Directing

Chris Smith

Born May 20, 1970 · Rahway, New Jersey, USA (age 56)

Chris Smith (born in 20 May 1970; Rahway) is an American film documentary director, cameraman, producer, writer, and editor. He is best known for directing American Movie, which was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Smith completed his first film, American Job, while attending the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee's Graduate Film Program. Chris met M…

Known For

'Twas the Fight Before Christmas

'Twas the Fight Before Christmas · 2021

'Twas the Fight Before Christmas

MovieDocumentary

In this true-life twist on a holiday fable, Jeremy Morris brings a whole new meaning to Christmas spirit when his extravagant seasonal display sparks a dispute with his neighbors that lands them all in court.

St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold

St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold · 2009

St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold

MovieComedyAdventure

After a wealthy philanthropist expresses an unusual interest in a ring found by her niece Annabelle, Miss Fritton explains that she's descended from a pirate who, in 1598, stole treasure from another: the philanthropist's ancestor. This discovery sends the racuous girls of St. Trinians on the hunt for buried treasure.

WHAM!

MovieDocumentaryMusic

Through archival interviews and footage, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley relive the arc of their Wham! career, from 70s best buds to 80s pop icons.

Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever

Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever · 2025

Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever

MovieDocumentary

In this documentary, wealthy entrepreneur Bryan Johnson puts his body and fortune on the line to defy aging and extend his life beyond all known limits.

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes · 2022

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes

MovieDocumentary

This documentary explores the mystery surrounding the death of movie icon Marilyn Monroe through previously unheard interviews with her inner circle.

"Sr."

MovieDocumentary

A portrait of the life and career of Robert Downey Sr. (1936-2021), the visionary and fearless US filmmaker — father of actor Robert Downey Jr. — who in the sixties and seventies laid the foundations for countercultural comedy.

Bitconned

Bitconned · 2024

MovieDocumentaryCrime

In this true-crime documentary, three guys exploit the freewheeling cryptocurrency market to scam millions from investors and bankroll lavish lifestyles.

American Movie

American Movie · 1999

MovieDocumentaryComedy

American Movie documents the story of filmmaker Mark Borchardt, his mission, and his dream. Spanning over two years of intense struggle with his film, his family, financial decline, and spiritual crisis, American Movie is a portrayal of ambition, obsession, excess, and one man's quest for the American Dream.

Filmography

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'Twas the Fight Before Christmas

'Twas the Fight Before Christmas · 2021

'Twas the Fight Before Christmas

MovieDocumentary

In this true-life twist on a holiday fable, Jeremy Morris brings a whole new meaning to Christmas spirit when his extravagant seasonal display sparks a dispute with his neighbors that lands them all in court.

Executive Producer

St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold

St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold · 2009

St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold

MovieComedyAdventure

After a wealthy philanthropist expresses an unusual interest in a ring found by her niece Annabelle, Miss Fritton explains that she's descended from a pirate who, in 1598, stole treasure from another: the philanthropist's ancestor. This discovery sends the racuous girls of St. Trinians on the hunt for buried treasure.

Executive Producer

WHAM!

MovieDocumentaryMusic

Through archival interviews and footage, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley relive the arc of their Wham! career, from 70s best buds to 80s pop icons.

Director

Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever

Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever · 2025

Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever

MovieDocumentary

In this documentary, wealthy entrepreneur Bryan Johnson puts his body and fortune on the line to defy aging and extend his life beyond all known limits.

Director

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes · 2022

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes

MovieDocumentary

This documentary explores the mystery surrounding the death of movie icon Marilyn Monroe through previously unheard interviews with her inner circle.

Executive Producer

"Sr."

MovieDocumentary

A portrait of the life and career of Robert Downey Sr. (1936-2021), the visionary and fearless US filmmaker — father of actor Robert Downey Jr. — who in the sixties and seventies laid the foundations for countercultural comedy.

Director

Bitconned

Bitconned · 2024

MovieDocumentaryCrime

In this true-crime documentary, three guys exploit the freewheeling cryptocurrency market to scam millions from investors and bankroll lavish lifestyles.

Producer

American Movie

American Movie · 1999

MovieDocumentaryComedy

American Movie documents the story of filmmaker Mark Borchardt, his mission, and his dream. Spanning over two years of intense struggle with his film, his family, financial decline, and spiritual crisis, American Movie is a portrayal of ambition, obsession, excess, and one man's quest for the American Dream.

Director

Fyre

MovieDocumentary

He promised supermodels and yachts, but delivered tents and cheese sandwiches. How one man engineered a music festival disaster.

Writer

Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond

Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond · 2017

Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond

MovieDocumentaryDrama

Offbeat documentarian Chris Smith provides a behind-the-scenes look at how Jim Carrey adopted the persona of idiosyncratic comedian Andy Kaufman on the set of Man on the Moon.

Director

Biggest Heist Ever

Biggest Heist Ever · 2024

Biggest Heist Ever

MovieDocumentaryCrime

Their crimes earned them the nickname Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde — and the story only gets weirder in this documentary about the most lucrative heist ever.

Director

Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal

Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal · 2021

Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal

MovieDocumentaryCrime

An examination that goes beyond the celebrity-driven headlines and dives into the methods used by Rick Singer, the man at the center of the shocking 2019 college admissions scandal, to persuade his wealthy clients to cheat an educational system already designed to benefit the privileged.

Producer

DEVO

MovieDocumentaryMusic

Originally formed amidst the chaos of the 1970 Kent State anti-Vietnam War protest killings, the not quite new wave band Devo scored a hit with "Whip It" and gained mainstream success with their message of societal "de-evolution."

Director

Collapse

Collapse · 2009

MovieDocumentaryDrama

From the acclaimed director of American Movie, the documentary follows former Los Angeles police officer turned independent reporter Michael Ruppert. He recounts his career as a radical thinker and spells out his apocalyptic vision of the future, spanning the crises in economics, energy, environment and more.

Director

The Yes Men

The Yes Men · 2003

MovieComedyDocumentary

A comic, biting and revelatory documentary following a small group of prankster activists as they gain worldwide notoriety for impersonating the World Trade Organization (WTO) on television and at business conferences around the world.

Director

The Big One

The Big One · 1997

MovieDocumentary

The Big One is an investigative documentary from director Michael Moore who goes around the country asking why big American corporations produce their product abroad where labor is cheaper while so many Americans are unemployed, losing their jobs, and would happily be hired by such companies as Nike.

Director of Photography

Twisted House Sitter

Twisted House Sitter · 2021

Twisted House Sitter

MovieTV MovieMystery

When Alicia, a destitute young woman crosses paths with Morgan; a beautiful, affluent, entrepreneur, she realizes she'd rather live Morgan's luxurious life. So she takes it, by any means necessary.

Steadicam Operator

The Pez Outlaw

The Pez Outlaw · 2022

MovieDocumentary

Steve Glew, a small-town Michigan farmer, boards a plane for Eastern Europe soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall. His mission is to locate a secret factory that holds the key to the most desired and valuable pez dispensers. If he succeeds, he will pull his family out of poverty and finally find a purpose in his mundane life.

Executive Producer

Never Get Busted!

Never Get Busted! · 2025

Never Get Busted!

MovieCrimeDocumentary

Barry Cooper was a highly decorated Texas narcotics officer - until he turned on the police force, busting crooked cops and teaching drug users how to hide their stash.

Executive Producer

The Oxy Kingpins

The Oxy Kingpins · 2021

The Oxy Kingpins

MovieDocumentary

It follows the untold story of how a network of pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and retailers worked together to orchestrate and perpetuate the opioid crisis that has killed over half a million people in America.

Executive Producer

Animals

Animals · 2014

ANIMALS tells the story of Jude and Bobbie: a young couple that exist somewhere between homelessness and the fantasy of their imaginations. Though they masterfully con and steal in an attempt to stay one step ahead of their addiction, they are ultimately forced to face the reality of their situation when one of them gets hospitalized.

Producer

The Pool

The Pool · 2007

A boy in abject poverty works in a hotel and becomes obsessed with a swimming pool in the opulent hills of Panjim, Goa, India. His life gets turned upside-down when he attempts to meet the mysterious family who lives at the house.

Director

American Job

American Job · 1996

MovieDramaComedy

American Job is a narrative film about Randy Scott, a youth caught in the dismal confusion of living and working in the world of minimum wage. The film follows Randy through a number of low-paying, menial jobs including fast food dishwasher, custodian, telemarketer, and factory worker. It highlights the sheer boredom of minimum wage work and is a slightly comical and occasionally depressing look at what life is like in the US minimum wage arena.

Writer

The Jeffrey Dahmer Files

The Jeffrey Dahmer Files · 2013

The Jeffrey Dahmer Files

MovieDocumentaryCrime

An experimental documentary film that uses archival footage, interviews, and fictionalised scenarios to tell the story of the people around Jeffrey Dahmer during the summer of his arrest in 1991.

Executive Producer

Tiger King

Tiger King · 2020

SeriesDocumentaryCrime

A zoo owner spirals out of control amid a cast of eccentric characters in this true murder-for-hire story from the underworld of big cat breeding.

Executive Producer

Mr. McMahon

Mr. McMahon · 2024

SeriesDocumentary

WWE experienced record-breaking highs and crushing lows under Vince McMahon's leadership. This docuseries delves into the mogul's controversial reign.

Executive Producer

Hollywood Con Queen

Hollywood Con Queen · 2024

Hollywood Con Queen

SeriesDocumentary

A mysterious figure—known as the Con Queen—is impersonating powerful female executives in Hollywood, luring victims with the promise of life-changing career opportunities. A journalist and a private investigator set out to find the culprit behind the scam.

Executive Producer

100 Foot Wave

100 Foot Wave · 2021

SeriesDocumentaryReality

The decade-long odyssey of surfing pioneer Garrett McNamara, who, after visiting Nazaré, Portugal in hopes of conquering a 100-foot wave, pushed the sport to ever-greater heights and alongside locals helped transform the small fishing village into the world’s preeminent big-wave surfing destination.

Executive Producer

Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult

Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult · 2026

Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult

SeriesDocumentary

Learn how Hoyt Richards was drawn into the spiritual group Eternal Values by its enigmatic leader Frederick von Mierers.

Executive Producer

Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scam

Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scam · 2025

Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scam

SeriesDocumentary

From Midwest dreamer to Hollywood fraudster, Zach Horwitz constructs an elaborate over $650 million Hollywood scam to finance his obsessive quest for stardom. His former inner circle recount how Zach preyed on their trust while living extravagantly, but when investors stop receiving payments, the facade crumbles, exposing the depths of his deception.

Executive Producer

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann · 2019

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann

SeriesCrimeDocumentary

The documentary takes a detailed look at the disappearance of 3-year-old Madeleine McCann, who vanished while on holiday with her family.

Director

Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story

Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story · 2021

Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story

SeriesDocumentaryCrime

A lifelong showman, Bhagavan “Doc” Antle has built his various careers on theatrics, attracting a slew of admirers along the way. But beneath the eccentric, animal-loving facade lies a predator far more dangerous than his beloved big cats and a man shadier than any of his Tiger King counterparts.

Executive Producer

This Is a Bomb: The Nevada Casino Heist

This Is a Bomb: The Nevada Casino Heist · 2026

This Is a Bomb: The Nevada Casino Heist

SeriesDocumentaryCrime

In 1980, a booby-trapped bomb accompanied by a $3 million ransom note terrorises a casino in Nevada. As the FBI races against the clock, each step uncovers dark secrets and unexpected motives.

Executive Producer

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives. · 2022

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.

SeriesDocumentaryCrime

After marrying a mysterious man who claimed he could make her dog immortal, a celebrated vegan restaurateur finds her life veering off the rails.

Director

Branson

Branson · 2022

SeriesDocumentary

An expansive and intimate 70-year journey, from Branson’s upbringing as the son of a spirited, tough-love mother in Britain, to his pursuits of extreme, personal daredevilry that serve both to grow his businesses’ brands and feed his insatiable, lifelong thirst for high-stakes adventure.

Director