Chris Smith (filmmaker)
Chris Smith | |
|---|---|
 Smith at the 40th Sundance Film Festival in 2024 | |
| Born | 1970 (age 54–55) |
| Alma mater | University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Known for | |
Chris Smith (born 1970) is an American filmmaker. He directed American Movie,[1] which was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.[2]
Smith has since directed several high-profile documentary projects for Netflix including the films, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017), Fyre (2019), "Sr." (2022), and Wham! (2023); alongside the mini-series, The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (2019), Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. (2022), Biggest Heist Ever (2024) and Mr. McMahon (2024). Smith was an executive producer on Tiger King which was nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series in 2020.
Smith's HBO documentary television series, 100 Foot Wave (2021–present), has been nominated for several awards, and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program in 2023.
Career
[edit]Smith completed his first film, American Job, while attending the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee's Graduate Film Program. He was nominated for a "Someone to Watch Award" from the Independent Spirit Awards.[3] Smith met Mark Borchardt, the subject of American Movie, while editing American Job, and began filming a documentary about the making of Borchardt's psychological thriller Coven. Both films played at the Sundance Film Festival,[4] and American Movie was bought by Sony Pictures for $1 million.[5]
Later works
[edit]His resume includes the Emmy-nominated Jim & Andy (2017), about the making of the 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon.[6]
Smith wrote and directed the documentary Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019), about the Fyre Festival fraud.[7]
He also made a documentary about director Robert Downey Sr.,[8] co-directing together with Kevin Ford. The project, simply titled "Sr.",[9][10] was produced by Team Downey, Robert Downey Jr.'s production company.
In 2024, Smith also directed a six-part docusereies about the former President and CEO of the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), Vince McMahon, titled Mr. McMahon.[11]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | American Job | Narrative feature |
| 1999 | American Movie | Sundance Film Festival winner |
| 2001 | Home Movie[12] | |
| 2003 | The Yes Men | |
| 2007 | The Pool | Narrative feature |
| 2009 | Collapse | |
| 2017 | Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond | Primetime Emmy Award nomination[13] |
| 2019 | Fyre | Primetime Emmy Award nominations[14] |
| 2019 | The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann | 8-part Netflix docuseries |
| 2020 | Tiger King | 7-part Netflix docuseries, Executive Producer only |
| 2021 | 100 Foot Wave | 6-part HBO docuseries
Winner, 2023 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program[14] |
| 2022 | Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. | 4-part Netflix docuseries |
| 2022 | "Sr." | |
| 2022 | Branson | 4-part HBO Max docuseries |
| 2023 | Wham! | |
| 2023 | Save the Watermelon | short film |
| 2024 | Biggest Heist Ever | Netflix documentary 15 |
| 2024 | DEVO | |
| 2024 | Hollywood Con Queen | 3-part Apple TV+ docuseries |
| 2024 | Mr. McMahon | six-part Netflix docuseries |
| 2025 | Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever | Netflix documentary[15] |
References
[edit]- ^ Maslin, Janet (1999-11-05). "American Movie". The New York Times.
- ^ "1999 Sundance Film Festival". www.sundance.org. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
- ^ 12th annual Spirit Awards ceremony - FULL SHOW | 1997 | Film Independent on YouTube
- ^ Ebertfest
- ^ "American Movie"-maker|Salon.com
- ^ 'Jim & Andy': The Thin Line Between An Actor's Method – And Madness : NPR
- ^ "Fyre (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
- ^ "Variety Chris Smith interview". 18 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ "Robert Downey Sr. Documentary from Netflix". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ^ Top Gun: Maverick Named Best Movie of 2022 by National Board of Review - The Hollywood Reporter
- ^ "Mr.McMahon". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
- ^ Home Movie (2001)|Roger Ebert
- ^ Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond|Television Academy
- ^ a b Television Academy
- ^ "Who is Bryan Johnson, the biohacker behind Netflix's new immortality documentary?". The Independent. December 31, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
External links
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