Must See "Behind-the-Scenes" Films about Film for Real Nerds
by uselessunless | created - 29 Dec 2018 | updated - 15 Mar 2020 | PublicDocumentaries about filmmaking, b-movies, independent studios, cult classics, making-of stories. etc
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014)
R | 106 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The history of the independent film company, The Cannon Film Group, Inc..
Director: Mark Hartley | Stars: Sam Firstenberg, David Paulsen, Luigi Cozzi, Menahem Golan
Votes: 5,993
2. Burden of Dreams (1982)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary
A 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).
Director: Les Blank | Stars: Werner Herzog, Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards
Votes: 8,141
3. Lost in La Mancha (2002)
R | 89 min | Documentary
Terry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), off the ground.
Directors: Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe | Stars: Terry Gilliam, Johnny Depp, Jeff Bridges, Tony Grisoni
Votes: 11,999 | Gross: $0.73M
4. VHS Massacre (2016)
Not Rated | 72 min | Documentary, Comedy, History
This lively documentary explores the rise and fall of physical media and its effect on Independent and cult films. Ranging from the origin of home movies through the video store era, it's ... See full summary »
Directors: Kenneth Powell, Thomas Edward Seymour | Stars: Mike Aransky, Alan Bagh, Troy Bernier, John Bloom
Votes: 907
5. Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan (2011)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Biography
The life and work of the renowned film visual effects artist and producer.
Director: Gilles Penso | Stars: Ray Harryhausen, Peter Jackson, Terry Gilliam, Guillermo del Toro
Votes: 1,364
6. De Palma (2015)
R | 110 min | Documentary, Biography
A documentary about writer and director Brian De Palma.
Directors: Noah Baumbach, Jake Paltrow | Stars: Brian De Palma, Mark Hamill, Amy Irving, Kurt Russell
Votes: 6,205 | Gross: $0.16M
7. Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau (2014)
Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary, Adventure
A 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).
Director: David Gregory | Stars: Richard Stanley, Kier-La Janisse, Michael Gingold, Graham Humphreys
Votes: 4,414
8. Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)
PG-13 | 90 min | Documentary
The story of cult film director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed film adaptation of the seminal science fiction novel.
Director: Frank Pavich | Stars: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Michel Seydoux, H.R. Giger, Chris Foss
Votes: 27,595 | Gross: $0.65M
9. The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013)
Not Rated | 118 min | Documentary
Follows the routines of those employed at Studio Ghibli, including filmmakers Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki as they work to release two films simultaneously, The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.
Director: Mami Sunada | Stars: Hayao Miyazaki, Yumiko Miyoshi, Toshio Suzuki, Shinsuke Nonaka
Votes: 5,663
10. Room 237 (I) (2012)
Not Rated | 102 min | Documentary
An exploration of various interpretations of Stanley Kubrick's horror film, The Shining (1980).
Director: Rodney Ascher | Stars: Bill Blakemore, Geoffrey Cocks, Juli Kearns, John Fell Ryan
Votes: 23,119 | Gross: $0.26M
11. Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)
R | 96 min | Documentary
Documentary 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.
Directors: Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper, Eleanor Coppola | Stars: Dennis Hopper, Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, George Lucas
Votes: 23,242 | Gross: $1.32M
12. The Wolfpack (2015)
R | 90 min | Documentary, Biography
Confined in an apartment from a New York housing project, the six Angulo brothers learned everything they know about the world through watching films and spend their time reenacting their favorite movies with intricate homemade costumes.
Director: Crystal Moselle | Stars: Mukunda Angulo, Narayana Angulo, Susanne Angulo, Bhagavan Angulo
Votes: 13,518 | Gross: $1.30M
13. This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
Unrated | 98 min | Documentary
Kirby Dick's exposé about the American movie ratings board.
Director: Kirby Dick | Stars: Kirby Dick, Kimberly Peirce, Darren Aronofsky, Atom Egoyan
Votes: 28,630 | Gross: $0.30M
14. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011)
PG-13 | 90 min | Documentary, Comedy
A documentary about branding, advertising and product placement that is financed and made possible by brands, advertising and product placement.
Director: Morgan Spurlock | Stars: J.J. Abrams, Peter Berg, Paul Brennan, Noam Chomsky
Votes: 15,193 | Gross: $0.64M
15. Score (2016)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary, Music
A look at the cinematic art of the film musical score, and the artists who create them.
Director: Matt Schrader | Stars: Marco Beltrami, Jon Burlingame, Leonard Maltin, Bill Field
Votes: 4,877 | Gross: $0.10M
16. King Cohen (2017)
110 min | Documentary, Biography
A feature length documentary on the acclaimed work and eclectic career of maverick filmmaker Larry Cohen.
Director: Steve Mitchell | Stars: J.J. Abrams, Rick Baker, Eric Bogosian, Richard J. Brewer
Votes: 587
17. Screaming in High Heels: The Rise & Fall of the Scream Queen Era (2011)
Not Rated | 63 min | Documentary
Three actresses "accidentally" became cult horror film icons in the late 1980s and created the modern interpretation of the "Scream Queen" image.
Director: Jason Paul Collum | Stars: Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, Michelle Bauer, Fred Olen Ray
Votes: 361
18. Drive-in Madness! (1987)
Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary
A compilation of trailers and previews from classic low-budget sci-fi and horror films.
Director: Tim Ferrante | Stars: James Karen, Bobbie Bresee, Forrest J. Ackerman, Linnea Quigley
Votes: 113
19. Best Worst Movie (2009)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary, Comedy
A 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.
Director: Michael Paul Stephenson | Stars: George Hardy, Pita Ray, Micki Knox, Tommy Bice
Votes: 8,525 | Gross: $0.10M
20. Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2010)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary, History
A fast moving odyssey into the subterranean world of the rarely explored province of Filipino genre filmmaking.
Director: Mark Hartley | Stars: Roger Corman, John Landis, Pete Tombs, Mark Holcomb
Votes: 1,805
21. Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011)
R | 95 min | Documentary
A documentary on DIY producer/director Roger Corman and his alternative approach to making movies in Hollywood.
Director: Alex Stapleton | Stars: Roger Corman, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Paul W.S. Anderson
Votes: 2,676 | Gross: $0.01M
22. Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape (2010)
Not Rated | 72 min | Documentary
A documentary analyzing the furore which so-called "video nasties" caused in Britain during the 1980s.
Director: Jake West | Stars: Julian Petley, Marc Morris, Andy Nyman, Xavier Mendik
Votes: 1,325
23. American Grindhouse (2010)
Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary
A documentary about the history of exploitation movies, from the silent-film era to the 1970s.
Director: Elijah Drenner | Stars: Robert Forster, Eric Schaefer, Eddie Muller, John Landis
Votes: 2,616 | Gross: $0.01M
24. Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)
R | 103 min | Documentary, History
The story of the Australian exploitation genre cinema of 1970s and 80s.
Director: Mark Hartley | Stars: Phillip Adams, Glory Annen, Christine Amor, Victoria Anoux
Votes: 4,684 | Gross: $0.02M
25. The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films (2014)
88 min | Documentary
Two Israeli cousins, Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, in pursuit of the American Dream, turned the Hollywood power structure upside down, producing over 300 films and becoming the most powerful independent film company in the world.
Director: Hilla Medalia | Stars: Menahem Golan, Yoram Globus, Yehuda Barkan, Ram Globus
Votes: 603
26. Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019)
Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary
A look at the history of black horror films and the role of African Americans in the film genre from the very beginning.
Director: Xavier Burgin | Stars: Rusty Cundieff, Ernest R. Dickerson, Robin R. Means Coleman, Jordan Peele
Votes: 2,094
27. James Stewart, Robert Mitchum: The Two Faces of America (2017 TV Movie)
80 min | Documentary, Biography
With his naïve air, his rangy and reassuring silhouette, the first one symbolizes success, someone who everybody wants to look like. When they shared the poster of the 'Big sleep' in 1978, ... See full summary »
Director: Gregory Monro | Stars: Trina Mitchum, Kelly Stewart, Judy Stewart, Victoria Tennant
Votes: 666
28. Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary (2019)
95 min | Documentary
Filmmakers and stars discuss the filming and social effects of Galaxy Quest, a comedic take-off of Star Trek, with brilliant commentary not only on the Star Trek series but on the real-life actors themselves.
Director: Jack Bennett | Stars: Tim Allen, Greg Berlanti, Elizabeth Cantillon, Linda DeScenna
Votes: 2,091
29. Along for the Ride (2016)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
A documentary about Dennis Hopper.
Director: Nick Ebeling | Stars: Julie Adams, Damon Albarn, Fred C. Caruso, Todd Colombo
Votes: 336
Tell Your Friends