Michael Kirk

Directing

Michael Kirk

Born

1947-11-06 (78)

Place of birth

Denver, Colorado, USA

Known for

Directing

Credits

42 titles

Michael Kirk is a documentary filmmaker and partial creator of the PBS show Frontline, where he worked as senior producer until 1987. Kirk owns a production company, the Kirk Documentary Group, in Brookline, Massachusetts. He is a former Nieman Fellow in Journalism at Harvard University. He has produced such documentaries as "Inside the Meltdown," about the 2008 financial crisis, "Bush's War," about the Iraq War under George W. Bush, and "The Way the Music Died," about the dire straits of the record industry.

Known for

The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump poster
7.4

The documentary investigates the lives and characters of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump as they seek the presidency. In a historic election, those who know the candidates best reveal key moments that shape how they would lead America. Award-winning filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team sat down with Trump and Harris’ friends, advisors and critics, as well as authors, journalists and political insiders to present deeply reported narrative arcs of both candidates’ lives, going all the way back to their childhoods. What emerges in FRONTLINE's "The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump" is the story of two fighters: One seeking vindication and promising a return to greatness, and the other seeking to move beyond the past and promising a greater future.

The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump

2024

A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley poster
7.6

This documentary takes a look at some of the most horrible and despicable murders in modern British history. From Jack the Ripper in the 1880s to Agatha Christie's best known stories.

A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley

2013

Danger! Women at Work poster
6.5

Three women inherit a 10-ton truck and decide to go into business. Hi jinks ensue.

Danger! Women at Work

1943

The Dark Side poster
10.0

On Sept. 11, 2001, deep inside a White House bunker, Vice President Dick Cheney was ordering U.S. fighter planes to shoot down any commercial airliner still in the air above America. At that moment, CIA Director George Tenet was meeting with his counter-terrorism team in Langley, Virginia. Both leaders acted fast, to prepare their country for a new kind of war. But soon a debate would grow over the goals of the war on terror, and the decision to go to war in Iraq. Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and others saw Iraq as an important part of a broader plan to remake the Middle East and project American power worldwide. Meanwhile Tenet, facing division in his own organization, saw non-state actors such as Al Qaeda as the highest priority. FRONTLINE’s investigation of the ensuing conflict includes more than 40 interviews, thousands of pages of documentary evidence, and a substantial photographic archive.

The Dark Side

2006

No artwork available
7.0

A look at children who have trouble learning in school.

Misunderstood Minds

2002

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden poster
7.2

A look into what has shaped President Donald Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden, where they came from and how they lead.

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden

2020

Film credits

Series credits

Behind the camera

The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump poster
7.4

The documentary investigates the lives and characters of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump as they seek the presidency. In a historic election, those who know the candidates best reveal key moments that shape how they would lead America. Award-winning filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team sat down with Trump and Harris’ friends, advisors and critics, as well as authors, journalists and political insiders to present deeply reported narrative arcs of both candidates’ lives, going all the way back to their childhoods. What emerges in FRONTLINE's "The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump" is the story of two fighters: One seeking vindication and promising a return to greatness, and the other seeking to move beyond the past and promising a greater future.

The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump

2024

The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump poster
7.4

The documentary investigates the lives and characters of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump as they seek the presidency. In a historic election, those who know the candidates best reveal key moments that shape how they would lead America. Award-winning filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team sat down with Trump and Harris’ friends, advisors and critics, as well as authors, journalists and political insiders to present deeply reported narrative arcs of both candidates’ lives, going all the way back to their childhoods. What emerges in FRONTLINE's "The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump" is the story of two fighters: One seeking vindication and promising a return to greatness, and the other seeking to move beyond the past and promising a greater future.

The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump

2024

The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump poster
7.4

The documentary investigates the lives and characters of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump as they seek the presidency. In a historic election, those who know the candidates best reveal key moments that shape how they would lead America. Award-winning filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team sat down with Trump and Harris’ friends, advisors and critics, as well as authors, journalists and political insiders to present deeply reported narrative arcs of both candidates’ lives, going all the way back to their childhoods. What emerges in FRONTLINE's "The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump" is the story of two fighters: One seeking vindication and promising a return to greatness, and the other seeking to move beyond the past and promising a greater future.

The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump

2024

The Dark Side poster
10.0

On Sept. 11, 2001, deep inside a White House bunker, Vice President Dick Cheney was ordering U.S. fighter planes to shoot down any commercial airliner still in the air above America. At that moment, CIA Director George Tenet was meeting with his counter-terrorism team in Langley, Virginia. Both leaders acted fast, to prepare their country for a new kind of war. But soon a debate would grow over the goals of the war on terror, and the decision to go to war in Iraq. Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and others saw Iraq as an important part of a broader plan to remake the Middle East and project American power worldwide. Meanwhile Tenet, facing division in his own organization, saw non-state actors such as Al Qaeda as the highest priority. FRONTLINE’s investigation of the ensuing conflict includes more than 40 interviews, thousands of pages of documentary evidence, and a substantial photographic archive.

The Dark Side

2006

The Dark Side poster
10.0

On Sept. 11, 2001, deep inside a White House bunker, Vice President Dick Cheney was ordering U.S. fighter planes to shoot down any commercial airliner still in the air above America. At that moment, CIA Director George Tenet was meeting with his counter-terrorism team in Langley, Virginia. Both leaders acted fast, to prepare their country for a new kind of war. But soon a debate would grow over the goals of the war on terror, and the decision to go to war in Iraq. Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and others saw Iraq as an important part of a broader plan to remake the Middle East and project American power worldwide. Meanwhile Tenet, facing division in his own organization, saw non-state actors such as Al Qaeda as the highest priority. FRONTLINE’s investigation of the ensuing conflict includes more than 40 interviews, thousands of pages of documentary evidence, and a substantial photographic archive.

The Dark Side

2006

The Dark Side poster
10.0

On Sept. 11, 2001, deep inside a White House bunker, Vice President Dick Cheney was ordering U.S. fighter planes to shoot down any commercial airliner still in the air above America. At that moment, CIA Director George Tenet was meeting with his counter-terrorism team in Langley, Virginia. Both leaders acted fast, to prepare their country for a new kind of war. But soon a debate would grow over the goals of the war on terror, and the decision to go to war in Iraq. Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and others saw Iraq as an important part of a broader plan to remake the Middle East and project American power worldwide. Meanwhile Tenet, facing division in his own organization, saw non-state actors such as Al Qaeda as the highest priority. FRONTLINE’s investigation of the ensuing conflict includes more than 40 interviews, thousands of pages of documentary evidence, and a substantial photographic archive.

The Dark Side

2006

No artwork available
7.0

A look at children who have trouble learning in school.

Misunderstood Minds

2002

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden poster
7.2

A look into what has shaped President Donald Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden, where they came from and how they lead.

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden

2020

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden poster
7.2

A look into what has shaped President Donald Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden, where they came from and how they lead.

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden

2020

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden poster
7.2

A look into what has shaped President Donald Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden, where they came from and how they lead.

The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden

2020

Pelosi's Power poster
1.0

An examination of the powerful and polarizing Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, from veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker and chronicler of U.S. politics Michael Kirk and his team. Pelosi’s Power traces Pelosi’s life and legacy, how she has gained and wielded power across three decades, and how she has faced grave challenges to her leadership and to American democracy from Trump and his allies.

Pelosi's Power

2022

Pelosi's Power poster
1.0

An examination of the powerful and polarizing Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, from veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker and chronicler of U.S. politics Michael Kirk and his team. Pelosi’s Power traces Pelosi’s life and legacy, how she has gained and wielded power across three decades, and how she has faced grave challenges to her leadership and to American democracy from Trump and his allies.

Pelosi's Power

2022

Pelosi's Power poster
1.0

An examination of the powerful and polarizing Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, from veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker and chronicler of U.S. politics Michael Kirk and his team. Pelosi’s Power traces Pelosi’s life and legacy, how she has gained and wielded power across three decades, and how she has faced grave challenges to her leadership and to American democracy from Trump and his allies.

Pelosi's Power

2022

The Rise of RFK Jr. poster
NR

Tracing the dramatic and controversial rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., FRONTLINE examines how the scion of a storied dynasty endured tragedy and scandal, broke with the Democratic Party and his family, stoked conspiracy theories, and is reshaping government and public health.

The Rise of RFK Jr.

2025

The Rise of RFK Jr. poster
NR

Tracing the dramatic and controversial rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., FRONTLINE examines how the scion of a storied dynasty endured tragedy and scandal, broke with the Democratic Party and his family, stoked conspiracy theories, and is reshaping government and public health.

The Rise of RFK Jr.

2025

The Rise of RFK Jr. poster
NR

Tracing the dramatic and controversial rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., FRONTLINE examines how the scion of a storied dynasty endured tragedy and scandal, broke with the Democratic Party and his family, stoked conspiracy theories, and is reshaping government and public health.

The Rise of RFK Jr.

2025

The War Cabinet poster
9.3

Rubio. Vance. Wiles. Gabbard. Hegseth. Miller. These are some of the key players behind President Donald Trump's expansive use of the U.S. military. FRONTLINE examines the inner circle of advisors and officials trying to project U.S. power, from clashes with allies, to taking out foreign leaders, to waging war in the Middle East. • "The War Cabinet"

The War Cabinet

2026

The War Cabinet poster
9.3

Rubio. Vance. Wiles. Gabbard. Hegseth. Miller. These are some of the key players behind President Donald Trump's expansive use of the U.S. military. FRONTLINE examines the inner circle of advisors and officials trying to project U.S. power, from clashes with allies, to taking out foreign leaders, to waging war in the Middle East. • "The War Cabinet"

The War Cabinet

2026

The War Cabinet poster
9.3

Rubio. Vance. Wiles. Gabbard. Hegseth. Miller. These are some of the key players behind President Donald Trump's expansive use of the U.S. military. FRONTLINE examines the inner circle of advisors and officials trying to project U.S. power, from clashes with allies, to taking out foreign leaders, to waging war in the Middle East. • "The War Cabinet"

The War Cabinet

2026

United States of Conspiracy poster
3.0

How trafficking in conspiracy theories went from the fringes of U.S. politics into the White House.

United States of Conspiracy

2020

United States of Conspiracy poster
3.0

How trafficking in conspiracy theories went from the fringes of U.S. politics into the White House.

United States of Conspiracy

2020

United States of Conspiracy poster
3.0

How trafficking in conspiracy theories went from the fringes of U.S. politics into the White House.

United States of Conspiracy

2020

League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis poster
7.5

Drawing on the book of the same name, League of Denial crafts a searing two-hour indictment of the National Football League’s decades-long concealment of the link between football related head injuries and brain disorders.

League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis

2013

League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis poster
7.5

Drawing on the book of the same name, League of Denial crafts a searing two-hour indictment of the National Football League’s decades-long concealment of the link between football related head injuries and brain disorders.

League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis

2013

America After 9/11 poster
NR

From veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker and chronicler of U.S. politics Michael Kirk and his team, this documentary traces the U.S. response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the devastating consequences that unfolded across four presidencies. Drawing on both new interviews and those from the dozens of documentaries Kirk and his award-winning team made in the years after 9/11, this two-hour special offers an epic re-examination of the decisions that changed the world and transformed America. From the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the January 6 insurrection, America After 9/11 exposes the legacy of September 11 — and the ongoing challenge it poses for the president and the country.

America After 9/11

2021

America After 9/11 poster
NR

From veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker and chronicler of U.S. politics Michael Kirk and his team, this documentary traces the U.S. response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the devastating consequences that unfolded across four presidencies. Drawing on both new interviews and those from the dozens of documentaries Kirk and his award-winning team made in the years after 9/11, this two-hour special offers an epic re-examination of the decisions that changed the world and transformed America. From the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the January 6 insurrection, America After 9/11 exposes the legacy of September 11 — and the ongoing challenge it poses for the president and the country.

America After 9/11

2021

America After 9/11 poster
NR

From veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker and chronicler of U.S. politics Michael Kirk and his team, this documentary traces the U.S. response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the devastating consequences that unfolded across four presidencies. Drawing on both new interviews and those from the dozens of documentaries Kirk and his award-winning team made in the years after 9/11, this two-hour special offers an epic re-examination of the decisions that changed the world and transformed America. From the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to the January 6 insurrection, America After 9/11 exposes the legacy of September 11 — and the ongoing challenge it poses for the president and the country.

America After 9/11

2021

The Killer at Thurston High poster
NR

In May 1998, a year before the massacre at Columbine High, 15-year-old Kip Kinkel murdered his mother and father, and then opened fire at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, killing two fellow students and wounding 25 others. In this first in-depth television examination of a school shooter, FRONTLINE reveals the intimate inside story of how the “shy and likeable” Kip Kinkel from a solid middle-class family became the boy police call “a cold-hearted killer.”

The Killer at Thurston High

2000

The Killer at Thurston High poster
NR

In May 1998, a year before the massacre at Columbine High, 15-year-old Kip Kinkel murdered his mother and father, and then opened fire at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, killing two fellow students and wounding 25 others. In this first in-depth television examination of a school shooter, FRONTLINE reveals the intimate inside story of how the “shy and likeable” Kip Kinkel from a solid middle-class family became the boy police call “a cold-hearted killer.”

The Killer at Thurston High

2000

The Killer at Thurston High poster
NR

In May 1998, a year before the massacre at Columbine High, 15-year-old Kip Kinkel murdered his mother and father, and then opened fire at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, killing two fellow students and wounding 25 others. In this first in-depth television examination of a school shooter, FRONTLINE reveals the intimate inside story of how the “shy and likeable” Kip Kinkel from a solid middle-class family became the boy police call “a cold-hearted killer.”

The Killer at Thurston High

2000

Trump's American Carnage poster
NR

From his first days as president to his last, how Trump stoked division, violence and insurrection. FRONTLINE investigates Trump’s siege on his enemies, the media and even the leaders of his own party, who for years ignored the warning signs of what was to come.

Trump's American Carnage

2021

Trump's American Carnage poster
NR

From his first days as president to his last, how Trump stoked division, violence and insurrection. FRONTLINE investigates Trump’s siege on his enemies, the media and even the leaders of his own party, who for years ignored the warning signs of what was to come.

Trump's American Carnage

2021

Trump's Power & the Rule of Law poster
8.5

FRONTLINE goes inside the high-stakes showdown between President Donald Trump and the courts over presidential power. Trump allies, opponents and experts talk about how he is testing the extent of his power; the legal pushback; and the impact on the rule of law.

Trump's Power & the Rule of Law

2025

Trump's Power & the Rule of Law poster
8.5

FRONTLINE goes inside the high-stakes showdown between President Donald Trump and the courts over presidential power. Trump allies, opponents and experts talk about how he is testing the extent of his power; the legal pushback; and the impact on the rule of law.

Trump's Power & the Rule of Law

2025

Trump's Power & the Rule of Law poster
8.5

FRONTLINE goes inside the high-stakes showdown between President Donald Trump and the courts over presidential power. Trump allies, opponents and experts talk about how he is testing the extent of his power; the legal pushback; and the impact on the rule of law.

Trump's Power & the Rule of Law

2025

Amerika nach 9/11 - Trauma Krieg und Spaltung poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Amerika nach 9/11 - Trauma Krieg und Spaltung

2022

Amerika nach 9/11 - Trauma Krieg und Spaltung poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

Amerika nach 9/11 - Trauma Krieg und Spaltung

2022

American Porn poster
5.0

It's one of the hottest industries in America. Easier to order at home than a pizza, bigger than rock music, it's arguably the most profitable enterprise in cyberspace. AT&T has been in the business. Yahoo! has profited from it. Westin and Marriott have made more money selling it than selling snacks and drinks in their mini-bars. And with estimates as high as $10 billion a year, it boasts the kind of earnings that most American businesses would envy. It's pornography.

American Porn

2002

American Porn poster
5.0

It's one of the hottest industries in America. Easier to order at home than a pizza, bigger than rock music, it's arguably the most profitable enterprise in cyberspace. AT&T has been in the business. Yahoo! has profited from it. Westin and Marriott have made more money selling it than selling snacks and drinks in their mini-bars. And with estimates as high as $10 billion a year, it boasts the kind of earnings that most American businesses would envy. It's pornography.

American Porn

2002

Putin and the Presidents poster
6.0

FRONTLINE investigates Russian President Vladimir Putin’s clashes with multiple American presidents as he’s tried to rebuild the Russian empire. Veteran filmmaker Michael Kirk (Putin’s Revenge, Putin’s Road to War) and his team trace the miscalculations and missteps of U.S. presidents over five administrations, culminating in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Putin and the Presidents

2023