Nathan Truesdell

Directing

Nathan Truesdell

Born May 30, 1979 · Clark, Missouri (age 47)

Nathan Truesdell is a multi-hyphenate filmmaker who has been nominated for an Academy Award, a PGA Award, an IDA Award, was selected for the inaugural “DOC NYC 40 Under 40” list, and won a Cinema Eye Honor for Cinematography. His directorial work includes the award-winning shorts BALLOONFEST, THE WATER SLIDE, THE ART OF MAKING MONEY, IT’S COMING!, WHEN THE LAPD BLOWS UP YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, and MYST…

Known For

You're NextYou're Next · 2013
You're Next
★ 6.62013
MovieHorrorThriller
When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of their victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.
Balloon BoyBalloon Boy · 2023
Balloon Boy
★ 10.02023
MovieDocumentary
On October 15, 2009, America watched with rapt attention a large balloon float through the skies of Colorado on live TV
AscensionAscension · 2021
Ascension
★ 6.92021
MovieDocumentary
The film explores the pursuit of the “Chinese Dream.” Driven by mesmerizing—and sometimes humorous—imagery, this observational documentary presents a contemporary vision of China that prioritizes productivity and innovation above all.
A DerailmentA Derailment · 2026
A Derailment
2026
MovieDocumentary
At 8:55 PM on February 3, 2023, a freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Told entirely through found footage and news archive, A DERAILMENT puts you in the center of disaster. As local news coverage and publicly circulated footage unfold in real time, the film reveals not only the immediate catastrophe but the deepening crisis that followed—raising urgent questions about oversight, accountability, and the failures that allowed it to escalate.
Mystery SeedsMystery Seeds · 2025
Mystery Seeds
2025
MovieDocumentary
After thousands of mysterious packages sow the seeds of a xenophobic conspiracy, we track its growth through local news, internet detectives, and your online shopping history.
Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec MummyMil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy · 2007
Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy
★ 5.32007
MovieHorrorScience Fiction
A resurrected Aztec mummy conspires to manipulate men of power for world domination. Whether Mil Mascaras can be corrupted by the influence of his undead adversary is not clear, but the answer hinges upon the secret of his mask -- a mask which has been passed down to him from his ancestors since time in memoriam.
DeprogrammedDeprogrammed · 2015
Deprogrammed
★ 5.82015
MovieDocumentary
Ted "Black Lightning" Patrick's practice of "deprogramming," also known as "reverse brainwashing," started in the early 1970s and quickly snowballed into a vast underground movement composed of concerned parents, ex-cultists-turned-deprogrammers and some sympathetic law-enforcers whose mission was to physically and mentally remove individuals from cults.
BalloonfestBalloonfest · 2017
Balloonfest
★ 7.02017
MovieHistoryDocumentary
Mid-Missouri cult hero Nathan Truesdell sifts through a Cleveland TV station's archives and unearths a fancy wrist watch, blistered fingers and other casualties of a misbegotten exercise in civic pride. In September 1986, the city of Cleveland attempted to set a special record: the simultaneous launch of 1.5 million balloons. But fate intervened, and the result was both crazier and more tragic than anyone could have imagined.

Filmography

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