirectorGabe KlingerStarsSandra AdairJames BenningRichard LinklaterIn 1985, filmmaker Richard Linklater began a film screening society in Austin, Texas, that aimed to show classic art-house and experimental films to a budding community of cinephiles and filmmakers. The Austin Film Society raised enough money to fly in their first out-of-town invitee, visionary experimental filmmaker James Benning. Accepting the invitation, Benning met Linklater and immediately the two began to develop a personal and intellectual bond, which has lasted through the present. After the cult success of "Slacker" (1991), Linklater has gone on to make award-winning big budget narrative films including "School of Rock" (2003), "Before Midnight" (2013) and "Boyhood" (2014). Benning, meanwhile, has stayed close to his modest roots and is mainly an unknown figure in mainstream film culture. Combining filmed conversations and archival material, "Double Play" explores the connections between the work and lives of these two American visionaries.
- DirectorMichael Paul StephensonStarsGeorge HardyPita RayMicki KnoxA look at the making of the film Troll 2 (1990) and its journey from being crowned the "worst film of all time" to a cherished cult classic.
- DirectorGilles PensoStarsRay HarryhausenPeter JacksonTerry GilliamThe life and work of the renowned film visual effects artist and producer.
- DirectorAlexandre O. PhilippeStarsMarli RenfroAlfred HitchcockTere CarrubbaAn unprecedented look at the iconic shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), the "man behind the curtain", and the screen murder that profoundly changed the course of world cinema.
- StarsFrancis Ford CoppolaSteven SpielbergMeryl StreepThe wartime contributions of five prominent Hollywood film directors during World War II are profiled.
- DirectorDaniel RaimStarsLillian MichelsonHarold MichelsonBill KrohnHarold and Lillian eloped to Hollywood in 1947, where they became the film industry's secret weapons. Nobody talked about them, but everybody wanted them. Theirs is the greatest story never told-until now.
- DirectorJRAgnès VardaStarsAgnès VardaJRJeannine CarpentierDirector Agnes Varda and photographer/muralist J.R. journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.
- DirectorAgnès VardaStarsAgnès VardaAndré LubranoBlaise FournierAgnès Varda explores her memories, mostly chronologically, with photographs, film clips, interviews, reenactments, and droll, playful contemporary scenes of her narrating her story.
- DirectorSerge BrombergRuxandra MedreaStarsRomy SchneiderBérénice BejoSerge ReggianiHenri-Georges Clouzot's unfinished masterpiece, Inferno (1964), is reconstructed in this film which is part drama and part documentary.
- DirectorMidge CostinStarsGary RydstromSteven SpielbergTeresa EcktonAn exploration of the history and emotional power of cinema sound, as revealed by legendary sound designers and visionary directors, via interviews, clips from movies, and a look at their actual process of creation and discovery.
- DirectorDavid GregoryStarsAshim AhluwaliaChris AlexanderJoko AnwarA documentary exploring the subject of horror anthology movies.
- DirectorJustin McConnellStarsChris AlexanderDave AlexanderChad ArchibaldFollowing five years in the life and career of an independent filmmaker, supported by dozens of interviews, posing one question: how does an indie filmmaker survive in the current film business?
- StarsGeorge LucasDennis MurenLorne PetersonShowcasing the people of Industrial Light and Magic, the special effects division of Lucasfilm, this series takes us back in time as they create the effects for some of the biggest and most successful films of the last 45 years.
- DirectorJeffrey SchwarzStarsMuhammad AliSteve AllenBrooke AndersonDickson Hughes and Richard Stapley, two young songwriters and romantic partners, find themselves caught in movie star Gloria Swanson's web when she hires them to write a musical version of "Sunset Boulevard."
- DirectorJosh JohnsonStarsGabriel BartalosMario CaianoAugusto CaminitoInterviews with associates of Klaus Kinski in his final years offer anecdotal evidence of his fragile state of mind and deteriorating work ethic.
- DirectorRob GarverStarsPauline KaelJohn GuareLili AnolikA portrait of the work and life of controversial film critic Pauline Kael, and her battle to achieve success and influence in the 20th century movie business.
- DirectorGregory MonroStarsStanley KubrickMichel CimentMalcolm McDowellA rare and transcendent journey into the life and films of the legendary Stanley Kubrick like we've never seen before, featuring a treasure trove of unearthed interview recordings from the master himself.
- DirectorSilvia GiuliettiStarsFerruccio CastronuovoFederico FelliniDante FerrettiFellini behind the curtains, observing the great director through the eyes and the lenses of Ferruccio Castronuovo, Fellini's trusted partner, who filmed him between the '76 and '86.
- DirectorFrancesco ZippelStarsWilliam FriedkinWes AndersonDario ArgentoIn this documentary, the hotshot director of The Exorcist (1973) and The French Connection (1971), now 83 years old, is interviewed about his career, and a number of his colleagues and admirers weigh in with reminiscences and tributes.
- DirectorThomas von SteinaeckerStarsWerner HerzogChloé ZhaoJoshua OppenheimerDocumentary presents a comprehensive portrait of an iconic artist of our time.