biography of a filmmaker

Quentin Tarantino

Who Is Quentin Tarantino?

Born in Tennessee in 1963, Quentin Tarantino moved to California at age 4. His love of movies led to a job in a video store, during which time he wrote the scripts for True Romance and Natural Born Killers . Tarantino's directorial debut came with 1992's Reservoir Dogs , but he received widespread critical and commercial acclaim with Pulp Fiction (1994), for which he won an Academy Award for best screenplay. Subsequent features included Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Vol. 2 (2004) and Grindhouse (2007). Tarantino earned several award nominations for Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Django Unchained (2012), the latter garnering him a second Oscar win for best screenplay, and he went on to write and direct The Hateful Eight (2015) and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019).

Quentin Tarantino was born on March 27, 1963, in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is the only child of Connie McHugh, who is part Cherokee and part Irish, and actor Tony Tarantino, who left the family before Quentin was born.

Tarantino loathed school, choosing to spend his time watching movies or reading comics rather than studying. The only subject that appealed to him was history. "History was cool and I did well there, because it was kind of like the movies," he told Entertainment Weekly . After dropping out of high school, Tarantino worked as an usher at an adult film theater for a time. He also took acting classes. Tarantino eventually landed a job at Video Archives in Manhattan Beach, California. There he worked with Roger Avary, who shared his passion for film. The two even worked on some script ideas together.

Early Films: 'True Romance,' 'Natural Born Killers,' 'Reservoir Dogs'

During his time at Video Archives, Tarantino worked on several screenplays, including True Romance and Natural Born Killers . He also landed a guest spot on the popular sitcom The Golden Girls , playing an Elvis Presley impersonator. In 1990, Tarantino left Video Archives to work for Cinetel, a production company. Through one of the producers there, he was able to get his script for True Romance in the hands of director Tony Scott. Scott liked Tarantino's script, and bought the rights to it.

Working with producer Lawrence Bender, Tarantino was able to secure funding for his directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs (1992), for which he had also written the screenplay. Actor Harvey Keitel was impressed when he read the script, saying "I haven't seen characters like these in years." He signed on as an actor and a producer for the project. Other cast members included Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi and Tarantino himself.

In 1992, audiences at the Sundance Film Festival were entranced by Reservoir Dogs , Tarantino's ultraviolent crime caper gone wrong. He drew inspiration for the project from such classic heist films as Rififi and City on Fire . The independent film helped make Tarantino one of the most talked-about figures in Hollywood. While not a big hit in the United States, it became a popular title on video and did well overseas.

Oscar Win for 'Pulp Fiction'

With Pulp Fiction (1994), Tarantino created an unpredictable thrill ride filled with violence and pop culture references. In one story in the film, John Travolta played Vincent Vega, a hit man assigned to look after his boss's girlfriend ( Uma Thurman )—a role that helped resuscitate his then-flagging career. Another part examined Vega's partnership with fellow hit man Jules Winnfield (played by Samuel L. Jackson ). And yet another storyline involved Bruce Willis as a boxer. Tarantino managed to successfully interweave all these different stories to make a fascinating film. "His mind works like the Tasmanian Devil on a bullet train. It's so fast that very few people can keep up with his references," actor Eric Stoltz, who played a drug dealer in the film, explained to Los Angeles magazine.

Pulp Fiction was both a commercial and critical success. In the United States, it earned over $108 million at the box office, becoming the first independent film to do so. Pulp Fiction won the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994 and received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. For his work on the film, Tarantino took home the award for Best Original Screenplay, an honor he had to share with former collaborator Roger Avary. The two had a falling out over the writing credits for the film.

'Natural Born Killers,' 'From Dusk Till Dawn,' 'Jackie Brown'

Known for his temper, Tarantino got into a public disagreement with director Oliver Stone . Stone directed Natural Born Killers (1994) and rewrote parts of Tarantino's script. Enraged by the rewrites, Tarantino fought to have his name taken off the film. Stone told the press that the changes were an improvement over the original, which had poor character development. In a related incident, Tarantino slapped one of the producers of Natural Born Killers when he ran into him at Los Angeles restaurant.

In 1995, Tarantino wrote and directed one of the four stories featured in Four Rooms . The other three were handled by other rising independent filmmakers Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell and Robert Rodriguez. After the release of Four Rooms , Tarantino and Rodriguez collaborated on From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). Tarantino wrote the screenplay for the film and starred opposite George Clooney , the two playing criminals who end up battle vampires. Rodriguez directed the film, which received negative reviews from critics.

Tarantino soon tackled Jackie Brown (1997), a crime thriller starring Pam Grier as a stewardess who gets caught smuggling money for an arms dealer (played by Jackson). A tribute to the blaxploitation films of the 1970s, the film was adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel. Grier herself had appeared in many blaxploitation classics, including Foxy Brown (1974). The film was well received, with many calling it a more mature work for Tarantino. Critic Leonard Matlin commented that there were "dynamite performances all around" for a cast that also included Michael Keaton , Robert De Niro , and Robert Forster. Not everyone loved the film, however. Fellow filmmaker Spike Lee objected to Tarantino's overuse of a derogatory term for African Americans in Jackie Brown , publicly complaining in Army Archerd's column in Variety .

Broadway's 'Wait Until Dark'

After Jackie Brown , Tarantino took a break from filmmaking. He starred on Broadway in 1998 in a revival of Wait Until Dark with Marisa Tomei . It was a bold move for him, as he had never done professional stage work before. Tarantino played a thug who terrorizes a blind woman (played by Tomei), and the critics were less than impressed. The reviews for the production were brutally harsh, and Tarantino was devastated. He felt people on the street were recognizing him as "the one whose acting sucks. I tried not to take it personally, but it was personal. It was not about the play—it was about me, and at a certain point I started getting too thin a skin about the constant criticism."

Tarantino worked on a World War II script during this period. The screenplay "became big and sprawling. It was some of the best stuff I've ever written, but at a certain point, I thought, 'Am I writing a script or am I writing a novel?' I basically ended up writing three World War II scripts. None of them had an ending," he later explained to Vanity Fair .

'Kill Bill'

Instead of tackling his war epic, Tarantino jumped into the world of martial arts films. The idea for Kill Bill was formed by Tarantino and Thurman in a bar during the filming of Pulp Fiction . In 2000, Thurman ran into Tarantino at an Oscar party and asked whether he had made any progress with the idea. He promised her that he would write the script as a birthday present for her, initially saying he would finish in two weeks, though it ended up taking a year. Tarantino had to learn on the fly how to make a kung fu film, working and reworking the sequences as he went along.

Tarantino originally wanted Warren Beatty for the titular "Bill," but he moved on to David Carradine from the television series Kung Fu . The plot focused on revenge, as a female assassin known as the Bride (Thurman) seeks to kill those involved in the savage attack on her and her wedding party. Running over budget and over schedule, Tarantino persevered with the project, shooting so much that he eventually had to create two films. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 was released in late 2003, with Kill Bill: Vol. 2 following a few months later.

'Grindhouse,' 'Inglorious Basterds'

After Kill Bill , Tarantino dabbled in television. He wrote and directed an episode of the drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2005, for which he received an Emmy Award nomination. Tarantino then worked with Robert Rodriguez again. The two filmmakers each made their own gory and graphic ode to the B-movies, which were shown together as a double-feature known as Grindhouse (2007). Critics and movie-goers alike were not quite certain what to make of this collaboration, and it flopped at the box office.

Tarantino finally returned to work on his World War II script. In 2009, he released the long-awaited Inglourious Basterds , which focused on a group of Jewish-American soldiers out to destroy as many Nazis as possible. He had wooed Brad Pitt to play the leader of the "Basterds." Some of the reviews were mixed, but Tarantino seemed unfazed by any negative comments. "I respect criticism. But I know more about film than most of the people writing about me. Not only that, I'm a better writer than most of the people writing about me," he explained to GQ magazine. He clearly may have known best in this case, as the film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including two for Tarantino (for best director and best original screenplay).

Second Oscar Win for 'Django Unchained'

Tarantino went on to meet with both commercial and critical success with his action Western Django Unchained , released in late 2012. In the film, Jamie Foxx starred as Django, a freed slave who teams up with a bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) to search for his wife, played by Kerry Washington . Django then has to face off against his wife's plantation owner, played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film. Other cast members include Jackson and Jonah Hill . At the 85th Academy Awards in 2013, Tarantino won an Academy Award for best original screenplay for Django Unchained. The film received several other Oscar nominations, including for best picture, cinematography and sound editing.

'The Hateful Eight,' 'Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood'

In 2015, the director revisited the Western theme for The Hateful Eight . Featuring such frequent Tarantino collaborators as Jackson, Roth and Madsen, the film snagged Golden Globe nominations in several categories.

Four years later, Tarantino delivered his follow-up effort, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood . Co-starring DiCaprio and Pitt, the film focuses on the former's struggles to remain relevant as an actor in 1969, presenting an twist on the real-life events that led to the infamous Charles Manson family murders. The feature reportedly drew a seven-minute standing ovation following its May 2019 premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and went on to earn Golden Globe wins for Best Screenplay and Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.

#MeToo and Harvey Weinstein

After a series of sexual assault accusations ended the career of producer Harvey Weinstein and sparked the #MeToo movement in late 2017, Tarantino admitted he knew about Weinstein's behavior toward women and expressed regret that he didn't do more to stop it. He was also forced to account for his own alleged misogynistic behavior as a director, including the rumor that he forced Thurman to drive a dangerous stunt car while filming Kill Bill , resulting in a life-changing accident for the actress.

In 2016, Tarantino began dating Daniella Pick, daughter of Israeli singer and songwriter Tzvika Pick. After getting engaged in 2017, they married in Los Angeles in November 2018. In August 2019, the couple announced they were expecting their first child together.

The filmmaker had previously been involved in a long-term relationship with actress Mira Sorvino.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Quentin Tarantino
• Birth Year: 1963
• Birth date: March 27, 1963
• Birth State: Tennessee
• Birth City: Knoxville
• Birth Country: United States
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Known for his unpredictable, violent films, Quentin Tarantino first earned widespread fame for 'Pulp Fiction,' before going on to direct 'Inglourious Basterds' and 'Django Unchained.'
• Writing and Publishing
• Astrological Sign: Aries
• Cultural Associations
• Irish American
• Occupations
• Screenwriter

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Quentin Tarantino Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/quentin-tarantino
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: September 23, 2020
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014
• I don't believe in elitism. I don't think the audience is this dumb person lower than me. I am the audience.

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10 Best Biographical Movies of All Time, According to IMDb

From 'Malcolm X' to 'Braveheart', these figures have certainly left us with quite an impression.

It's in our nature to show interest in prominent figures who have shaped the world we live in today. Whether those people are world leaders, musical prodigies, boxers, or activists, they have influenced and shaped our world in some way, shape, or form.

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Over the years, filmmakers have taken a particular interest in retelling the stories of widely-known public figures to those who might not have known about their incredible impact and the stories that lie behind these legends or simply as a tribute to honor them.

‘Amadeus’ (1984) — 8.4/10

Released in 1984, Amadeus is a biographical film loosely based on the life of the Austrian musical prodigy , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . The film focuses on the personal struggles Mozart ( Tom Hulce ) faced in alcoholism, and his marriage, while simultaneously dealing with an envious rival, Antonio Salieri ( F. Murray Abraham ), who wants to destroy him at all costs.

Though there were many dramatized and fictionalized aspects of the film, the rivalry between Mozart and Salieri is loosely based on rumors dating back to the 1770s . Throughout the years, however, many published works suggest that historians have not been able to find any evidence of any signs of rivalry. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, of which it won eight, including the highly regarded Best Picture. It also won an additional 32 awards from other associations.

‘Gandhi’ (1982) — 8.1/10

Gandhi is a biographical film based on the events that occurred in the life of the adored Indian leader, Mohandas Gandhi (more commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi). After spending most of his life experiencing India under British rule, Gandhi ( Ben Kingsley ) tries to stand up for his country. Owing to his extensive accomplishments for India and the world, it's no wonder the film has a longer than average running time of 191 minutes (3 hours and 11 minutes).

His non-violent approach through civil disobedience and efforts against the British eventually led to India’s long-awaited independence and earned him an international reputation as one of the most beloved world leaders today. The film was nominated for numerous awards and won many, including eight wins from the Academy Awards.

‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962) — 8.3/10

Lawrence of Arabia tells the story of a British Lieutenant T. E. Lawrence ( Peter O’Toole ), who, with extensive knowledge of Bedouin tribes (nomadic Arab tribes), is sent to Arabia to serve as the link between the Arabs and the British in their battle against the Turks. Against the order of his superior officer, Lawrence, along with Sherif Ali ( Omar Sharif ), commences on a long desert journey with the plan of attacking a Turkish port.

With a running time of nearly four hours (3 hours 42 minutes to be exact), most of the general audience would likely not want to commit to watching the film, but the film's commercial success has that proven wrong. Renowned film critic Roger Ebert noted that despite the lengthy running time, Lawrence of Arabia “is not dense with plot details. It is a spare movie in clean, uncluttered lines, and there is never a moment when we doubt the logistical details of the various campaigns.” The film won many accolades, including seven Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, and more.

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‘Schindler’s List’ (1993) — 9.0/10

Steven Spielberg ’s epic historical drama Schindler’s List is set in the Polish city of Kraków during World War II. The film is based on the heroic acts of a German industrialist, Oskar Schindler ( Liam Neeson ), and his vigorous attempts to save more than a thousand Polish-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust. When he sees how many refugees are ruthlessly killed by the heartless SS Amon Göth ( Ralph Fiennes ) in Kraków, Schindler begins to employ the Polish-Jewish refugees to work in his factories.

In 2018, The Los Angeles Times published an article titled “Why ‘Schindler’s List’ remains brilliant and troubling 25 years after its release”, noting that despite its brilliance, some were concerned about “whether it’s morally defensible to dramatize unspeakable horror and trauma via the language of mass entertainment.” Many stories, however, are asked to be told in a dramatized way movies are a more approachable and exciting medium for the general population to learn about history.

‘Malcolm X’ (1992) — 7.7/10

Spike Lee ’s self-titled biographical film, Malcolm X , is a tribute to the African-American activist Malcolm X (or Malcolm Little). The film explores X’s ( Denzel Washington ) whole life , from growing up in a poor household in rural Michigan to being arrested for performing robberies alongside his friend Shorty (Spike Lee) and a woman named Peg ( Debi Mazar ). While imprisoned, he meets another convict Baines ( Albert Hall ), who becomes a mentor to him and eventually converts him to Islam and consequentially as a member of the religious and political organization, the Nation of Islam.

Malcolm becomes highly invested in the group and idolizes its lifestyle teachings, such as resenting White people for mistreating his race. After being paroled from prison, Malcolm begins preaching and, years later, becomes the spokesperson of the Nation of Islam. However, after speaking out controversial statements and finding out that the group leader Elijah Muhammad ( Al Freeman Jr. ) is somewhat a hypocrite and has numerous children out of wedlock, he announces his loss of faith in Islam. Malcolm becomes the founder of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which is an organization that focuses on tolerance instead of racial separation.

‘Raging Bull’ (1980) — 8.2/10

The Hollywood biographical classic Raging Bull follows the story of an Italian-American middleweight boxer, Jake LaMotta ( Robert De Niro ). LaMotta's struggles were reflected in his career as a middleweight boxer. At age nineteen in 1941, he fell in love with a fifteen-year-old girl named Vickie ( Cathy Moriarty ), whom he married four years later in 1945.

LaMotta was always worried that Vickie was sleeping with other men, and this anxiety sent him into a downward spiral because that was the start of his uncontrollable rage. Ultimately, his life crumbles, leaving him with nothing but despair. Raging Bull has often been described as one of director Martin Scorsese ’s best directorial works , and the same goes for Robert DeNiro — one of his best performances as an actor.

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‘The King’s Speech’ (2010) — 8.0/10

The King’s Speech is a historical drama film about Prince Albert and his journey to becoming King George VI ( Colin Firth ), who wanted to improve his speech impediment, a stammer. His wife, Queen Elizabeth I ( Helena Bonham Carter ), resorts to an Australian speech and language therapist, Lionel Logue ( Geoffrey Rush ), who she believed was the best person to help her husband.

Throughout the process, many doubted whether anyone would take his throne seriously, but with persistence and trust from the future King and Logue, they defied all odds. The future King finally gave his first radio wartime broadcast speech flawlessly. A first-class script, followed by the strong performances by Firth and Rush, led The King’s Speech to win 70 out of a staggering 185 nominations, including four Academy Awards, seven BAFTAs, and a Golden Globe Award.

‘GoodFellas’ (1990) — 8.7/10

GoodFellas follows the story of a mob associate named Henry Hill ( Ray Liotta ), who, having grown up in an environment amongst the mobs, becomes one himself. He begins working for a member of the Mafia, Paul Cicero ( Paul Sorvino ), along with his associates, Jimmy “the Gent” Conway ( Robert DeNiro ) and Tommy DeVito ( Joe Pesci ). Hill’s upbringing and those around him perhaps blur his moral values, and despite being a man who enjoys his money and the luxuries that come with it, he chooses to ignore the affliction he has caused others.

His morality worsens after struggling with drug addiction, and his carelessness causes him to lose everything he ever knew and had; money, luxury, self-respect, identity, and family. Master filmmaker Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas has stood the test of time and earned the reputation of being one of the best gangster films ever made.

‘Braveheart’ (1995) — 8.4/10

The 1995 biographical film, Braveheart , is based on the history behind the late 13th-century Scottish warrior Sir William Wallace ( Mel Gibson ), who led his fellow Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence against England’s King Edward I ( Patrick McGoohan ). Wallace’s motivation started from a young age when King Edward I conquered Scotland and treated the Scottish disrespectfully. The English King later also executed Wallace's newly-married wife, Murron MacClannough ( Catherine McCormack ), after threatening to expose his soldiers who raped her.

Wallace’s long-pursued battle for Scottish independence led him to become the historic legend he is today. Braveheart went on to win many prestigious awards, including four Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

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‘Patton’ (1970) — 7.9/10

Patton focuses on the life of the controversial American General, George S. Patton ( George C. Scott ). The film explores his accomplishments, starting from his first glory in the Battle of El Guettar in Tunisia and subsequently gaining the respect of the army officials and generals. It was his outspokenness and the controversial statements he made, however, which determined the consequential end to his career. He was removed from command for criticizing the US post-war military strategy and further comparing American politics to Nazism.

The epic historical drama became a cinema classic and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in the United States and the Academy Film Archive. Patton was nominated for ten Academy Awards, of which it won an impressive seven, and many more awards from other respected accolade associations.

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20 Best Biopic Movies of All Time

Hollywood and other film industries have always been fascinated with the lives of famous people. That’s why we have so many biopics made right since the beginning of cinema. Not all of them are great, but we certainly have seen a fair share of really good biopic movies. From Gandhi to Zuckerberg, Hollywood has tried its hand on making biopics on people from all strata of life. Now, let’s look at the list of top biopic movies of all time. You can watch several of these best biopic movies on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime.

20. Nixon (1995)

Hopkins had quite a run after he won the Academy Awards for ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991), but the boldest work of his career was as President Richard Nixon in this outstanding bio from Oliver Stone . As one of the most polarizing figures of the seventies, Nixon was a true statesman, but a flawed and paranoid man, doomed as a world leader. He captures the wounded soul of the disgraced President in every way. Looking nothing like him, he instead captures his essence and speech pattern and becomes Nixon before our very eyes.

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19. Bugsy (1991)

Warren Beatty was always an interesting actor, but with his work here as murderous gangster Benjamin Siegel, he proved he was a great one. With movie star good looks, Siegel landed in Hollywood and quickly took over all gangland related activities and when visiting the desert, he had a vision of what became Las Vegas. Obsessed with his Flamingo Hotel in the desert, he failed to see his girlfriend was stealing from the mob, which brought Siegel down. Beatty is terrifying in his rages, deluded in his belief he can kill Mussolini, yet gentle and kind with his family and friend Meyer Lansky.

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18. Chaplin (1992)

A brilliant actor ready for the performance of his lifetime, stuck with a weak script, a cowardly director not willing to show his subject warts and all, Robert Downey Jr. still gave one of the great performances of all time, beautifully capturing Chaplin and his artistry. Sadly neither the director nor script took advantage of Downey being so far into character; the actor was gone, Chaplin remained. With an edgy actor such as Downey, why explore the more controversial aspects of his life? They had an actor ready to cut loose and they failed him.

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17. Downfall (2005)

Is it possible to humanize Hitler, possibly the most hated and evil man to ever exist? Bruno Ganz did that very thing in the superb German film ‘Downfall’, which explores the last days Hitler was alive in his bunker, the Soviets not far from the heart of the city. Hands shaking, frail, obviously drugged heavily, he knows the end is near and what is coming; he knows what the reaction will be to his Death Camps. Often gentle and kind with those around him, other time he flies into a rage when his orders are not followed. In the end, the monster was all too human, just a man. An astounding, brave performance.

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16. Lincoln (2012)

The moment we laid eyes on him in the opening moments of the film, and he spoke in that surprising high reedy voice, audiences felt they were encountering Abraham Lincoln, possibly the greatest American who ever lived. Daniel Day-Lewis poured over books, found descriptions of his voice, his gait, the manner in which he spoke and the deep melancholy he carried with him and brought it with him to his performance. His co-stars claimed they never met Day-Lewis until the film’s premiere; they knew only President Lincoln. This profoundly fine performance won the actor his third Academy Awards for Best Actor.

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15. The Aviator (2004)

As the young Howard Hughes during his Hollywood years, before the madness set in, Leonardo DiCaprio is truly outstanding. Blessed with a brilliant, inquisitive mind, he is always looking to the skies, even in his first film, ‘Hells Angels’ (1930), which he re-shot after the advent of sound. Fascinated with aviation, he built planes, making them bigger and faster, crashing one of them in downtown LA, forever damaging himself. It is a bold, outstanding performance that beautifully explores a troubled mind. The genuine fear in his eyes when he has one of his spells is truly frightening because he is never really sure if he can snap out of it.

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14. The Last King of Scotland (2006)

In portraying the purely evil yet charismatic Idi Amin Dada, actor Forest Whitaker gave a performance for the ages, winning every single award available to him that year. As self appointed President, actually dictator of Uganda, he takes a young Scottish doctor under his wing and it is through that man’s eyes we see the monster appear. Whitaker is brilliant, seething with anger and contempt for those who defy him, believing himself to be a God. Terrifying.

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13. Patton (1970)

As one of the greatest warriors in the history of the United States military, General George S. Patton did as he pleased often defying his superiors’ orders. George C. Scott is magnificent as Patton, one of the screen’s greatest performances and refused the Oscar he won for Best Actor. That iconic image that opens the film — Scott dwarfed by a massive flag — once seen can never be forgotten.

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12. My Left Foot (1989)

On the rise as an actor when he made this lovely, gritty film about Irish artist/writer Cristy Brown, afflicted with cerebral palsy since birth, Day-Lewis won the Academy Award and several other awards in announcing himself as a major new acting force. His eyes ablaze with intellect and purpose; his body betraying him with constant shaking, twitching, everything out of control except his left foot. The actor brings us the fierce mind that was trapped in that wretched body. Despite his affliction, he was gifted, horny and a heavy drinker. Day-Lewis is a miracle in the film.

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11. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

As stock swindler Jordan Belfort, who became obscenely wealthy before the FBI brought him down, Leonardo DiCaprio gives a brilliant performance – the best of his career. The young actor brings a furious energy to the performance and brash confidence, moving through the film like a young rock star. Whether stoned on drugs , smashed out of his mind, or arguing with his gorgeous wife, the actor is a revelation and force of nature. He is electrifying from beginning to end, always in motion, scheming, descending slowly into his own hell.

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10. The Social Network

Made at a time when Facebook had reached meteoric height’s, ‘The Social Network’ works as a powerful commentary on modern times and feels utterly fresh, even after six years. It deserves a place on every such list because of the treatment by David Fincher . Led by powerful performances from Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield , it is a deeply personal tale which works on so many levels, and is a study on the nature of friendship , ambition and power.

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Helmed by Bennett Miller (who also directed ‘Foxcatcher’), ‘Capote’ chronicles the life of Truman Capote during the period when he was writing his non-fiction novel, ‘In Cold Blood’. Superbly constructed, the film feels bleak and sublime at the same time, as it tries to convey the horrors of the killings. But the movie stands out chiefly because of the honest and riveting performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman , which earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor. It is sad that we’ve lost a truly great artist.

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8. Malcolm X

At a run time of 200 minutes, ‘Malcolm X’ is a long movie. But it never seems long, thanks to a phenomenal performance by Denzel Washington , and nuanced direction by Spike Lee . The film dramatizes chief events of the life of African American activist Malcolm X. The film received much skepticism and criticism even before it actually hit the screen, mainly because of the sensitive nature of the subject. But it received overwhelming critical acclaim upon release. Denzel Washington was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his standout performance, but lost out to Al Pacino , which many think was unfair on the Academy’s part.

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7. The Pianist

Roman Polanski is a director known for his technical prowess, edgy direction and excellence in handling the noir genre of cinema. But in ‘The Pianist’ , the visionary director takes his skills and gives us a devastating biographical drama. ‘The Pianist’ is the moving life-story of Władysław Szpilman, a Polish pianist and composer, portrayed by Adrien Brody , who loses his family during the Holocaust. Polanski paints a bleak, harrowing landscape – drawing from his own experiences of the war – and gives us a terrifying, yet human tale of hope and survival .

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Richard Attenborough’s enduring masterpiece ‘Gandhi’ is still fresh in the hearts of the millions of Indians who watched it at the time when it was released. Made on a very large-scale and featuring actors from both Hollywood and Bollywood, this biographical drama feels fiercely authentic. The direction is quite traditional, and is exactly what a biopic of this scale needed; after all, it was about an ordinary man who did extraordinary things. Sir Ben Kingsley’s commanding presence as Mahatma Gandhi is one of the pioneering examples of biopic performances.

5. The Elephant Man

David Lynch is a master of his craft, and is a tough director to watch. His body of work – original and largely cerebral – proves that beyond a shadow of doubt. But in ‘The Elephant Man’, the visionary director outdoes himself and shows us an intensely moving tale about a disfigured man trying to find his place in society. It is based on the life of Joseph Marrick, a man suffering from severe deformity. The film depicts his life in a Victorian freak show and his relation with Dr. Frederick Treves, who tends to him later, and provides him shelter. Technically brilliant, and at times quite bleak – considering the nature of the subject – the film is especially noted for the make-up done on John Hurt for him to look the part. It is historically quite significant because the Academy was criticized for failing to recognize the efforts gone in the make-up process, and only after this film was the category for Best Make-up introduced.

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4. Raging Bull

There are boxing movies and then there is ‘Raging Bull’ . This Martin Scorsese gem is the biographical account of the boxer Jake LaMotta, his rise to fame and his personal struggles. Scorcese pours his heart out in this picture, which is so perfectly crafted that it works both as a sports movie , and as a tragic drama. Robert De Niro gave an explosive and riveting performance as Jake LaMotta, rightfully taking home the Best Actor Oscar for this role. Shot entirely in Black and White , the movie came out in the same year as ‘The Elephant Man’, competing for the Best Picture award. Unfortunately, neither of the two won the award, which went to ‘Ordinary People’.

Read More: Biggest Box Office Disasters of All Time

3. Goodfellas

Hailed by many as the second best gangster movie ever, (first being ‘The Godfather’ ) ‘Goodfellas’ is a riveting crime drama based on a non fictional book Wiseguy, chronicling the rise and fall Henry Hill, a crime family associate. Plumbing the obscene depths of crime, ‘Goodfellas’ is an enduring tale about loyalty, betrayal and the corrupting nature of power. Martin Scorsese delivers perfection in this ageless film, which boasts of marvelous performances by Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and the swashbuckling Joe Pesci (who took home the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar for his performance.)

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2. Schindler’s List

I won’t say much about ‘Schindler’s List’ here. Widely regarded as one of the best pictures in the history of cinema, ‘Schindler’s List’ is Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece, and is truly a work of art. With the Second World war as the backdrop, with the Nazi terror achieving terrible heights, ‘Schindler’s List’ is a moving tale about one man’s change of heart, and how he becomes a messiah. But, oh, it still doesn’t occupy the top spot on this list. Wonder why? Well, scroll down to find out which film holds that honor.

Read More: Best Visually Stunning Movies of All Time

1. Lawrence of Arabia

A film so grand and epic in scope that it commands multiple viewings. Really, get a Blu-ray and watch it on a big screen TV. Made in 1962, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ is David Lean’s magnum opus. It is a riveting saga about the life of British archaeologist T.E Lawrence and the role he played during the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Everything about this movie is beautiful in a terrific, haunting way, crafted by a film-maker at the peak of his powers. The melodious score by Maurice Jarre, the authentic, breathtaking cinematography by F.A Young (the desert never looked so mesmerizing ), and a powerful performance by the-then newcomer Peter O’ Toole , make this movie one of the greatest films of all time . Its influence can still be felt in modern biopics.

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Discover Filmmaking: A Comprehensive Introduction to the Art and Process

1. what is filmmaking: definition and overview, film history: a brief look back, types of films: exploring different genres, filmmaking roles: key players in the process, 2. the filmmaking process: from script to screen, pre-production: planning your film, production: filming your masterpiece, post-production: finishing touches, 3. filmmaking techniques: tools of the trade, cinematography: visual storytelling, editing: shaping your film, sound design: creating an immersive experience, 4. filmmaking equipment: what you need to get started, cameras: choosing the right one, lighting: setting the mood, audio: capturing quality sound, 5. pursuing a career in filmmaking: tips and advice, education: formal vs. self-taught, networking: building connections, portfolio: showcasing your work.

Have you ever wondered how filmmakers create their magic on the big screen? Well, you're in for a treat as we explore the fascinating world of filmmaking. We'll take you through its history, various types of films, and the key players involved in bringing stories to life. So sit back, relax, and let's dive into the art and process of filmmaking!

Filmmaking is the art and process of creating motion pictures, or films, by capturing a series of images and assembling them together to tell a story. It involves a wide range of techniques, equipment, and skilled professionals to bring the vision of the writer and director to life.

The history of filmmaking can be traced back to the late 19th century, when inventors like Thomas Edison and the Lumière brothers began experimenting with moving images. Early films were silent and usually very short, but they quickly captured the imagination of audiences around the world. By the 1920s, films had gained sound, and the "Golden Age of Hollywood" was born. Throughout the years, filmmaking has continued to evolve with advances in technology, allowing for more creative and visually stunning storytelling.

There are many different types of films, each with its distinct style and purpose. Some popular genres include:

• Action: Fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping films with lots of stunts and special effects.
• Comedy: Films designed to make you laugh, ranging from slapstick humor to witty dialogue.
• Drama: Emotional stories that focus on the characters' struggles and personal growth.
• Horror: Films that aim to scare, thrill, or unsettle the audience.
• Documentary: Non-fiction films that explore real-life events, people, or issues.

Of course, there are many more genres and sub-genres out there, making filmmaking a diverse and ever-evolving art form.

Creating a film is a collaborative effort that involves many different roles. Here are some of the key players you'll find on a film set:

• Director: The visionary who oversees the entire project, guiding the actors and crew to bring the story to life.
• Screenwriter: The person who writes the script, which serves as the blueprint for the film.
• Producer: The person responsible for managing the film's budget, schedule, and overall production.
• Actors: The talented individuals who bring the characters to life through their performances.
• Cinematographer: The expert behind the camera, capturing the film's visual elements.
• Editor: The person who assembles the footage and shapes the film's final structure.

These are just a few of the many dedicated professionals who work together to create the films you know and love. In the following sections, we'll explore the filmmaking process, techniques, and equipment in more detail, so you can better understand what it takes to make a film from start to finish.

Now that we've covered the basics of what filmmaking is and the various roles involved, let's explore the three main stages of the filmmaking process: pre-production, production, and post-production. Each stage plays a crucial role in transforming a script into a captivating motion picture, so let's dive in and see how it all comes together!

Before the cameras start rolling, a lot of planning and preparation goes into making a film. This stage is called pre-production, and it's where you'll lay the groundwork for a smooth and successful shoot. Some key tasks during pre-production include:

• Script Development: Fine-tuning the screenplay, ensuring the story is compelling, and the dialogue is natural.
• Storyboarding: Creating visual representations of each scene to help plan shots and camera angles.
• Location Scouting: Finding the perfect settings for each scene, whether it's a bustling city or a remote mountain.
• Casting: Auditioning actors to find the ideal performers who can bring the characters to life.
• Assembling the Crew: Hiring the talented professionals who will work behind the scenes, such as the cinematographer, editor, and sound designer.

Once the script is polished, the cast and crew are in place, and the locations are secured, it's time to move on to the next phase of filmmaking: production.

With all the planning and preparation complete, it's finally time to start filming! This is the production stage, where the magic of filmmaking truly comes to life. Some key aspects of the production process include:

• Setting Up: Arranging the camera, lighting, and audio equipment for each shot, as well as dressing the set with props and decorations.
• Directing: Guiding the actors and crew, ensuring everyone understands the vision and goals of the scene.
• Shooting: Capturing the action on camera, with the director calling "action" and "cut" to signal the start and end of each take.
• Reviewing Footage: Checking the recorded footage for quality and continuity, making adjustments as needed before moving on to the next scene.

Production can be both exhilarating and exhausting, with long days spent capturing each scene to perfection. But once the final scene is in the can, it's time to move on to the last stage of filmmaking: post-production.

Once all the footage has been captured, the post-production phase begins. This is where the raw footage is transformed into a cohesive and polished film. Key tasks during post-production include:

• Editing: Assembling the footage in the desired order, cutting out unnecessary shots, and fine-tuning the pacing of each scene.
• Visual Effects (VFX): Adding computer-generated imagery (CGI) or other visual enhancements to create a more immersive and realistic experience.
• Color Grading: Adjusting the colors, contrast, and overall visual tone of the film to create a consistent and captivating look.
• Sound Design: Incorporating dialogue, sound effects, and music to create a rich and immersive audio landscape.

After countless hours of meticulous work, the post-production team will have transformed the raw footage into a finished film, ready for audiences to enjoy. So, the next time you sit down to watch a movie, take a moment to appreciate the incredible journey it took to bring that story to life. What is filmmaking, if not a labor of love?

So you've learned about the filmmaking process, but what about the techniques that make a film truly stand out? In this section, we'll explore some key filmmaking techniques that can elevate your film from ordinary to extraordinary. From captivating cinematography to immersive sound design, let's dive into the tools of the trade that will help you answer the question, "What is filmmaking?"

Cinematography is the art of capturing a story through moving images. It's a crucial part of filmmaking that can make or break your film. Some important aspects of cinematography include:

• Composition: How you frame your shots, using elements like the rule of thirds, leading lines, and depth of field to create visually appealing and well-balanced images.
• Camera Movement: How you move the camera during a scene, such as panning, tilting, tracking, or handheld shots, to create a sense of motion and energy.

Think of iconic films like The Shawshank Redemption or Forrest Gump ; the visual storytelling in these films is a big part of what makes them memorable. So, when you're making a film, put some thought into your cinematography—it can make a world of difference!

Editing is the process of selecting and arranging your footage to create a cohesive and engaging story. This is where the film truly comes to life, and it's a vital part of the filmmaking process. Here are some key techniques to consider:

• Continuity Editing: Ensuring that your shots flow smoothly from one to the next, maintaining a consistent sense of time and space.
• Montage: Combining short, related shots together to create a sense of progression or to convey a particular idea or emotion.

For example, think of the famous training montage in Rocky —the rapid, energetic cuts help to convey Rocky's determination and hard work. As you edit your film, keep in mind how your choices can shape the story and impact the viewer's experience.

Great sound design is often overlooked, but it's essential for creating a truly immersive film experience. After all, what is filmmaking without the power of sound to transport your audience? Here are some important elements of sound design:

• Dialogue: Recording clear, high-quality dialogue is crucial for your audience to understand and connect with your characters.
• Sound Effects: Using sounds to enhance your visuals, such as footsteps, door creaks, or rustling leaves, can add depth and realism to your film.
• Music: Choosing the right music can evoke emotions, set the mood, and help to tell your story. Think of the iconic theme from Jaws —it's hard to imagine the film without it!

So, as you work on your film, don't forget to pay attention to sound design. It's a crucial element that can truly elevate your film and captivate your audience.

Now that you have a better understanding of the filmmaking techniques, you're one step closer to creating a film that will leave a lasting impression. Remember, what is filmmaking without a little bit of magic? So go ahead, unleash your creativity and bring your story to life!

So, you've got a handle on the filmmaking process and techniques, and you're eager to dive in. But hold on a second—what about the gear? In this section, we'll go over the basic equipment you'll need to start making your own films. Don't worry, we've got your back as we navigate through cameras, lighting, and audio. Remember, understanding what is filmmaking is also about knowing the right tools for the job.

When it comes to filmmaking, the camera is your primary storytelling tool. There are countless options out there, but here are two key factors to consider when choosing a camera:

• Resolution: Higher resolution cameras, like 4K or even 8K, can capture more detail and provide a crisper image. However, they also require more storage space and can be more expensive. Think about your budget and your film's intended purpose before splurging on the highest resolution.
• Sensor Size: A larger sensor can capture more light, resulting in better image quality and low-light performance. Cameras with smaller sensors, like smartphones, can still produce decent results, but you may need to work a bit harder to get that cinematic look.

From DSLRs to cinema cameras, there's a wide range of options out there. Don't be afraid to start small—you can always upgrade as you gain experience and learn more about what is filmmaking.

Lighting can make or break your film, as it's crucial for setting the mood and tone of each scene. Here's a quick rundown of some basic lighting concepts:

• Three-point lighting: This classic setup uses a key light, fill light, and back light to create a balanced and natural look. It's a great starting point for beginners, and you can experiment with different placements and intensities to achieve the desired effect.
• Practical lights: These are lights that are part of the scene, like lamps, candles, or streetlights. They can help create a sense of realism and atmosphere, so don't be afraid to get creative with them!

You don't need a ton of expensive equipment to get started with lighting. Even simple tools like reflectors or diffusers can make a big difference. And, as always, practice makes perfect—so play around with different setups and see what works best for your story.

As we mentioned earlier, good sound is a key component of a successful film. Here are some tips to help you capture the best audio possible:

• Use an external microphone: Built-in camera microphones usually don't cut it when it comes to capturing high-quality audio. Investing in a decent external mic, like a shotgun or lavalier mic, can make a world of difference.
• Monitor your audio: Don't forget to wear headphones while recording so you can catch any issues, like wind noise or interference, before it's too late. Trust us—you don't want to find out in post-production that your audio is unusable.

While it might be tempting to focus all your attention on the visuals, remember that audio is just as important. After all, what is filmmaking without the power to engage all the senses? So keep these tips in mind as you set off on your filmmaking journey.

Armed with this knowledge, you're well on your way to exploring the world of filmmaking. Remember to be patient, practice, and most importantly, have fun! Filmmaking is a rewarding and expressive art form, so embrace your creativity and see where it takes you. Who knows, maybe one day you'll be the one answering the question, "What is filmmaking?" for a new generation of aspiring filmmakers.

Now that you've dipped your toes in the waters of filmmaking, it's time to consider how to turn your passion into a career. In this section, we'll explore different paths to learning the craft, making connections, and showcasing your work to the world. So, buckle up and let's dive into the exciting journey of pursuing a filmmaking career. And who knows, by the end of this adventure, you might become the one who defines "what is filmmaking" for others!

Formal education is one way to learn the ins and outs of filmmaking. Film schools and universities offer programs that cover everything from directing and cinematography to screenwriting and sound design. These programs can provide you with hands-on experience, access to industry professionals, and a structured learning environment. However, they can also be pricey and time-consuming.

On the other hand, self-taught filmmakers often learn by doing—experimenting with cameras, editing software, and other tools to hone their skills. They might also watch tutorials, take online courses, or attend workshops to expand their knowledge. This approach is more flexible and budget-friendly, but it requires a lot of motivation and self-discipline. Ultimately, the choice between formal education and self-teaching depends on your personal preferences, goals, and resources.

As the saying goes, "It's not what you know, it's who you know." Building a strong network of contacts is crucial for any aspiring filmmaker. Here are some tips to help you create connections:

• Attend film festivals and industry events: These gatherings are great places to meet like-minded people, share your work, and learn from others. Plus, who doesn't love watching movies and discussing "what is filmmaking" with fellow enthusiasts?
• Join online communities and social media groups: The internet is full of forums, Facebook groups, and other platforms where filmmakers can connect, collaborate, and share advice. Don't be shy—jump in and introduce yourself!

Remember, networking is a two-way street. Be genuine, offer help when you can, and stay in touch with your new connections. You never know when a collaboration or job opportunity might come your way!

When it comes to landing jobs or impressing potential collaborators, a strong portfolio can speak louder than words. Here are some tips for creating a standout portfolio:

• Select your best work: Showcase a variety of projects that demonstrate your skills, creativity, and versatility. Think of it as a visual answer to the question, "What is filmmaking?"—but tailored to your unique style and talents.
• Create a website or online portfolio: Make it easy for people to find and view your work by creating a clean, professional website. Include a brief bio, contact information, and links to your social media profiles or online communities where you're active.

Don't forget to keep your portfolio up-to-date as you continue to learn and grow as a filmmaker. And remember, quality is more important than quantity—so only include work that you're truly proud of.

As you embark on this exciting journey, keep in mind that filmmaking is a challenging yet rewarding field. Be persistent, keep learning, and stay true to your passion. With hard work, dedication, and a bit of luck, you'll find your place in the world of filmmaking and contribute your unique voice to the ongoing conversation about "what is filmmaking."

If you're eager to dive deeper into the world of filmmaking, don't miss the workshop ' Film Production 101: A Beginner's Guide ' by Jessy Moussallem. This comprehensive workshop will equip you with the essential knowledge and skills to kickstart your journey in film production, covering everything from pre-production to post-production. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn from an industry expert!

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Jeff Bridges On His Life In Front of the Camera, From The Dude to The Old Man and Beyond

On the eve of receiving film at lincoln center's chaplin award, the actor looks back on a career that's spanned seven decades..

It may surprise you to learn the next recipient of the annual Chaplin Award , which Film at Lincoln Center will bestow April 29 at Alice Tully Hall, has a career almost as long as that of Charlie Chaplin himself. Jeff Bridges , 74, has spent 73 of those years before the camera, debuting at the age of 4 months as a squalling infant at a train station in the arms of Jane Greer in The Company She Keeps . When he missed his cry cue, his mother, Dorothy (who was in the film, along with his older brother, Beau), prescribed a little pinch. It worked, and he’s been screen-acting ever since.

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When he and Greer crossed professional paths again, it was in 1984’s Against All Odds , a remake of her noir classic Out of the Past . That time out she had a cameo, he had top billing.

Life has (mostly) smiled on Jeff Bridges through the past seven decades. He has accumulated an Academy Award (as the alcoholic country singer at the center of 2009’s Crazy Heart ) and another six nominations, two Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. To which he’ll shortly add Lincoln Center’s Chaplin Award. 

“I don’t quite know what to say about getting this award,” Bridges tells Observer . “So much is going on right now, I haven’t figured out what to say about it.” That includes wrapping season two of his FX series The Old Man (likely to air later this year) and shortly heading off to make another movie (that’d be next year’s Tron: Ares , the third installment of the sci-fi cult classic he kicked off in 1982). As if that wasn’t enough,  he and Sue (his wife of 48 years) are moving into a new house designed by the youngest of their three girls.

“I guess I qualify as the right guy to play The Old Man , alright,” Bridges says of his FX show, in which he plays a former CIA operative trying to stay off the grid. “My memory isn’t what it used to be, and sometimes that’s not a bad thing. I went through a lot of challenging things last year, but I don’t spend much time thinking about it—that, or I just don’t remember much about it.”

Considering all he’s gone through, this salute by Film at Lincoln Center is tantamount to strolling blissfully into some blinding sunlight. Somehow, Bridges survived the near-fatal one-two punch of cancer and Covid-19, and he’s as surprised about that as anyone. “I was in that place where I said, ‘Oh, this is how I’m going to die.’ My doctors kept telling me, ‘You gotta fight. You gotta fight.’ I had no idea what they were talking about. I was in surrender mode.”

In October of 2020, Bridges went public with his lymphoma diagnosis and announced he was treating it through chemotherapy. By the following September, his 9×12 mass had shrunk to the size of a marble and his cancer was in remission. The Covid-19 he contracted trying to find the right cancer cocktail took five weeks to fight. Then, finally, he was released and ready for work.

Looking back, he has his doubts that he would ever have taken the show-biz route had it not been for the urging and encouragement of his famous dad, Lloyd Bridges—and his mother. Lloyd, unlike his own father, was very supportive of his kids getting involved in movies and acting in general. “He loved what he did and wanted to turn his kids onto it. He considered it a great way to meet people, be creative and travel all around the world, just doing exactly the thing that you love to do.”

Specifically, Lloyd opened the door for his two sons, hiring them to spend their turbulent teens on the smooth waters of his TV series Sea Hunt (1958-1960). Big brother Beau played surrogate father when their dad was glub-glubbing. At 17, Jeff toured with his dad in a play, Anniversary Waltz, and appeared as a younger version of Lloyd in the 1969 TV-film Silent Night, Lonely Night . It was only a question of time before he began taking acting lessons at New York’s HB Studio.

Right after Jeff’s role in a 1970 desegregation drama called Halls of Anger came his big break, playing the cocky, confident Duane Jackson who made the motel rounds of a tiny Texas town with Cybill Shepherd in The Last Picture Show , which writer-director Peter Bogdanovich adapted from Larry McMurtry’s novel. It brought Academy Award nominations for both Bridges and Bogdanovich.

“That was an absolutely thrilling experience,” Bridges says “Bogdanovich was a great filmmaker—a great spirit. Cloris Leachman, Ben Johnson, Ellen Burstyn, Timmy Bottoms—it was cast to perfection. We were all starting out in those days, and we got the idea that this film felt special. It was, too. If you look at it today, it just hangs there by itself, being beautiful. It’s nothing like anything else.

“Twenty years later, Bogdanovich assembled some of the same cast—Cybill, Ellen, Timmy—in Archer City, Texas, and we did the sequel, Texasville , again by McMurtry. It was like we had had a long weekend. The same actors went back to work on the same roles. We had a great time.”

Bridges’ second Oscar nomination came in 1975 for Thunderbolt and Lightfoot , playing the sidekick of  Clint Eastwood ’s bank robber. It was the work of first-time writer-director Michael Cimino —and such a good shoot that the actor decided to go back for a second Cimino. Unfortunately, that turned into the disastrous epic western, Heaven’s Gate . One of Bridges’ ancestors is in it, sorta.

“Cimino and I were discussing characters he was then creating, and one of them—a rich businessman—reminded me of a distant relative, John L. Bridges, who came from Arkansas during the California gold rush and made a mint,” he recalls. “Without skipping a beat, Cimino called up the production designer and said, ‘Change all the signs in town to John Bridges, Ltd.’”

There is a sliver of a silver lining in Heaven’s Gate . It reunited him with a co-star from John Huston’s 1972 film Fat City about two boxers, one up-and-coming (Bridges) and one down-and-out (Stacy Keach). Namely, Kris Kristofferson, who wrote and sang “Help Me Make It Through the Night” in the film. During the endless filming of Heaven’s Gate , Bridges and Kristofferson sat around and jammed with their guitars whenever they could. “We were a bunch of wild kids in those days, but Kris was working hard and really concentrating on the acting. There were a lot of musicians doing that movie. That’s where I met my good buddy, T Bone Burnett .”

That was 1980 or so, and Burnett was singer-songwriter who’d yet to launch his career as a producer of albums by Elvis Costello and the multi-million selling, Grammy winning soundtrack to the Coen Brothers ’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? You can find fragments of both Kristofferson and scads of Burnett in Crazy Heart , a drama about an alcoholic country singer, who, after four marriages, stumbles into an affair that inspires him. 

Bridges took his own inspiration for his Crazy Heart character Otis “Bad” Blake from not one country singer but a whole bunch of them: the Highwaymen, the mid-’80s group made up of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kristofferson. “I remember working with T. Bone on the music,” he says. “He wanted to create an alternate universe where this guy and his music were sorta like that same music—but different. I kinda modeled myself not entirely from any one character but just the whole group there.”

The music simulation was successful. Both Bridges and Burnett won Oscars for their work—Burnett for the song he wrote with Ryan Bingham, “The Weary Kind.” 

Bridges’ confidence has grown through the years. In 2010, he took on a role that had won John Wayne an Oscar in 1970: Marshall Reuben J. “Rooster” Cogburn in 1969’s True Grit . Bridges even got nominated for it. “Why are you doing that ?” he asked when Joel and Ethan Coen pitched the part to him. “They said, ‘Have you read Charles Portis’ novel?’ I said ‘Naw,’ so I read it. It read like a Coen Brothers movie. I totally understood. I said, ‘Oh, yeah, let’s go.’ I’m so glad that I jumped on that train. It proved to be a great experience for me.”

Perhaps his greatest experience at movie-making came with John Frankenheimer’s 1973 film version of Eugene O’Neill’s monumental tragedy, The Iceman Cometh . Bridges played the young anarchist who suicides at the end. He was in his early 20s; his co-stars were in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. 

“With most movies, you’re lucky if you get a couple of weeks rehearsal,” Bridges explains. “This one—it all was kinda flipped around. Director John Frankenheimer gave us eight weeks to rehearse, then shot it in two weeks. It was hanging out those eight weeks with these master actors—Fredric March, Robert Ryan, Lee Marvin—all were just as anxious as I was at the time, wanting to do justice to the material. I noticed, in them, that this fear and anxiety is the sort of standard stuff that I would get used to in my career. It is something that you can get used to.”

And, crucially, filming Iceman came at a time when Bridges wasn’t sure he’d make acting his focus, as opposed to the other creative pursuits that interested him: music, painting, photography. “During those eight weeks, I was sitting around with these great actors and this great director, just shooting the breeze and getting to know how other actors of that caliber work on projects like this,” he says. “It was very enlightening. After that, I decided I can do this for the rest of my life in a professional manner.”

Prior to this, Bridges was “along for the ride” and referred to acting as his “pretend muscle. You get to work with other great make-believers, all making believe as hard as they can. What I learned from my father wasn’t anything he said. It was the way he behaved. He loved his work so much that, whenever he came on set, he brought that with him, and other people rose to it.”

Bridges came perilously close to turning down the role he is most associated with —The Big Lebowski ‘s pot-smoking, bowling slacker Jeffrey Lebowski, a/k/a The Dude—for fear his daughters would think the character is some kind of positive force. They talked it out, and the rest is history.

Why the Coen brothers thought he would be perfect as The Dude still mystifies Bridges. “It wasn’t like any of my other films. I have no idea why they picked me. Maybe they had watched me in high school, I don’t know. Not only is it one of my favorite films—if not the favorite—I think it is kind of a masterpiece. I know I’m biased, but it’s right up there. It just works so well for the audience. Every time you see it, you will find new little things you’ll enjoy.”

The Dude has spoken. More later, on April 29.

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• SEE ALSO : How Tony Notarberardino’s ‘Chelsea Hotel Portraits’ Captured the End of an Era

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In addition to the crew listed below, this film would not have been possible without the cooperation of Angela Singer and the Singer family, The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge , Temple University and Virginia Tech, the Southern Humanities Media Fund , and the many musicians who so graciously donated their time and talent to the film’s score.

ASHLEY MAYNOR: Writer/Director/Editor.

Ashley Maynor is an award-winning producer and director. Her most recent film as director is For Memories’ Sake , which has screened at the Library of Congress, the Nashville Film Festival, the Maryland Film Festival, the Indianapolis Film Festival, and on the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent FIlmmakers, among other venues. As a producer, Maynor’s credits include the ITVS co-production Quick Feet, Soft Hands , written and directed by Paul Harrill.

Maynor is also engaged with building communities through video partnerships, empowering youth and communities to tell their own stories as the co-founder and program director of the Blue Ridge Stories Youth Video Workshop. Maynor has also taught workshops for Scribe Video Center and as a guest artist in the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge’s Artists in Schools program. She has also been an organizer of Home Movie Day events.

A native of Joelton, Tennessee, Maynor’s creative work, outreach, and research have been supported by the Southern Humanities Media Fund, the Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In 2012, she was named the Sheila C. Johnson Creative Producing Fellow for the Sundance Institute.

PAUL HARRILL: Producer/Co-cinematographer.

Paul Harrill’s narrative films and documentary videos have screened on five continents at film festivals, museums, and on television. Venues have included the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, and the Sundance Film Festival, where Harrill’s short film Gina, An Actress, Age 29 was awarded the Jury Prize.

Harrill’s work has been supported by the Independent Television Service (ITVS) and the Aperture Film Grant (among others), and by residencies at Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. In addition to his teaching and filmmaking, Harrill maintains a popular weblog, Self-Reliant Film , which discusses issues surrounding the art and practice of do-it-yourself regional filmmaking.

LOUIS MASSIAH: Executive Producer.

Louis Massiah is a MacArthur fellow and independent filmmaker who has produced and directed a variety of award-winning documentary films for public television, including W.E.B. Du Bois – a Biography in Four Voices and Louise Thompson Patterson: In Her Own Words , a biography of the activist and organizer.Massiah has received awards from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Black Programming Consortium, the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame and several Emmy award nominations. He has also received fellowships from the Pew Trust and the Rockefeller Foundation.

Massiah is also the founder and executive director of the Scribe Video Center in Philadelphia, a media arts organization that provides low-cost workshops and equipment access to emerging video and filmmakers and community organizations.

PAUL HINSON: Lead Animator.

Paul Hinson has been making films since high school and ran the Association of Movie Productions, a Virginia Tech student organization dedicated to student filmmaking on campus, while an undergraduate there. Paul has created animations for promotional videos for Virginia Tech’s University Union and Student Activities Office in addition to teaching Final Cut Pro and other filmmaking software at InnovationSpace, Virginia Tech’s new media center. He has also written and directed a number of short fictional and documentary videos and is currently a student in Temple University’s MFA in Film and Media Arts program.

MELISSA THOMPSON: Consulting Editor.

Melissa Thompson is an independent filmmaker from North Carolina. Thompson began a series of documentaries on Irish women’s rights while a Fulbright fellow in 1998-1999. Completed pieces from the series include Like A Ship In The Night about the experiences of women traveling to England for secret abortions. Her previous short documentaries have screened in many film fests in the US and abroad (Women in the Director’s Chair, the Dallas Video Festival, Frameline, the Cork Film Festival) and have been broadcast on Free Speech TV and Philadelphia public television. She has worked as a videographer and editor on major independent documentaries such as Desire: The Teenage Girls Documentary Project (directed by Julie Gustafson) and By Invitation Only (directed by Rebecca Snedeker), as well as on many grassroots media projects with kids, artists, and immigrant communities.

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A Film Made By...

• Ashley Maynor Writer/Director/Editor
• Paul Harrill Producer/Co-Cinematographer
• Louis Massiah Executive Producer
• Paul Hinson Lead Animator

Acknowledgements

The production of For Memories' Sake was made possible by a grant from the Southern Humanities Media Fund .

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100 best biopics of all time

The grand sweep of history is perhaps more easily told through a narrower lens, which is one reason why biopics (biographical pictures)—which can tell the story of a movement, era, or idea through one individual's life—have become so popular in recent years. Filmmakers have increasingly preferred to work in the genre over the past several decades, finding that the unique challenges in condensing a life can embolden creativity and experimentation, resulting in extraordinary movies. Take "Persepolis," for example: The 2007 film explores the Iranian revolution through the life of an ordinary teenage girl via cartoons, weaving snapshots of an ordinary lift in the midst of social upheaval to make one of the most impactful and influential films of the decade.

While the genre has turned out some truly excellent films, not all biopics are created equal. The biggest criticism leveled against them is that they often blend fiction with fact in an irresponsible or misleading manner. J.R.R. Tolkien's estate essentially disowned the 2019 film "Tolkien," feeling the author's character and related facts were misrepresented. Another frequent complaint is that the movies trot out only the best-known facts about an individual's life, failing to offer anything new or revelatory, as with the Grace Kelly biopic "Grace of Monaco." So, which movies in this high-risk, high-reward genre are worth a watch?

Stacker compiled data on biopics to come up with a Stacker score—a weighted index split evenly between IMDb and Metacritic scores. To qualify, the film had to be listed as "biography" on IMDb and have a Metascore. Ties were broken by Metascore, and further ties were broken by IMDb user rating. Every film on the list has been considered within the context of the history and development of the genre.

Whether it's a gangster epic like "Goodfellas," a royal family drama like "The Queen," or one of the many chronicles of the lives of artists and musicians like "Endless Poetry" or "Amadeus," biopics offer something for everyone. Click through to discover the best cinematic portraits of extraordinary lives.

#100. Donnie Brasco (1997)

- Director: Mike Newell - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 127 minutes

Undercover FBI agent Donnie Brasco (real name Joseph D. Pistone) infiltrates the legendary Bonanno crime family in 1970s New York City in this true crime drama. Starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, the film was based on Pistone's book , "Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia." It's believed that Pistone's long career as an undercover agent generated over 200 indictments and 100 convictions of Mafia members.

#99. The Last Emperor (1987)

- Director: Bernardo Bertolucci - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 163 minutes

Bernardo Bertolucci's " The Last Emperor " follows the life of Pu Yi, who took the throne when he was 3 years old and abdicated when he was 7. The film, shot entirely on location in China and its ancient Forbidden City palace complex, follows a country's move from feudalism through revolution to a peaceful republic, all through the lens of one man's life.

#98. Philomena (2013)

- Director: Stephen Frears - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 77 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 98 minutes

Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) spends 50 years searching for her forcibly adopted son with the help of a journalist, Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan). The film won four Oscar nominations and took home several trophies at the 2013 Venice Film Festival. While the film is certainly a tearjerker , it is balanced both by comedic moments and the real Ms. Lee's inspirational fortitude in the face of so much loss and grief.

#97. Lorenzo's Oil (1992)

- Director: George Miller - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 129 minutes

In the 1980s, Augusto and Michaela Odone experience every parent's worst nightmare when their son Lorenzo is diagnosed with an incurable nerve disease that will eventually paralyze and kill him. Failing to receive the help they needed from doctors, the Odones begin a desperate search for a cure themselves, eventually stumbling upon an oil they believe could reverse the most devastating effects of their son's illness. Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon star in this film about one couple's desperate struggle to save their family.

#96. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

- Director: Marielle Heller - Stacker score: 83.6 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 109 minutes

Tom Hanks stars as one of TV's most beloved personalities, Fred Rogers, in this 2019 biopic. Based on a 1998 Esquire article, the film doesn't delve into Roger's life story but rather focuses on the friendship between Rogers and the troubled journalist Tom Junod (renamed Lloyd Vogel in the film). The real-life Mrs. Joanne Rogers makes a brief cameo in the film, and it's a quote from her that reminds viewers that her late husband wasn't a saint, just an ordinary man who tried very, very hard to be better and kind.

#95. A Beautiful Mind (2001)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 72 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 135 minutes

John Nash Jr., a Nobel Prize winner, was one of the greatest mathematicians the world has ever seen. He also struggled with schizophrenia. " A Beautiful Mind ," based on an unauthorized biography of the same name written by acclaimed journalist Sylvia Nasar, tells Nash's incredible, inspirational life story. Directed by Ron Howard and starring Russell Crowe, the movie won four Academy Awards including Best Picture and grossed over $313 million at the box office.

#94. Into the Wild (2007)

- Director: Sean Penn - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 73 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 148 minutes

Written, directed, and produced by Sean Penn, "Into the Wild" tells the story of Christopher McCandless, a loner who cashed in his law school fund and took off for the Alaskan wilderness in the 1990s. At first charmed by the slower pace of life, McCandless eventually found himself disillusioned with nature and attempted to return to society before making a grave mistake that would cost him everything. The story is based on a nonfiction book written by Jon Krakauer, as well as information from McCandless' surviving sister, Carine McCandless.

#93. The Sea Inside (2004)

- Director: Alejandro Amenábar - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 74 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 126 minutes

A Spanish-language drama, " The Sea Inside " tells the story of Ramon Sampedro, a man who became a quadriplegic after a diving accident in the 1960s and fought for 30 years for the legal right to end his own life through euthanasia. Javier Bardem stars as Sampedro in an incredibly moving performance that focuses on one individual's definition of dignity. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film in 2004.

#92. American Gangster (2007)

- Director: Ridley Scott - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 157 minutes

Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe co-star in " American Gangster ," a film that chronicles the life of Fred Lucas, a gangster who smuggles heroin into the United States, essentially instigating the drug epidemic that swept Harlem and all of New York City in the 1970s. Although the film brought in $266 million at the box office, those who were connected with the case in real life, including Lucas himself , have argued that it takes too many liberties and strays pretty far from the truth.

#91. The Killing Fields (1984)

- Director: Roland Joffé - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 141 minutes

Nominated for seven Oscars at the 57th Academy Awards, " The Killing Fields " tells the story of two journalists, American Sydney Schanberg and Cambodian Dith Pran, who are covering the country's civil war and find themselves trapped when Pol Pot begins his bloody Year Zero cleansing campaign. Critics loved the film, including Adrian Turner from Radio Times , who wrote, "Few feature films have captured a nation's agony more dramatically."

#90. Birdman of Alcatraz (1962)

- Directors: John Frankenheimer, Charles Crichton - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 76 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 147 minutes

One of the looser retellings on our list, "Birdman of Alcatraz" is about a man (Burt Lancaster) serving a life sentence for murder who becomes an expert on birds while behind bars. The movie was based on Thomas E. Gaddis' book about Robert Stroud, the titular "birdman," and was nominated for four Academy Awards. The real Stroud died a year after the film was released, without ever seeing it .

#89. Endless Poetry (2016)

- Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Surrealist filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky tells his own life story in " Endless Poetry ." The second installment of his cinematic memoir, the film is set in 1940s Chile, when Jodorowsky is a young man just breaking into the country's artistic circles. Very experimental in its form, the film doesn't accommodate casual viewing but offers a fascinating story for those willing to pay close attention.

#88. An Angel at My Table (1990)

- Director: Jane Campion - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 158 minutes

The story of New Zealand author Janet Frame's life, " An Angel at My Table " is based on Frame's three autobiographies and uses three different actresses to portray her at different points in her life, from her impoverished childhood through her time at a mental institution (wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia) to the beginning of her wildly successful writing career. The film swept awards in New Zealand and won a Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

#87. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002)

- Director: Phillip Noyce - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 94 minutes

From 1910 to 1970, Australia had an official child-removal policy that took biracial Aboriginal children from their homes and placed them in state-run schools and indentured servitude. " Rabbit-Proof Fence " tells the true story of three children from the Stolen Generation who escape their school and walk some 1,500 miles home, all while being pursued by police officers and trackers. Peter Gabriel provided the soundtrack for the heart-wrenching film.

#86. Love & Mercy (2014)

- Director: Bill Pohlad - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 121 minutes

For years, Brian Wilson, leader of the Beach Boys, struggled with mental illness , even spending a length of time in a controversial 24-hour therapy program. "Love & Mercy" chronicles Wilson's struggles in a way that Wilson himself called "very factual." Paul Dano and John Cusack both play the musician at different points in his life, and Elizabeth Banks gives an inspired performance as Wilson's second wife, Melinda.

#85. Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)

- Director: George Clooney - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 93 minutes

" Good Night, and Good Luck " demonstrates the immense power for change that journalists are capable of wielding in the United States. Directed by and starring George Clooney, the film is set in the 1950s, when a fear of communism led by Senator Joseph McCarthy was sweeping the nation. It tells the story of heroic reporter Edward R. Murrow and producer Fred W. Friendly, who used their news show to stand up to McCarthy and remove his cancerous lies from the public eye. The film and its message remain incredibly relevant to today's political polarization.

#84. Il Divo (2008)

- Director: Paolo Sorrentino - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 110 minutes

"Il Divo" translates to "The Divine Performer," a fitting title for this 2008 film that explores the life of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, who had alleged ties to the Mafia. The story begins in 1992 as Andreotti is elected for the seventh time, then covers his failed presidency bid and bribe scandal, ultimately ending with his trial in 1995. The Guardian called the movie " a macabre masterpiece ."

#83. The General (1998)

- Director: John Boorman - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Martin Cahill was an Irish criminal who managed to pull off two incredibly daring robberies (totaling about $60 million), a feat that turned him into a bit of a folk hero. " The General " tells the story of his life, including his murder by a member of the Irish Republican Army after he became involved in politics. While Cahill (played by Brendan Gleeson) was far from a good man, the 1998 movie will make you admire the way he stuck to his morals, even when they were questionable.

#82. Steve Jobs (2015)

- Director: Danny Boyle - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 122 minutes

Since his death in 2011, there have been several movies and documentaries about Apple co-founder and tech guru Steve Jobs, but this 2015 biopic is among the best . Michael Fassbender brings the turtleneck-loving visionary to life in the film, which covers three different product launches that took place between 1984 and 1998. Unlike many other Jobs films, this movie also focuses on his relationship with his daughter, Lisa, whom he had with ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan and refused to support for many years, despite his massive wealth.

#81. Vincere (2009)

- Director: Marco Bellocchio - Stacker score: 84.2 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 6.9 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Ida Dalser may be, in many ways, one of history's most important women, but her name and memory have largely been forgotten by the general public. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's first wife and the mother of his son Benito Albino, Dasler financed a newspaper in which Mussolini shared and expounded on his political views, garnering support for his fascist platform. Although the film occasionally steps away from the facts of the story, it's still a wonderful primer for those who wish to know more about the rise of the politician and those who shaped him.

#80. Rush (2013)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 74 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 123 minutes

The first sports film on our list, " Rush " chronicles the 1970s rivalry between two of Formula One's best-known drivers, James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The real Lauda has publicly stated that the film holds true to the reality of their lives, in spite of the fact that it omits the close friendship the men shared later in life. It also received accolades for the accuracy with which it portrays F1 racing and culture.

#79. Control (2007)

- Director: Anton Corbijn - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

Joy Division's late singer Ian Curtis is the focus of this 2007 biopic co-produced by his widow, Deborah. The film chronicles the rise of the band as well as Ian and Deborah's relationship, his epilepsy diagnosis, and the fallout from his affair with journalist Annik Honore. Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival, the movie picked up several awards in the festival circuit and took home a British Academy Film Award.

#78. Missing (1982)

- Director: Costa-Gavras - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

In September 1973, American journalist Charles Horman disappeared during the Chilean coup that disposed of then-president Salvador Allende. " Missing " recounts the desperate search Charles' father and wife undertook to learn of his fate and their eventual realization that the United States government had not only aided the coup but had washed their hands of Horman. The Academy Award-winning drama stars Jack Lemmon and Sissy Spacek.

#77. Selma (2014)

- Director: Ava DuVernay - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 128 minutes

Ava DuVernay directed this historical film that chronicles the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery that was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and Hosea Williams. Covering a three-month period leading up to the march, the film largely focuses on King's role in the events without discrediting the role the other leaders had in shaping this important piece of American history. The film features the Oscar-winning song "Glory" by John Legend and Common.

#76. The End of the Tour (2015)

- Director: James Ponsoldt - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 106 minutes

" The End of the Tour " tells the famous story of Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky's five-day interview with novelist David Foster Wallace. Based on Lipsky's 2011 book "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself," the movie is set just after the release of Wallace's epic novel "Infinite Jest," when the duo set off on a road trip. Wallace's estate and many of his living friends objected to the film , saying that it didn't capture the famous writer as he really was.

#75. The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki (2016)

- Director: Juho Kuosmanen - Stacker score: 84.7 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 92 minutes

Immensely talented Finnish boxer Olli Maki has a shot at the World Featherweight title in 1962, something he's been training for his entire life. But when the small-town boy falls in love with a local girl named Raija, he begins to question his dedication to the brutal sport. " The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki ," Finland's entry for the 2016 Academy Awards, features a cameo from the retired fighter and won the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

#74. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 141 minutes

A runaway commercial success, " Catch Me If You Can " tells the stranger-than-fiction story of con man turned FBI assistant Frank Abagnale. The Steven Spielberg film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and is based on the con artist's 1980 book, grossed more than $352 million at the box office. Abagnale himself makes a cameo as the officer who arrests DiCaprio's character on Christmas Eve, 1969.

#73. Inherit the Wind (1960)

- Director: Stanley Kramer - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 128 minutes

While it changes the names of all of the key players, 1960's " Inherit the Wind " is clearly about the Scopes Monkey Trial, which argued the legality of teaching evolution over creationism. Based on the play of the same name, the film starred veteran actors Spencer Tracy, Gene Kelly, and Fredric March. In spite of the fact that the storyline of the film varies substantially from real-life events, it's had an outsized impact on the general public's opinion and beliefs about the case, inspiring debate over a biopic's obligation to stick to the hard facts of its topic.

#72. Glory (1989)

- Director: Edward Zwick - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 122 minutes

A stalwart of high school history classes, " Glory " tells the story of the first all-Black regiment in the Civil War, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Starring big names like Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman, the movie was an instant success with critics despite a middling performance at the box office. Historians agree that the film, which is based on Captain Robert Gould Shaw's personal letters, adheres pretty closely to the historical record.

#71. The Damned United (2009)

- Director: Tom Hooper - Stacker score: 85.2 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 98 minutes

"The Damned United" is another biopic whose adherence to real events is highly questionable . The film is based on a novel loosely inspired by Brian Clough's 44-day tenure as the manager of English football team Leeds United, and the Clough family has alleged that the film bears little resemblance to reality.

#70. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 75 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 180 minutes

It's no secret that Wall Street is full of would-be fraudsters and schemers, but few hold a candle to 1990s trader Jordan Belfort, whose company, Stratton Oakmont, engaged in corruption and fraud at never-before-seen levels. Martin Scorsese's smash hit " The Wolf of Wall Street " tells the true story of the unparalleled misconduct laid bare in Belfort's memoir of the same name. An awards season darling, the movie was nominated for five Oscars and won a Golden Globe for star Leonardo DiCaprio.

#69. Pride (2014)

- Director: Matthew Warchus - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 119 minutes

One of history's more unlikely events, the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners campaign is chronicled in the British drama " Pride ." In the 1980s, both the U.K.'s LGBTQ+ community and its coal miners were being threatened by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative Party, a fact that inspired them to join together and fight for their rights, an unlikely alliance that paid off for both groups. This film would make an excellent watch for those interested in lesser-known corners of history.

#68. The Fighter (2010)

- Director: David O. Russell - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 116 minutes

Junior welterweight boxer "Irish" Micky Ward fights his way out from under the shadow of his older, more successful, and troubled brother Dicky Eklund in the sports drama " The Fighter ." The intense flick contains some extraordinary acting, as Mark Wahlberg shines as Micky, while Christian Bale and Amy Adams give Oscar-winning turns as brother Dicky and girlfriend Charlene, respectively.

#67. Frost/Nixon (2008)

- Director: Ron Howard - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 122 minutes

In 1977, three years after he left office, former President Richard Nixon agreed to a single, tell-all interview with British television personality David Frost. It is assumed that Nixon thought he'd be able to outfox the Brit, but he eventually found himself backed into a corner by questions about the Watergate scandal. This 2008 film tells the whole story of the legendary Frost-Nixon interviews and was based on a stage play of the same name, which also starred Frank Langella (Nixon) and Michael Sheen (Frost).

#66. 127 Hours (2010)

- Director: Danny Boyle - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 94 minutes

Academy Award winner Danny Boyle directed "127 Hours," an intense film about a hiker named Aron Ralston who found himself trapped by a boulder in a remote canyon in Utah. Over the course of his ordeal, Ralston examines his life and finds that he is willing to do whatever it takes to escape—even if it means cutting off his own arm. The real-life Ralston (played by James Franco) has said that the movie is incredibly true to his harrowing experience, if a little less gruesome .

#65. First Man (2018)

- Director: Damien Chazelle - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 141 minutes

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. This drama chronicles the decade of Armstrong's life leading to that historical moment, including the loss of his daughter and much of his intense training. Ryan Gosling stars in the film, which was nominated for major awards at the Golden Globes, Academy Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and British Academy Film Awards.

#64. Before Night Falls (2000)

- Director: Julian Schnabel - Stacker score: 85.8 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 133 minutes

An episodic look at the life of Cuban poet, novelist, and Castro supporter-turned-critic Reinaldo Arenas, " Before Night Falls " was based on the man's own autobiography. An openly gay man, Arenas spent much of his life under careful watch by the government and did several stints in jail before managing to escape to the United States in 1980, where he'd eventually die of AIDS. Javier Bardem and Johnny Depp both have leading roles in this visually arresting picture.

#63. Il Postino (1994)

- Directors: Michael Radford, Massimo Troisi - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 108 minutes

A fictional tale peppered with facts, "Il Postino" follows the friendship that develops between a lowly Italian postman and the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who has been exiled from his home country for political reasons. Massimo Troisi, who played the postman, died of a heart attack the day after the film wrapped and was never able to bask in its critical and commercial success. He was, however, awarded a posthumous Oscar for his work.

#62. Hunger (2008)

- Director: Steve McQueen - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 96 minutes

A dramatic retelling of the hunger strike that took place in Northern Ireland's Maze Prison in 1981, " Hunger " follows the final days and death of Bobby Sands, an IRA member and the first prisoner to die in the strike. By turns unflinching and abstract, the film won the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Steve McQueen directed the intense, harrowing picture, with Michael Fassbender starring as Sands.

#61. Henry V (1989)

- Director: Kenneth Branagh - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 137 minutes

Shakespeare's classic historical play " Henry V '' was brought to the screen in this 1989 film. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as the king, the movie chronicles the events of the 15th-century Battle of Agincourt, in which the English continued their Hundred Years' War against the French.

#60. BlacKkKlansman (2018)

- Director: Spike Lee - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 135 minutes

In another stranger-than-fiction tale, African American detective Ron Stallworth infiltrated a Colorado Springs branch of the Ku Klux Klan in the late 1970s. Wowed by Stallworth's story , Spike Lee set out to bring it to life, casting John David Washington as the young detective, Adam Driver as his Jewish colleague assisting in the sting, and Topher Grace as Grand Wizard David Duke. The finished project was widely praised by critics and won several prestigious awards, including Cannes' Grand Prix and the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

#59. Seraphine (2008)

- Director: Martin Provost - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 125 minutes

A self-taught French painter who holds down a day job as a housekeeper and walks the line between genius and mentally ill is the subject of this 2008 French film. Today, Seraphine Louis' works hang in museums around the world, but her life was far from a happy one, and she died in the early 20th century in a mental institution, destitute and alone. This simple, subtle biopic, which stars Yolande Moreau, won seven Cesars (the French equivalent of the Academy Award).

#58. 24 Hour Party People (2002)

- Director: Michael Winterbottom - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 117 minutes

In the 1970s, Tony Wilson established Factory Records , which signed bands like Joy Division and the Happy Mondays and sparked a musical revolution, eventually leading to the development of the legendary Hacienda dance club in Manchester, England. A blend of real events, newsreel footage, urban legends, and completely fictional tidbits, this movie expertly tells the raucous story of a man, city, and movement that made up the rules as they went along.

#57. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

- Director: Marielle Heller - Stacker score: 86.3 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.1 - Runtime: 106 minutes

Melissa McCarthy stepped away from her typical comedic roles in " Can You Ever Forgive Me? " She plays Lee Israel, a failing writer who tries to revitalize her career by selling forged letters from dead celebrities. While the movie certainly has funny moments, it's a true crime tale that features an unlikable heroine, a gamble that paid off when McCarthy and co-star Richard E. Grant were nominated for their performances at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes.

#56. The Elephant Man (1980)

- Director: David Lynch - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 78 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Set in Victorian London, " The Elephant Man " chronicles the relationship that formed between a surgeon named Dr. Frederick Treves and John Merrick, a severely disfigured man who earns his living as a freak-show performer called the Elephant Man. Adapted from two different books, one written by Treves himself, the story garnered praise for the way it handled disability and difference. It also inspired the creation of the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling after industry insiders complained that the film's incredible work wasn't given enough recognition.

#55. Gandhi (1982)

- Director: Richard Attenborough - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 191 minutes

The life of civil rights leader Mahatma Gandhi has been portrayed in numerous ways via several media since his death in 1948, but perhaps never as movingly as in this 1982 biopic. The story begins with Gandhi being thrown off a South African train in 1893 and concludes with his assassination some 55 years later. Ben Kingsley played Gandhi and won an Academy Award (one of eight the film took home) for his efforts.

#54. Milk (2008)

- Director: Gus Van Sant - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 128 minutes

The life of an openly gay activist who becomes the first LGBTQ+ person elected to public office in California is the subject of " Milk ." Using archival footage of Harvey Milk's life, the movie covers the time period from Milk's 40th birthday until his shocking assassination in 1978. Sean Penn's performance as the title character was awe-inspiring and earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor.

#53. The Long Day Closes (1992)

- Director: Terence Davies - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 85 minutes

Terence Davies' autobiographical film follows a boy named Bud as he comes of age in 1950s Liverpool, fearing the ever-present eye of the Catholic Church and realizing both his love for cinema and his homosexuality. The film doesn't follow a straightforward narrative but rather jumps back-and-forth through time, infusing each moment with precisely chosen pieces of popular music and cinema.

#52. Lincoln (2012)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 86.9 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 150 minutes

The final four months of U.S. president Abraham Lincoln's life are explored in detail in Steven Spielberg's 2012 historical smash "Lincoln." Starring Daniel Day-Lewis as the gentle, gangly leader, it primarily focuses on Lincoln's determination to abolish slavery and pass the 13th Amendment. Sally Field co-stars as Mary Todd Lincoln, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the 16th president's son, Robert. The movie was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning two, including Best Actor for Day-Lewis.

#51. Hotel Rwanda (2004)

- Director: Terry George - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 79 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 121 minutes

Tackling tough topics like genocide, violence, and political corruption, " Hotel Rwanda " is set during the Rwandan genocide of 1994, when members of the Tutsi ethnic group were hunted down and murdered by armed militias. The movie brings to life the true story of a hotel manager named Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu who offers shelter to over 1,000 Tutsis in the Hotel des Mille Collines. While the Academy Award-winning film finishes on a relatively happy note, real life wasn't so kind: In late 2020, the real Rusesabagina was charged with "terrorism, complicity in murder, and forming an armed rebel group" by a Rwandan court.

#50. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

- Director: Jean-Marc Vallée - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 80 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 117 minutes

Ronald Woodroof was a womanizing, drug-using, homophobic electrician from Texas living a carefree life when his doctor announced that he had HIV/AIDS and would likely die in 30 days. After researching his illness, Woodroof uncovered an experimental drug that would potentially prolong his life and established the Dallas Buyers Club, whose mission was to import the drug from Mexico so that it could be easily accessible to everyone who needed it. Along the way, Woodroof (played by Matthew McConaughey in an Oscar-winning performance) became a compassionate friend and advocate for the legal rights of those with the disease.

#49. Captain Phillips (2013)

- Director: Paul Greengrass - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 134 minutes

In 2009, for the first time in 200 years, a U.S. container ship was hijacked by a group of Somali pirates some 145 miles off the Somali coast. This thriller, inspired by those events , stars Tom Hanks as the American captain of the ship and chronicles the tense relationship that develops between him and the pirate captain who holds him hostage, played by newcomer Barkhad Abdi. While Hanks' character is hailed as a hero in the film, the real-life crew of the ship argues that this wasn't the case in reality.

#48. Fruitvale Station (2013)

- Director: Ryan Coogler - Stacker score: 87.4 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 85 minutes

" Fruitvale Station " tells the true story of Oscar Grant, a Bay Area resident and young Black man who was killed by Oakland Police officers on New Year's Eve 2008. His murder would inspire protests and unrest in the California town, events that fall outside the scope of this film but testify to the heated controversy of the incident. Michael B. Jordan stars in the movie, which made its debut at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and collected a number of prizes there and elsewhere.

#47. Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985)

- Director: Paul Schrader - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 120 minutes

Inspired by the life of Japanese author Yukio Mishima , this biopic freely weaves fact, fiction, and portions of Mishima's own writing to create a stunning picture of the artist's life and death. Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas worked as executive producers on the film, which earned director Paul Schrader a special prize at Cannes.

#46. The Wind Rises (2013)

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 126 minutes

The first animated movie on this list, " The Wind Rises " follows the life of Jiro Horikoshi, the designer of several of Japan's fighter planes during World War II. The anime film by Studio Ghibli became Japan's highest-grossing film in 2013, bringing in $116.1 million at the domestic box office. It was widely appreciated outside of Japan as well, winning Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and other animation prizes.

#45. Boys Don't Cry (1999)

- Director: Kimberly Peirce - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 118 minutes

Brandon Teena was a trans man from rural Nebraska who was passionately in pursuit of his true self and true love before becoming the victim of a vicious hate crime perpetrated by two male acquaintances. " Boys Don't Cry " is a harrowing depiction of Teena's fate starring Hillary Swank and featuring Chloe Sevigny as Teena's girlfriend, Lana. While the movie was critically acclaimed, several people with links to the case, including the real Lana (who has been alleged to have been a part of the hate crime) have spoken out against it, saying that the on-screen story doesn't match the facts.

#44. Capote (2005)

- Director: Bennett Miller - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 114 minutes

Philip Seymour Hoffman won multiple awards, including an Oscar, for his portrayal of author Truman Capote in this 2005 biopic . The events of the film center around the time period in which Capote was writing "In Cold Blood" and include the friendship he developed with Perry Smith, one of the killers who is on death row. The movie marked Bennet Miller's directorial debut.

#43. The Madness of King George (1994)

- Director: Nicholas Hytner - Stacker score: 88 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 110 minutes

It is believed that King George III suffered from mental illness, a malady highly misunderstood in 1788 but that drove him to act erratically and rendered him unfit to rule a country. " The Madness of King George " focuses on the monarch's decline as well as the troubled relationship he shared with his son, the Prince of Wales. Rupert Graves and Helen Mirren both lent their talents to the acclaimed British production.

#42. Ford v Ferrari (2019)

- Director: James Mangold - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 81 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 152 minutes

In "Ford v Ferrari," American car designer Carroll Shelby and fearless British driver Ken Miles come together under the Ford Motor Company banner with hopes of defeating the dominant Ferrari racing team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France. The movie, which tells the twisty story of the most bitter rivalry in auto racing history, stars Matt Damon and Christian Bale as Shelby and Miles, respectively.

#41. The Insider (1999)

- Director: Michael Mann - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 157 minutes

An industry insider appears on a "60-Minutes" expose on Big Tobacco, risking his own safety as well as the safety of his CBS producer in " The Insider ". Accurate in its broad strokes, the film demonstrates the influence of journalism as well as the power of those who choose to stand up for what's right. Director Michael Mann martialed an abundance of star power for this intense drama, casting Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, and Christopher Plummer in leading roles.

#40. Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

- Director: Michael Apted - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 124 minutes

Based on country music star Loretta Lynn's biography, " Coal Miner's Daughter " spans from Lynn's birth into poverty and marriage at 13 to her emergence as one of the genre's leading voices. Sissy Spacek, who plays Lynn, accompanied the singer on tour in order to better embody the country queen's mannerisms and demeanor—a move that paid off when she won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance.

#39. Richard III (1955)

- Director: Laurence Olivier - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 161 minutes

Another adaptation of a Shakespeare play, " Richard III " famously relates how and why Richard, Duke of Gloucester, stole the crown from his brother, King Edward IV. One of three films directed by Laurence Olivier to bring Shakespeare's work to the screen, the Criterion Collection deems it "ravishing" and "visually inspired."

#38. Mr. Turner (2014)

- Director: Mike Leigh - Stacker score: 88.5 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 6.8 - Runtime: 150 minutes

The story of the last 25 years in the life of the talented, eccentric Romantic painter J.M.W. Turner (played by Timothy Spall) is explored in this drama. The New York Times described Mike Leigh's portrait as "loving" and "unsentimental," one that "patiently and thoroughly demolishes more than a century's worth of mythology about what art is and how artists work."

#37. Argo (2012)

- Director: Ben Affleck - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 120 minutes

No movie emphasizes the power of Hollywood quite like "Argo," which tells the story of a harebrained CIA scheme that sought to rescue six American diplomats from Iran (during the Iran hostage crisis) under the guise of shooting a science fiction movie. Based on the real-life accounts of the CIA operative Tony Mendez in his book "The Master of Disguise," the movie stars Ben Affleck, who also directs. 

#36. Moneyball (2011)

- Director: Bennett Miller - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 133 minutes

Professional sports are as much games of money as they are of talent, which means that the poorest teams are often the least competitive. One exception is the 2002 Oakland Athletics baseball team. " Moneyball " tells the truly impressive story of A's general manager Billy Beane, who uses statistical data to scout and pick players, creating an aggressively competitive team despite having the lowest salary constraints in Major League Baseball.

#35. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)

- Director: Steven Zaillian - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 109 minutes

" Searching for Bobby Fischer " focuses on Josh Waitzkin, a 7-year-old chess prodigy who loses his love for the game under a ruthless and strict coach, then finds it again with a much more relaxed tutor. Based on a book written by Waitzkin's father, the movie struck Roger Ebert as "a film of remarkable sensitivity and insight" and was nominated for an Academy Award for its Best Cinematography.

#34. Funny Girl (1968)

- Director: William Wyler - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 151 minutes

Loosely based on the life and career of Broadway star Fanny Brice and her relationship with Nicky Arnstein, "Funny Girl" was the highest-grossing film of 1968 . Barbra Streisand, in her feature film debut, won an Oscar for her portrayal of Brice.  

#33. The Tale (2018)

- Director: Jennifer Fox - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 114 minutes

Jennifer Fox's semiautobiographical " The Tale " explores long-buried, darker aspects of her relationships with two of her childhood coaches, which came to light as she worked on a documentary about child rape victims. Laura Dern stars as Fox in the movie, which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival before receiving a wider release on HBO.

#32. Topsy-Turvy (1999)

- Director: Mike Leigh - Stacker score: 89.1 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 160 minutes

The musical " Topsy-Turvy " depicts the relationship between Victorian-era theatrical partners Sir Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert. After their show "Princess Ida" flops, the duo consider going their separate ways but agree to complete at least one more production, "The Mikado," which ends up becoming one of their greatest successes. An unexpectedly delightful period piece, the movie explores the difficult reality of the creative professions.

#31. Downfall (2004)

- Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 82 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 156 minutes

Set during WWII's Battle of Berlin, " Downfall " recounts Adolf Hitler's final days, spent in a bunker miles below the city. Based on a memoir by Traudl Junge, a secretary for Hitler, the movie brings Hitler's mental decline, which Junge observed firsthand, to life in a way few others have ever been able to. The movie sparked a serious conversation about the moral and ethical questions involved in portraying Hitler, one of the most monstrous villains in world history, with even a hint of humanity.

#30. The Miracle Worker (1962)

- Director: Arthur Penn - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 83 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 106 minutes

Annie Sullivan, a "half-blind Yankee schoolgirl," manages to teach the deaf, blind, and mute Helen Keller how to communicate in " The Miracle Worker ." An instant critical success in 1962, both Anne Bancroft, who played Annie Sullivan, and Patty Duke, who played Helen Keller, took home Academy Awards for their performances. The movie was adapted from the Broadway play of the same name, which also starred the same actresses.

#29. All the President's Men (1976)

- Director: Alan J. Pakula - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 138 minutes

The dramatic events surrounding Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's unveiling of the Watergate scandal lie at the center of " All the President's Men ." The award-winning political thriller was based on the 1974 book of the same name written by the two journalists, portrayed by Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, respectively.

#28. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

- Director: Arthur Penn - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 86 - IMDb user rating: 7.8 - Runtime: 111 minutes

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway bring America's most notorious crime couple to life in this 1967 telling of the Bonnie and Clyde story. A landmark film and one of the first of the New Hollywood era, the movie became famous for the groundbreakingly realistic way it depicted violence and sex, something that wasn't done in cinema at the time. Upon its release, Roger Ebert even predicted that it will come to be seen as the "definitive film of the 1960s."

#27. Shine (1996)

- Director: Scott Hicks - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 105 minutes

Geoffrey Rush's breakout role was as pianist David Helfgott in the Australian drama "Shine." Rush's depiction of the musician, who was afflicted by schizophrenic disorder and spent years living in institutions, won him an Oscar and launched a successful, decades-long career. While the film was a critical success, Helfgott's real-life siblings were more divided in their reception of it, with one actively campaigning against it and the other two happy with its portrayal of their sibling and his tumultuous family life.

#26. Serpico (1973)

- Director: Sidney Lumet - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 130 minutes

In " Serpico ," a New York City cop blows the whistle on the corruption that runs rampant within the NYPD, which prompts an investigation by the Knapp Commission. Al Pacino plays Frank Serpico , who in real life experienced ostracization and hate from those both inside and outside the force, and saw his act as shameful rather than heroic.

#25. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

- Director: Frank Lloyd - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 132 minutes

One of the biggest hits of the 1930s, " Mutiny on the Bounty " may not be historically accurate, but it sure is fun to watch. The movie retraces the classic tale of the HMS Bounty, whose first mate (played by Clark Gable) launches a mutiny against the tyrannical Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) on an 18th-century voyage from Tahiti. The movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1935.

#24. American Splendor (2003)

- Directors: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 7.4 - Runtime: 101 minutes

A blend of documentary, animation, and live action, as well as fact and fiction, " American Splendor " relays the complicated story of Harvey Pekar, the creator of the titular comic book series. In spite of its complicated-sounding setup, the film is a mesmerizing, absorbing watch full of delightful details. Paul Giamatti plays Pekar and Hope Davis his wife, Joyce—except when the real-life couple steps in for various scenes.

#23. The Queen (2006)

- Director: Stephen Frears - Stacker score: 89.6 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.3 - Runtime: 103 minutes

Beginning with the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, " The Queen " depicts Elizabeth II's struggle to publicly react to the news appropriately, as she realizes just how drastically the culture of her country has shifted, leaving her without a clear role. Helen Mirren won an Oscar and received exorbitant praise for her performance in the leading role, with the Queen herself praising her work and inviting her to dinner .

#22. In the Name of the Father (1993)

- Director: Jim Sheridan - Stacker score: 90.2 - Metascore: 84 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 133 minutes

The Guildford Four were a group of men who were wrongly convicted of the politically motivated 1974 Guildford pub bombings that killed several people. " In the Name of the Father " explores this complicated story and the way it impacted the lives of the four men, as well as those of others connected to them. Daniel Day-Lewis turns in an impressive early performance as one of the accused, Gerry Conlon, whose autobiography " Proved Innocent " provides the basis for the film.

#21. Reversal of Fortune (1990)

- Director: Barbet Schroeder - Stacker score: 90.2 - Metascore: 93 - IMDb user rating: 7.2 - Runtime: 111 minutes

A courtroom drama, " Reversal of Fortune " follows the real-life case of Claus von Bulow, a wealthy husband accused of trying to murder his socialite wife by giving her an overdose of insulin. Told from the perspective of the husband's lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, who struggles with his own questions of the husband's innocence, the film's smart script was derived primarily from Dershowitz's memoir. The film stars Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, and Ron Silver.

#20. Spartacus (1960)

- Director: Stanley Kubrick - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 87 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 197 minutes

Hailed as an intellectual epic, " Spartacus " features a hero who is denied a typical victory and is instead consoled with the promise that his ideas will survive in his stead. The down-ending movie is about a Thracian slave who leads a violent revolt against the Roman Empire but ends up paying dearly for his actions. Although a huge moneymaker for Universal Studios and a critical success, director Stanley Kubrick hated the film and never included it in his canon.

#19. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

- Director: Michael Curtiz - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 126 minutes

George M. Cohan was one of Broadway's biggest stars, a playwright, composer, actor, dancer, and singer who wrote his own shows in the earliest years of the 20th century. "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is a musical that honors the performer's life, though it strays pretty far from the truth despite Cohan himself briefly serving as a consultant.

#18. The Favourite (2018)

- Director: Yorgos Lanthimos - Stacker score: 90.7 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 119 minutes

A multiple award-winner and a box-office smash, "The Favorite" follows the rivalry between two cousins, Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, and Abigail Masham, a lady's maid, who are vying for the position of Queen Anne's court favorite. While some of the film's historical accuracy has been questioned, including the sexual and romantic relationships that exist between the women, the broad strokes of the film are certainly true to life. Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone star in the period black comedy.

#17. Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)

- Director: John Ford - Stacker score: 91.3 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.6 - Runtime: 100 minutes

The second film on the list about Abraham Lincoln, "Young Mr. Lincoln" focuses on the early years of the 16th president's life, rather than his final months. The first collaboration between John Ford and lead Henry Fonda, the movie focuses on a definitive court case (the "Almanac Trial") in which the novice lawyer finds himself wrapped up, laying the groundwork for the philosophy and morality which would guide him as one of American history's most important figures.

#16. Quiz Show (1994)

- Director: Robert Redford - Stacker score: 91.3 - Metascore: 92 - IMDb user rating: 7.5 - Runtime: 133 minutes

Robert Redford directed the docudrama set in the 1950s about a young lawyer who discovers that quiz shows like "Twenty-One" are being fixed and begins to investigate, focusing on two former contestants, a working-class Jewish man from Queens and a member of one of America's leading literary families. A critical success, the movie was a commercial failure when it was released in 1994.

#15. The King's Speech (2010)

- Director: Tom Hooper - Stacker score: 91.8 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 118 minutes

"The King's Speech" tells the story of the friendship that existed between King George VI and his speech therapist, who helped the king overcome his stutter so that he could face his subjects with confidence. Earning nominations for almost every existing award, the star-studded film was far and away one of the biggest hits of 2010.

#14. In Cold Blood (1967)

- Director: Richard Brooks - Stacker score: 91.8 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 134 minutes

Based on Truman Capote's novel of the same name, "In Cold Blood" follows two drifters who murder an entire family in a robbery gone wrong. Described as a filmmaking masterclass, the movie boasts "clinically precise editing," according to the Criterion Collection, as well as evocative black-and-white cinematography and authentic, unshowy performances.

#13. The Pianist (2002)

- Director: Roman Polanski - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 85 - IMDb user rating: 8.5 - Runtime: 150 minutes

Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish-Jewish pianist and composer, wrote his life story in "The Pianist," which became the basis for this Roman Polanski film. As the lead in this incredibly intense story, lead actor Adrien Brody said in 2017 that he was still recovering from the emotional toll of the story, 15 years after its release. Still, the award-winning movie is an important watch for those who seek to understand just how much the Holocaust and its aftermath shaped the world.

#12. Persepolis (2007)

- Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 96 minutes

"Persepolis" is the story of an outspoken teenage girl named Marji who comes of age during the Iranian Revolution. Simple in an elegant way, the film was based on a series of graphic novels Marjane Satrapi wrote about her life. Making its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, "Persepolis" was a co-winner of the Jury Prize.

#11. Patton (1970)

- Director: Franklin J. Schaffner - Stacker score: 92.9 - Metascore: 91 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 172 minutes

Famous and controversial WWII tank commander Gen. George S. Patton is the subject of this 1970s biopic, which remains among the most iconic movies ever made. George C. Scott took on the role of Patton and won an Academy Award for it (one of seven the picture took home). The film was in the works for several years before production went underway, as the United States Department of Defense was not keen on signing off on the project.

#10. Amadeus (1984)

- Director: Milos Forman - Stacker score: 93.4 - Metascore: 88 - IMDb user rating: 8.3 - Runtime: 160 minutes

The premise of "Amadeus" hinges on a fictional rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Italian composer Antonio Salieri. Though the beef between the two is contrived, the details of Mozart's life that are woven into the film are, by and large, true. Accuracy aside, the film was quickly regarded as a classic and ended up winning eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

#9. Raging Bull (1980)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 93.4 - Metascore: 89 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Runtime: 129 minutes

Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull" tells the story of prizefighter Jake LaMotta's rise and fall. The athlete's obsessive rage and animalistic appetite led him to incredible victories within the ring but destroyed almost every aspect of his life outside it. While initially a bit of a critical and commercial flop, the movie has come to be considered Scorsese's magnum opus.

#8. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

- Directors: Julian Schnabel, Laura Obiols - Stacker score: 94 - Metascore: 92 - IMDb user rating: 8.0 - Runtime: 112 minutes

In "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby suffers a massive stroke that leaves him with locked-in syndrome, a condition where almost all the muscles in his body are paralyzed except for his left eye. The French film, based on Bauby's memoir, was called "a poignant reflection on what it means to be alive" by Empire's Alan Morrison .

#7. The Social Network (2010)

- Director: David Fincher - Stacker score: 94 - Metascore: 95 - IMDb user rating: 7.7 - Runtime: 120 minutes

Before Facebook became a dominant force in our lives and culture, monitoring our every move, it was a way for college students to connect and make new friends. "The Social Network" tells the story of the platform's early years, including the not-so-honorable moves of co-founder Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg). A critical and commercial success, the film was named one of the best films of 2010.

#6. The Irishman (2019)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 94.5 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 209 minutes

Scorsese strikes again with "The Irishman," a gangster movie based on the book "I Heard You Paint Houses" about former mafia hitman Frank Sheeran. The film brings together some of the gangster genre's biggest heavyweights—Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel—who earned a host of accolades for their collective work. The film was released on Netflix in late 2019.

#5. My Left Foot (1989)

- Director: Jim Sheridan - Stacker score: 96.2 - Metascore: 97 - IMDb user rating: 7.9 - Runtime: 103 minutes

Christy Brown was an Irishman born with cerebral palsy and was only able to control a single limb, his left foot. Despite his substantial physical disabilities, Brown learned how to paint and write with his foot, providing an unlikely outlet for his creativity. Daniel Day-Lewis brings the cantankerous artist to life in this Oscar-nominated film based on Brown's memoir.

#4. Goodfellas (1990)

- Director: Martin Scorsese - Stacker score: 96.7 - Metascore: 90 - IMDb user rating: 8.7 - Runtime: 146 minutes

The final Martin Scorsese picture on our list and one of the best-loved gangster films of all time, "Goodfellas" chronicles the true-life story of Henry Hill, a small-time mobster turned informant. Starring frequent Scorsese collaborator Rober De Niro as well as Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci, the movie is based on crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi's book "Wiseguy" and is widely considered one of the highest artistic peaks of Scorsese's career.

#3. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

- Director: Steve McQueen - Stacker score: 96.7 - Metascore: 96 - IMDb user rating: 8.1 - Runtime: 134 minutes

Solomon Northup was a New York-born free Black man who was kidnapped into slavery in 1841 and spent 12 years enslaved on plantations in Louisiana before being released. "12 Years a Slave," a realistic and violent depiction of Northup's experience, was based on his memoirs. The award-winning movie did what many before it failed to do: it demolished, once and for all, the idea that slavery was anything but a horrific, unjust, and unfair practice whose sins remain in America to this day.

#2. Schindler's List (1993)

- Director: Steven Spielberg - Stacker score: 100 - Metascore: 94 - IMDb user rating: 8.9 - Runtime: 195 minutes

A success on every level, Steven Spielberg's Holocaust masterpiece "Schindler's List" is, at its heart, two parallel character studies. On the one hand, there's Amon Goeth (played by Ralph Fiennes), a purely evil psychopath, and on the other Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a greedy businessman turned unlikely humanitarian. Haunting and powerful, the film insists that goodness and truth can prevail, even in some of humanity's darkest moments.

#1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

- Director: David Lean - Stacker score: 100 - Metascore: 100 - IMDb user rating: 8.3 - Runtime: 228 minutes

The best biopic of all time? This 1962 epic chronicling the life of British Lieutenant T.E. Lawrence, who's tasked with serving as a liaison between Prince Faisal and the British government during their fight against the Turks. Earning 10 Oscar nominations, the movie is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential films in cinematic history . Still, there are always haters: Lawrence's brother A.W. reportedly hated the film so much that he refused to let David Lean use the title of T.E.'s memoir, " Seven Pillars of Wisdom. "

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‘The Jinx – Part Two’ review: A filmmaker continues his investigation into accused killer Robert Durst

When it premiered on HBO a decade ago, the true crime docuseries “The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” stood out mainly because of Durst’s willingness to appear on camera. The wealthy New York real estate heir was suspected of killing three people: His first wife Kathleen McCormack in 1982; his close friend Susan Berman in 2000; and an elderly Texas neighbor Morris Black in 2001. At the time, he had only stood trial for the murder of Black (whom he also dismembered) and was acquitted. Surprisingly, Durst agreed to be interviewed by filmmaker Andrew Jarecki about all of it. Perhaps Durst thought his steadfast denials would be convincing. But the series finale featured a stunning hot-mic moment in which Durst excused himself to the restroom and muttered the seemingly damning words: “Killed them all.”

During the course of his research for the series, Jarecki uncovered additional evidence relating to Berman’s death and passed it along to the authorities. That led to the arrest of Durst a day before the last episode aired.

Now Jarecki is back with “The Jinx – Part Two,” which picks up where he left off. In 2021, Durst was convicted of Berman’s murder and the six-episode sequel aims to fill in the gaps between the lead-up to his arrest in March 2015 and his death in January 2022 (just three months after he was sentenced to life without parole). Jarecki accomplishes this by piecing together prosecutor John Lewin’s case and detailing the zigs and zags of the trial itself.

Purveyors of true crime can be fueled by all kinds of conflicting motivations. Sincere curiosity sometimes curdles into exploitation, and gruesome tragedy is transformed into entertainment. With unsolved cases, there’s a tendency to play investigator. Jarecki isn’t immune to any of this. But notably missing in his latest effort is introspection about his own role in Durst’s fate.

“Part Two” is straightforward about the fact that Jarecki reached out to law enforcement — an unusual scenario for documentary filmmakers — but he remains silent about why he made that decision. You could argue it was the right one, but he doesn’t walk us through his thought process. Why be so coy? “Normally, your obligation is to protect your subject,” he told Vanity Fair in a recent interview. “But what happens when your subject becomes the enemy?” Good question. Too bad he had no desire to engage with it in his own project.

Despite its self-congratulatory tone, Jarecki’s follow-up is gripping all the same. It includes the same out-of-focus recreations as the original, which serves to amplify the visuals beyond talking head interviews and archival footage and photos. Durst had regular visitors in jail and Jarecki obtained recordings of those visits as well as Durst’s phone calls, and we see a man who is mentally sharp but manipulative and deeply annoying. Journalist Lisa DePaulo tells Jarecki: “When Bob has a friend, he expects blind loyalty. Like, unconditional loyalty. He expected his friends to toe the line, and a lot of them did — for a long time.” Lewin, the prosecutor, explains it this way: “It turns out that when you have a whole lot of money, people are willing to do things for you because they think some of that money might go their way.”

One of those close friends is Nick Chavin, a singer-turned-advertising executive whose music genre of choice in his younger days was something called “country porn.” Jarecki asks him, “Did it bother you when you found out what (Durst) did in Galveston?” Chavin replies: “Well, what isn’t in my mind is ‘Jesus Christ, he cut up Morris Black and got away with it.’ That just didn’t have any impact on me. I don’t have that same moral hatred of murder and murderers.” If that doesn’t give you pause, I don’t know what will. By contrast, Chavin’s wife is no-nonsense and blunt about her distaste for Durst. How that marriage works is a mystery all its own. If nothing else, Jarecki has a knack for unearthing the strange and uninhibited.

The cast of characters here also include enthusiastic twin brother law clerks hired by Lewin to sift through the endless paperwork (if a broadcast network doesn’t turn this premise into a case-of-the-week legal drama called “Brothers in Law,” they’re missing a real opportunity). “Friendships die hard,” someone else says at one point, and it’s the kind of observation that has so many different connotations in this context. All of this is captured thanks to Jarecki’s instincts. Even though we know the outcome, he finds room for suspense and intrigue.

A deeply serious filmmaker, he also tends to undercut that with questionable choices, including a vainglorious quote from a cop who boasts: “Homicide detectives have a saying: We work for God.” As a documentarian, Jarecki brings no skepticism to police work, or any other aspect of how the criminal justice system functions.

Why do people do such horrible things to one another? Who is often allowed to get away with these crimes and why? Compelling enough questions that we keep coming back for more.

‘THE JINX – PART TWO’

2.5 stars (out of 4)

Rating: TV-MA

How to watch: 10 p.m. ET Sundays on HBO (streaming on Max)

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32 Best Filmmaker Portfolio Examples For 2024

Creating a filmmaker portfolio website helps to solve your marketing and advertising-related problems and presents you in a positive light to potential customers.

You need a stunning and attention-grabbing filmmaker portfolio website to display your best projects and attract your ideal clients.

Hiring a professional web designer can be time-consuming and costly. However, with a state-of-the-art website builder like Wix and Squarespace, you can quickly design the perfect filmmaker portfolio.

The best website builders offer jaw-dropping filmmaker portfolio templates that will make the web design process seamless.

This article covers the 32 best filmmaker portfolio examples you can use as inspiration when building your own portfolio website.

Let’s get started.

1. Art By Arr Productions

Made with W ix

Art By Arr Productions is the brainchild of Arr, a visual storyteller, cinematographer, and commercial director. 

This stunning filmmaker portfolio’s web design has a simple layout featuring a drop-down navigation bar that potential clients can use to navigate this interesting webpage.

What’s handy for me about this short film and video portfolio is the eye-catching rough paper background which helps to showcase the site content.

As you explore the page further, you will see stunning visual content on the homepage like an embedded YouTube video, graphic design, and illustrations.

2. Jessica Sanders

Made with Squarespace

Jessica Sanders is an Academy Award-nominated, Sundance, SXSW, and Cannes Award-winning film director and producer.

This filmmaker portfolio website has a minimalistic yet sound design featuring a stunning full-width image of Jessica Sanders dancing in the hero section. 

Visitors can use the mega navigation bar with multiple links to other pages of the website for seamless exploration and decision-making.

Clicking the Instagram icon is your one-way ticket to checking out beautiful movies, short and feature films, scenes, and videos on Jessica Sanders’ online profile.

3. Chris Roebuck

Chris Roebuck is a professional film editor who has worked on and featured in various commercials and music video productions.

This filmmaker portfolio website has a beautiful design displaying a stunning display of images with a slideshow format on the welcome page. 

Interested visitors can click the transparent “Enter” CTA button to access the website homepage and explore every visual content on the site.

I like how the homepage uses a multiple-grid column design layout to display its content appealingly on a dark background.

4. Jensen Films

Jensen Films is an award-winning wedding-based filmmaking production studio that has been in business for over thirty years. 

The first mind-blowing thing you will see on arrival is a stunning black and white post-wedding photo which gives the webpage an elegant outlook.

I like how the webpage displays skillful and engaging copywriting to get visitors glued to their screens and contact the production studio.

My favorite aspect of the page is the use of a slider format to display the kind and interesting reviews about Jensen Films.

5. Pittstop Films Weddings

Made with Wix

Pittstop Films Weddings is the brainchild of Adam, a filmmaker from London, UK. The first catchy element on this filmmaker's portfolio website webpage is an embedded background video of past projects to authenticate their expertise. 

You can use the white-colored sticky navigation bar to explore various aspects of the page to make inquiries and decisions without stress.

The tale-colored site footer houses a catalog of Instagram reels and a well-labeled contact form for potential clients to reach Pittstop Films Weddings.

6. Joseph Hardin Films

Joseph Hardin Films' website has a well-put-together and autistic layout with a white background that makes sure every element syncs perfectly.

This multi-page filmmaker portfolio website features various mind-blowing elements that make it stand out from other websites and encourage visitor engagement. 

Onile visitors and potential clients can click the white-colored CTA button with a hover effect to access the website’s contact page. At the center of the page, you see logos of top publication brands where content from Joseph Hardin Films was featured.

7. Iris Films

Iris Films is an outstanding filmmaking organization run by a team of skilled individuals. I like how this website features a unique variety of widgets and navigation bars which makes exploration and actions seamless and worthwhile. 

Interested visitors can access the company’s social media accounts by clicking the icons on the left sidebar on the homepage.

The parallax scrolling effect and multiple high-quality images give the filmmaker's website a sophisticated and elegant feel, encouraging visitors to explore various aspects of the page.

8. Orpen Film

Orpen Film offers a comprehensive collaboration that combines photography and videography to capture their clients’ wedding celebrations.

Online visitors and explorers can use the dropdown button at the base of the hero section to make the exploration process smoother and stress-free. The pink background gives this filmmaker's website a lush and elegant outlook.

What’s handy for me about this webpage is how the site footer uses a two-column grid layout to display the weeding-based Instagram reels.

9. Peter McKinnon

Peter McKinnon is an internationally acclaimed photographer, filmmaker, YouTube creator, and entrepreneur based in Toronto, Canada.

The first catchy element on this webpage is a stunning picture of Peter McKinnon standing by a red truck on a field. As you scroll further, you will love how the homepage uses full-width images and multiple fluid grids with a thumbnail feature to access other relevant content. 

The drop-down navigation bar is your one-stop shop to explore various sections of the filmmaker portfolio website and make hassle-free decisions. 

10. Jake Weisler Films

Jake Weisler Films’s success is based on the expertise of Jake, a wedding filmmaker based out of Salt Lake City. I love how simple and minimalist this wedding-based videography website is and features vital elements like high-quality images, engaging videos, and interactive texts.

The first catchy element on this webpage is an embedded background video with a transparent “View Collection” CTA button for visitors who want to explore. 

I like how the black background makes all the relevant page elements visible and visually appealing to visitors and potential customers.

11. Red Creative Films

Red Creative Films is a full-service video production agency that specializes in commercial videos for social media and television ads.

This filmmaker portfolio website features various mind-blowing content like high-quality images, engaging texts, YouTube videos, and motion graphics.

Interested visitors can use the hamburger navigation bar to make exploration-based decisions and navigate the web page without stress. Clicking the transparent “See Work” CTA button with a hover effect is your one-way ticket to checking out Red Creative Films’ latest projects.

12. Noel Fenez

Made with Webflow

Noel Fenez is a professional video and brand designer based in Montreal with a knack for helping businesses grow and surpass their goals through visual marketing.

The first catchy element on this webpage is an embedded background video with a motion caption written in neon and white text . I love how the visual hierarchy on this webpage graduates from simple designs and themes to more sophisticated elements.

The site footer features icons that are a direct link to Noel Fenez’s YouTube, Instagram, and Vimeo page links for fresh filmmakers and visitors to explore.

13. Daniel Bencomo

Daniel Bencomo Viala is a professional wedding filmmaker who loves filming wholesome moments during weddings to create lasting memories. 

This multi-page wedding filmmaker portfolio website features various eye-catching design elements like a background video, high-quality images, and engaging texts.

I like how the webpage features a noisy background theme with colors like off-white and navy blue which give the site an elegant and sophisticated feel. The Instagram reel section features amazing content with a slider format that visitors use to watch its content.

14. Philippe Gnannt

Philippe Gnannt is a skilled film editor with a top-notch production studio that creates documentaries, commercials, and portraits. I like how the site uses both stylish and straight fonts to make the site’s texts visually appealing and engaging for visitors. 

My favorite aspect is the changing background video element which occurs every time visitors use the trackpad across the names of featured projects. 

Clicking on any project link is a one-way ticket to access the portfolio page where you can check out multiple projects.

15. Julien Widmer

Julien Widmer is a Paris-based freelance film director who has a knack for photography, graphic design, and music composition.

Online visitors can use the hamburger navigation bar at the top left side of the homepage to explore various aspects of the page and make relevant decisions. The sidebar feature displays all the relevant links to various mind-blowing projects that visitors can explore with just a click.

I love how the dark background makes all the elements across the web pages visually appealing and engaging for visitors to appreciate its beauty.

16. Wes Coughlin

Wes Coughlin is a filmmaker and photographer based in Bend, Oregon with a focus on outdoor adventures and action sports.

The first catchy element is a background video content embedded in a Christmas tree design element which gives a fun and friendly vibe. Clicking the lemon-colored “Reel” play button will cause the video to display its content for you to explore.

The mega navigation bar uses stylish and straight fonts to display its content in a visually appealing fashion to compelling visitors to explore.

17. Lisa Cambours

Lisa Cambours is a skilled French director who is passionate about making brand movies, advertisements, and documentaries.

Welcoming visitors to this filmmaker's web page is interesting video content in the hero section that features young men having a great time skating.

Online visitors can click on the white-colored CTA button at the base of the hero section to seamlessly watch other video content.

My favorite aspect of the page is the horizontal scrolling feature which gives the webpage a unique and elegant outlook.

18. Simon Tonev

Simon Tonev is a skilled film director who has worked with clients in the film industry like Lerøy, Santander Consumer Bank, Cutters, 7 Fjell, and Norwegian Hull Club. 

This filmmaker portfolio website welcomes visitors with a mind-blowing video that combines various projects into one masterpiece in its hero section. 

Below the hero section, you will see a well-put-together multiple fluid grid column layout with high-quality images and a thumbnail feature. Clicking on these images will grant you access to a different page where you can get more information about the project concept.

19. Dave Moppert

Dave Moppert is a skilled creative director and filmmaker who has been working for over a decade. I like how Dave Moppert welcomes visitors with a stunning picture of him sitting on a director’s chair and a gradient-colored caption, with a short bio.

Interested visitors, potential clients, and fans can click the black-colored “Book A Call” CTA button to have a work-related chat with Dave. If you want to explore the site’s content without any hassles then you need the white-colored sticky navigation bar.

20. Andrew Cussens

Andrew Cussens is an award-winning director and filmmaker with over two decades of experience. He loves to create independent films, commercials, and corporate videos. 

Potential clients and visitors who are interested in collaborating with Andrew Cussens by clicking the orange-colored “Contact Me” CTA button . Below the site’s hero section is a short biography with a catalog of logos displaying his top awards and recognitions.

As you scroll further, you will see heartwarming comments and high star ratings in the testimonial section which serves as a source of social proof.

21. Robert McMahon

Made with Pixpa

Robert McMahon is a film director and sound designer who was featured in the Metropolist and various film festivals. 

Welcoming visitors to the site is a five-layout motion graphic display with beautiful design front cover images of featured films by Robert. Below the homepage is an attention-grabbing showcase of a few seconds of soundless film clips.

This videography website features a black background color with content written in white. The site's footer contains the website's contact information and social media icons for interested visitors to explore.

22. RM Wedding Films

RM Wedding Film is a multi-award-winning videographer company that creates natural, authentic, and emotional wedding films around the UK and across the world.

The first eye-catching element on the site is a stunning image of two cheerful women wearing bridal gowns at the beach. I love how the parallax scrolling effect makes all the page's elements visually appealing. 

Interested visitors can watch documentary videos in the videography portfolio section of the website for inspection. The white-colored site creates a slideshow display of clients’ testimonials for visitors’ attention.

23. Joe Eckert Films

Joe Eckert Film is an NJ wedding videographer producing high-end cinematic wedding films. Welcoming visitors to the site are heartwarming images of the videographer and a short biography. On the menu bar is a centralized stylish font logo pinned to the website.

This filmmaker's website features various attention-grabbing visual elements and a slideshow video of his project. I love how the transparent background designs are beautifully designed with flowers and attention-grabbing content.

A noticeable light nude chat button is at the end right side of the page and a back-to-top effect is at the bottom for easy navigation.

24. Jordyn Dunseath

Jordyn Dunseath who is an Oregon-based videographer, photographer, and designer is committed to professionalism and authenticity in all aspects of her work.

The first eye-catching element is a half-width image of a woman smiling with the camera in a cozy background and a white-colored CTA button to view her works.

I like how this filmmaker's portfolio website displays ample use of its white space to give the webpage an elegant outlook.

This videography website features a two-column grid layout to display some of Jordyn Dunseath's best projects to get potential customers to contact her.

25. Courtney Holmes

Courtney Holmes is a filmmaker and photographer based in Sydney and available between Australia and the US. 

Welcoming visitors to the site is attention-grabbing content written in bold white color with a background image of a child posing for a shot. I love how the site features the brand’s logo at the top center of the homepage.

The filmmaker's website displays visual content in different colors. Visitors can easily spot and watch the 9-minute documentary film. My favorite section of the page is the section that showcases clients’ testimonials using slide effects.

26. The Chris Hau

Made with Shopify

Chris Hau is a filmmaker, photographer, and creative director from Toronto, Canada. The first eye-catching element is a background image of crafted paper cards containing a white CTA button ‘Learn More’ that compels interested visitors to click. 

You can’t miss out on the sticky menu bar that has a search feature that helps visitors to locate items easily.

I love the high-quality resolution images used on the page and the parallax scrolling effect that gives it a unique and elegant outlook. Before the footer is an informative YouTube video that grabs the attention of visitors.

27. Josip Jukic-Sunaric

Josip Jukic-Sunaric is a D.O.P Photographer based in Vienna with 15 years of experience with high-end cameras and film production.

Welcoming visitors to the website is a full-width slow-motion image of himself taking photos in the forest. Beneath the homepage are video production-related content and portfolio files for visitors to watch and explore. 

Exploring the rest sections of the website is a high-quality image capturing beautiful and colorful moments. Visitors can reach out to Josip by clicking on the ash CTA button on the last section of the page.

28. Films By Francesco

Films by Francesco is a boutique cinematography company based in NYC, capturing events worldwide.

Welcoming visitors to the site is a half-width black and white three-slide image of a stunning elegant woman taking shots with her camera. The website logo is at the top center of the homepage in a yellow color. 

I like the three-column layout display website projects “documentary films, wedding films, and live event films.” This filmmaker site features a simple website design and is easily accessible by visitors with the back-to-top feature at the site footer.

29. Devang Singh

Devang Singh is a filmmaker, photographer, and author who started his journey at the early age of twenty and gained more experience over the years.

This filmmaker's website welcomes visitors with a combination of high-graphic images and videos in a different display format with cool sound effects. Beneath the homepage is an animation video “Showreel” displaying beautiful scenes.

The simple white background filmmaker website features content in black stylish font design text. At the last section of the page is a bold ‘PING ME’ CTA for interested visitors to contact or follow the social media links below.

Take Ride With Me was created by Nikolaj Juhlsen who combines his interest in MTB and videography to create a stunning video of how it is to take a ride. 

The first attention-grabbing element on the website is an oval image of a mountain on a dark background with white color content. You can’t help but admire the live video recordings of Nikolaj mountain biking.

I love the section arrangement and video designs on the website designed to get visitors glued to the screen. Interested visitors can watch and enjoy this video content for inspiration.

Inder Nirwan is the founder of Kahini Pictures who creates beautiful videos that build trust between your brand, consumers, and employees. 

Welcoming visitors to the site is eye-catching content displayed on a dark ash color background and a half-width video documentary in a slideshow. Below the hero section are beautiful design content and short films for visitors to watch.

I love the clients’ testimonials section arranged in a two-column layout to grab visitors’ attention. Beneath this section is a yellow CTA button in a transparent image of Inder, compelling visitors to contact them.

32. Insy Chengappa

Insy Chengappa is a professional food photographer and food videographer for restaurants. The first attention-grabbing element on the site is a thirty-minute video showcasing a different variety of food recipes . 

On the site homepage is a contact number and social media icon for interested visitors to use to reach Insy Chengappa.

The white background color photography website features simple design elements like the eight-column layout displaying delicious food images. The last section is an interesting and compelling CTA for visitors and potential clients. 

Best Filmmaker Website Examples FAQs

These two websites have major similarities but they differ in various ways. The major difference between a filmmaker and a videography website is that a videographer captures an event. On the other hand, a filmmaker tells a story using moving visuals and words.  

As a professional or freelance videographer, when creating your portfolio website, choose a domain name, select a reliable web hosting service provider, choose a content management system, select a website template, customize your website design, upload your content, show off your best work that emphasizes your unique style, and have a strong CTAs.

The best website builders for filmmakers are Squarespace and Wix. These website builders offer state-of-the-art filmmaker portfolio templates and other relevant tools you can use to create a website that will meet all your needs. The best website builders are easy to use and less costly than having to employ a professional web designer.

There are certain factors you must consider before uploading music videos and documentary films on your filmmaking site. You can upload the video if it is not yours but set for public use, or if it is yours you can do the same by attaching a copyright claim. Alternatively, If the video is not yours, and is not set for public use, then you can obtain permission to use it from the owner. 

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Is this fictitious civil war closer to reality than we think?

You're reading the Consider This newsletter, which unpacks one major news story each day. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to more from the Consider This podcast .

(L-R) Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny Murray Close/A24 hide caption

(L-R) Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny

1. A civil war for the silver screen

Civil War, the new A24 film from British director Alex Garland, imagines a scenario that might not seem so far-fetched to some; a contemporary civil war breaking out in the United States.

In this world, the U.S. has split into various factions. The president, played by Nick Offerman – has given himself a third term, and he's hoping to fend off an assault from one of the more powerful groups.

In what might seem like the most unbelievable narrative twist, California and Texas form an alliance to become the "Western Forces" and fight against Offerman's regime. Sure, I guess!

Some independent candidates start their own political parties to ease ballot access

2. how far are we from reality.

NPR movie critic Bob Mondello says the movie doesn't do a lot of explaining to help us understand how the U.S. got to this moment. But he says that makes it stronger.

"What became much more interesting in the moment was what it looks like to transpose things that we've always associated with other countries – the bombed out helicopters and things like that – to place that in a J.C. Penney parking lot."

And while the film has taken heat for little mention of politics, the question of an actual civil war has everything to do with it.

Polling has shown a significant minority thinks a civil war is at least somewhat likely in the next 10 years. So what do the experts say?

Movie Reviews

'civil war' is a doomsday thought experiment — that could have used more thinking, 3. division in the u.s..

Amy Cooter is a director of research at the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Her work has led her to the question that Garland's movie has put in the minds of both moviegoers and political pundits: Could a second civil war really happen here?

Cooter wants to make one thing clear: "I don't think that civil war is imminent, but I think there are some people who wish we would have one, and wish that they could be effectively culture soldiers to re-enact a civil order that they see as better for them and their families."

In her studies of militias and political extremists, Cooter has observed a movement of groups similar to those who joined in on the January 6th riots who feel disconnected from the current political moment, or perhaps want to return to a previous version of society, that they feel served them better.

And while Cooter doesn't think a civil war will be happening anytime soon, she does say this:

"I think we are at a moment of extreme political division that may get worse before it gets better."

This episode was produced by Marc Rivers. It was edited by Jeanette Woods, Jonaki Mehta and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

• far-right extremism
• political divide

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‘My soul mate’: Warwick Davis pays tribute to wife Samantha who has died aged 53

Harry Potter star described wife, who founded dwarfism charity Little People UK, as ‘greatest love of his life’

Samantha Davis, the campaigner and wife of the Harry Potter star Warwick Davis, whom he called his “soul mate”, has died aged 53.

Davis, who founded Little People UK – the dwarfism charity known as “ an essential resource for little people and their families ” – was described by her husband as “the greatest love of his life”.

The couple met on the set of Willow, the 1988 fantasy movie where they both starred alongside Val Kilmer, although Davis had actually seen Samantha when they were on the set of another fantasy film, David Bowie’s Labryinth . He had “admired her from afar”, according to his autobiography.

They did get together, eventually marrying and raising two children, Harrison and Annabelle.

Speaking about his wife, who died on 24 March, Davis said: “She was a unique character, always seeing the sunny side of life. She had a wicked sense of humour and always laughed at my bad jokes.

“Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable quizshow, no Willow series. No Idiot Abroad series 3.”

Warwick said Samantha was his “most trusted confidante and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career” and that having her by his side felt “like having a superpower”.

Harrison and Annabelle added: “Mum is our best friend and we are honoured to have received a love like hers. Her love and happiness carried us through our whole lives.”

The couple have been described as being responsible for changing “ the way people with dwarfism are represented on screen ” and also worked to raise awareness of sepsis after Samantha had a close brush with death in 2019 after surgery .

Samantha Davis’s dwarfism was caused by a condition called achondroplasia , whereas Warwick Davis’s is caused by spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita .

The Davis family lost two babies, Lloyd and George. When asked about their loss by the Guardian in 2015, Samantha said : “You have a choice, don’t you? Let’s use it to make our family stronger, closer. Life is for living.”

“Being angry,” added Warwick Davis, “would be a waste of time. A waste of the life that you do have. Yes, between the two of us, I suppose there are moments where sometimes, we just go, aargh – everything is that little bit more difficult. But I only get angry about twice a year.”

Two years later, during an interview with the Guardian, Davis was asked who the greatest love of his life was. He answered: “ My wife, Sam. ”

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Jonathan Bennett Shares Throwback Photos with Lindsay Lohan and Lacey Chabert as Mean Girls Turns 20

The actor said the film's success has "been one of the biggest gifts of my career and life"

Jonathan Bennett/Instagram

Mean Girls was one "grool" adventure for Jonathan Bennett .

The actor, who played Aaron Samuels in the 2004 teen comedy, shared his gratitude for being in the film as he celebrated the movie's 20th anniversary.

On Instagram, Bennett, 42, posted throwback photos featuring himself posing with costars Lindsay Lohan (who played protagonist Cady Heron) and Lacey Chabert (who played Plastic member Gretchen Wieners).

"20 years ago today, the world met Aaron, Cady, Gretchen, Karen, Regina, Janis, Damien, Kevin G, Shane and Ms Norbury for the first time when Mean Girls premiered at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, California on April 19, 2004," Bennett recalled of the premiere.

He continued, "20 years ago today my life was changed forever . I can’t tell you how proud I am to be part of a story that, still to this day, makes so many people happy. It’s been one of the biggest gifts of my career and life."

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He went on to joke that he has "never felt older in my life," as the same day he made the Instagram post an airport agent told him their boyfriend was born the same day Mean Girls premiered.

"But at the same time, I felt proud," Bennett wrote. "Thank you for loving Aaron Samuels as much as I do, and I hope you still think my hair looks sexy pushed back. Love you all. Do you remember where you were the first time you saw it?"

Bennett played the love interest of Lohan's Cady (and ex-boyfriend of Rachel McAdams ' vindictive Regina George) in the Mark Waters –directed film, which officially hit theaters on April 30, 2004.

Written by Tina Fey , Mean Girls is adapted from the 2002 book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman . The film follows Cady, a new student at Illinois-based North Shore High School, as she adapts to life in the United States after growing up in Africa, where navigating the teenage social landscape tests everything she has ever known.

Aside from Lohan, 37, McAdams, 45, Chabert, 41, and Bennett, Mean Girls also featured a supporting cast of Fey, 53, plus Amanda Seyfried , Lizzy Caplan , Daniel Franzese , Tim Meadows , Amy Poehler , Ana Gasteyer , Neil Flynn and Rajiv Surendra .

Mean Girls inspired a 2018 Broadway musical , which, in turn, spawned a movie version released earlier this year.

Stepping into the role of Aaron was The Summer I Turned Pretty star Christopher Briney , opposite Angourie Rice ( The Last Thing He Told Me , Senior Year ) as Cady.

Asked by PEOPLE in December 2023 if he had any words of advice for Briney, 26, ahead of the musical film's premiere, Bennett said, "He must nail the word grool."

Bennett also said he was "super excited for the movie musical ," raving of the original Mean Girls , "I love that this movie has transcended multiple generations because of the writing of Tina Fey."

"I think the new musical movie is gonna be fantastic, and I hope that the new Aaron makes the character his own because it's his time to interpret the character," he added.

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