Documentaries About Films and Filmmaking
by theemotionmachine | created - 2 months ago | updated - 2 weeks ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. 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: 23,243 | Gross: $1.32M
2. American Movie (1999)
R | 107 min | Documentary, Comedy
Documentary about an aspiring filmmaker's attempts to finance his dream project by finally completing the low-budget horror film he abandoned years before.
Director: Chris Smith | Stars: Mark Borchardt, Mike Schank, Tom Schimmels, Monica Borchardt
Votes: 19,360 | Gross: $1.16M
3. 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: 27,600 | Gross: $0.65M
4. 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: 8,144
5. Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017)
TV-MA | 94 min | Documentary
A 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).
Director: Chris Smith | Stars: Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Milos Forman, Peter Bonerz
Votes: 27,993
6. 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: 5,664
7. Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968)
Not Rated | 75 min | Documentary
Filmmaker William Greaves auditioned acting students for a fictional drama, while simultaneously shooting the behind-the-scenes drama taking place.
Director: William Greaves | Stars: Patricia Ree Gilbert, Don Fellows, Jonathan Gordon, Bob Rosen
Votes: 2,520
8. Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
Not Rated | 68 min | Documentary
A man travels around a city with a camera slung over his shoulder, documenting urban life with dazzling invention.
Director: Dziga Vertov | Stars: Mikhail Kaufman, Elizaveta Svilova
Votes: 28,010
9. The Act of Killing (2012)
Not Rated | 117 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.
Directors: Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous, Christine Cynn | Stars: Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin, Ibrahim Sinik
Votes: 40,833 | Gross: $0.49M
10. Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001)
Not Rated | 142 min | Documentary, Biography
The 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.
Director: Jan Harlan | Stars: Katharina Kubrick, Malcolm McDowell, Stanley Kubrick, Barbara Kroner
Votes: 12,209
11. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda (2017)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, Music
A portrait of genius music composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Director: Stephen Nomura Schible | Stars: Yellow Magic Orchestra, Ryuichi Sakamoto
Votes: 1,987 | Gross: $0.12M
12. Ennio (2021)
156 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary on the legendary film composer Ennio Morricone.
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore | Stars: Ennio Morricone, Silvano Agosti, Alessandro Alessandroni, Dario Argento
Votes: 5,543
13. The Five Obstructions (2003)
Unrated | 90 min | Documentary
Filmmaker Lars Von Trier challenges Jørgen Leth, the filmmaker behind The Perfect Human (1967), to remake his classic short under circumstances of increasing constraint.
Directors: Jørgen Leth, Lars von Trier | Stars: Claus Nissen, Majken Algren Nielsen, Daniel Hernandez Rodriguez, Jacqueline Arenal
Votes: 9,211 | Gross: $0.09M
14. 10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki (2019)
196 min | Documentary
A chronicle of the creative process of the legendary Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, a passionate artisan, a steadfast trailblazer, and a father butting heads with his son.
Stars: Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, Janak Bhimani, Gorô Miyazaki
Votes: 323
15. Tarr Béla, I Used to Be a Filmmaker (2013)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary
An illuminating and extremely rare documentary profile of one of the great filmmakers of our time, Bela Tarr. Filmed during the production of The Turin Horse, his final film, Tarr Bela: I ... See full summary »
Director: Jean-Marc Lamoure | Stars: Erika Bók, Zolt Cholnoky, Kata Czigler, János Derzsi
Votes: 230
16. 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: 23,120 | Gross: $0.26M
17. Filmworker (2017)
Not Rated | 94 min | Documentary, Biography
A documentary about how English actor Leon Vitali came to work as an assistant to American filmmaker Stanley Kubrick for over 30 years.
Director: Tony Zierra | Stars: Leon Vitali, Ryan O'Neal, Brian Capron, Mike Alfreds
Votes: 3,506 | Gross: $0.10M
18. The Pervert's Guide to Ideology (2012)
Not Rated | 136 min | Documentary
Philosopher Slavoj Zizek examines the hidden themes and existential questions asked by world renowned films.
Director: Sophie Fiennes | Star: Slavoj Zizek
Votes: 7,531 | Gross: $0.07M
19. The Pervert's Guide to Cinema (2006)
150 min | Documentary
Slavoj Zizek examines famous films in a philosophical and a psychoanalytic context.
Director: Sophie Fiennes | Star: Slavoj Zizek
Votes: 7,342
20. The Insufferable Groo (2018)
98 min | Documentary
Prolific and eccentric filmmaker Stephen Groo tries to recruit Jack Black, to be in his latest film about human who falls in love with an elf.
Director: Scott Christopherson | Stars: Jack Black, Lourie Bloomfield, Sherry Groo, Stephen Groo
Votes: 117
21. Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009)
PG | 86 min | Documentary, Drama, History
The story of the Disney Renaissance, an incredibly prolific, successful and prestigious decade lasting from 1984 to 1994 that saw the fallen Walt Disney Animation Studios' unexpected progressive triumphant return to excellence.
Director: Don Hahn | Stars: Roy Edward Disney, John Lasseter, Michael Eisner, Don Hahn
Votes: 3,274 | Gross: $0.08M
22. Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies and the American Dream (1998 TV Movie)
98 min | Documentary, History
The history of the influence of Eastern European Jewish Emigre culture has had on Hollywood and the films created in its golden age.
Directors: Simcha Jacobovici, Stuart Samuels | Stars: Neal Gabler, R.H. Thomson, J. Hoberman, Arthur Tracy
Votes: 378
23. Voyage in Time (1983 TV Movie)
62 min | Documentary
Acclaimed Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky and his screenwriter Tonino Guerra travel all over Italy to scout locations for the film Nostalghia.
Directors: Tonino Guerra, Andrei Tarkovsky | Stars: Tonino Guerra, Lora Jabloskina, Andrei Tarkovsky
Votes: 2,094
24. The Beatles: Get Back (2021)
PG-13 | 156 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
In January 1969, The Beatles set out to write and record new songs for their first live show in more than two years, culminating in an impromptu concert atop their Savile Row studio.
Votes: 28,146
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