Frederick Wiseman

Directing

Frederick Wiseman

Born — Died

1930-01-01 — 2026-02-16

Place of birth

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Known for

Directing

Credits

51 titles

Frederick Wiseman (January 1, 1930 — February 16, 2026) was an American filmmaker, documentarian, and theatre director. As a documentarian, Wiseman has been noted for his ability to capture the nuances of life in American institutions such as prisons, hospitals, welfare offices, and high schools. He started out in 1963 by producing a narrative crime drama, The Cool World, an examination of the lives of Harlem teenagers. In the beginning, Wiseman was a staunch social reformist, and his films were calls for change. Titicut Follies, his first documentary, is an exposé of life in a prison for the criminally insane in Bridgewater, MA. It was controversial and left Wiseman with the reputation of …

Known for

A Private Life poster
5.5

When renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner learns of the sudden death of a patient, she suspects murder. She mounts a private investigation, enlisting an odd assortment of quirky characters.

A Private Life

2025

Other People's Children poster
6.7

Rachel loves her life, her students, her friends, her ex, her guitar lessons. When she falls in love with Ali, she grows close to his 4-year-old daughter, Leila. She tucks her in, looks after her, and loves her like a mother... which she isn’t. Not yet. Rachel is 40. The desire for a family of her own is growing stronger, and the clock is ticking. Is it too late?

Other People's Children

2022

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life poster
6.1

An aspiring author looking to get more out of life takes up a writing residency and finds herself in the sort of romantic entanglements that could come from the pages of a Jane Austen novel.

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life

2025

My Sole Desire poster
6.6

When aimless Manon begins work at À mon seul désir, a strip club that offers high concept performances, she instantly bonds with her fellow strippers, particularly Mia, an aspiring actress with a boyfriend and child. Manon learns that it is “not easy money, but fast money” and when she finds herself falling for Mia, she is forced to question her priorities as she explores her newfound erotic life.

My Sole Desire

2023

La Comédie-Française ou L'amour joué poster
5.7

La Comédie-Française is the oldest continuous repertory company in the world, founded in late 17th-century Paris. This is the first time a documentary filmmaker has been allowed to examine all the aspects of this great theatrical company. Sequences include sections of plays, casting, set and costume design, administrative meetings and rehearsals and performances of four classic French plays, Don Juan by Molière, La Thebaide by Racine, La Double Inconstance by Marivaux, and Occupe-toi d'Amelie by Feydeau.

La Comédie-Française ou L'amour joué

1996

Crazy Horse poster
6.5

A cinéma vérité exploration of the grueling schedules, auditions, lighting design, and backstage operations at the famous Parisian nude cabaret, Le Crazy Horse de Paris, over a ten-week period, specifically capturing the creation of a new show put together by choreographer Philippe Decouflé. Wiseman highlights the immense precision, discipline, and artistic effort required by dancers and staff to maintain the legendary cabaret's distinct aesthetic.

Crazy Horse

2011

Film credits

2020s · 6 titles

A Private Life poster
5.5

When renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner learns of the sudden death of a patient, she suspects murder. She mounts a private investigation, enlisting an odd assortment of quirky characters.

A Private Life

2025

Other People's Children poster
6.7

Rachel loves her life, her students, her friends, her ex, her guitar lessons. When she falls in love with Ali, she grows close to his 4-year-old daughter, Leila. She tucks her in, looks after her, and loves her like a mother... which she isn’t. Not yet. Rachel is 40. The desire for a family of her own is growing stronger, and the clock is ticking. Is it too late?

Other People's Children

2022

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life poster
6.1

An aspiring author looking to get more out of life takes up a writing residency and finds herself in the sort of romantic entanglements that could come from the pages of a Jane Austen novel.

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life

2025

My Sole Desire poster
6.6

When aimless Manon begins work at À mon seul désir, a strip club that offers high concept performances, she instantly bonds with her fellow strippers, particularly Mia, an aspiring actress with a boyfriend and child. Manon learns that it is “not easy money, but fast money” and when she finds herself falling for Mia, she is forced to question her priorities as she explores her newfound erotic life.

My Sole Desire

2023

Eephus poster
6.9

As an imminent construction project looms over their beloved small-town baseball field, a pair of New England rec-league teams face off for the last time. Tensions flare up and ceremonial laughs are shared as an era of camaraderie and escapism fades into an uncertain future.

Eephus

2025

No artwork available
NR

Simon, a disillusioned developer, carries a secret that could dismantle modern society: a code capable of remote neural hijacking. Hunted by his former architects, he seeks sanctuary within the echoing halls of the Musée d’Orsay—one of Paris’s final "safe zones" in a world of total digital surveillance. There, among the relics of the past, he must join a clandestine resistance to protect the future of human autonomy.

Danger

2026

2010s · 4 titles

Ain't Misbehavin poster
6.2

18 years after his last film, (The Troubles We've Seen), Marcel Ophuls emerges from retirement as one of our last masters, the most corrosive, the funniest as well. And the most forceful. The director of The Sorrow and the Pity shares with us stories of his exceptionally rich life in this light-hearted yet bitter escapade though the century and the movies. Son of the great Max Ophuls, he is generous in his admiration. We also meet Jeanne Moreau, Bertolt Brecht, Ernst Lubitsch, Otto Preminger, Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrick and of course François Truffaut. There are no great filmmakers without a memory, so here is the memory shop of Marcel Ophuls.

Ain't Misbehavin

2013

The Summer House poster
5.0

A large and beautiful property on the French Riviera. A place that seems out of time and sheltered from the rest of the world. Anna goes there with her daughter for a few days of vacation. Amidst her family, friends and the house staff, Anna has to handle her fresh break-up with her partner and the writing of her next film.

The Summer House

2018

No artwork available
NR

In a private collection in Arlington, French actor and director Mathieu Amalric, who won the Best director award in Cannes) takes his camera to one of Hopper's latest masterpiece, one of the most mysterious as well. As we hear the four last Lieder of Strauss or extracts from a Kennedy speech, that Hopper listened to while working, Amalric keeps pursuing the hidden meanings of his painting in its darkest corners. (With American documentarist Frederick Wiseman doing Edward Hopper's voice).

Next to Last (Autumn 63)

2013

No artwork available
1.5

A short film by Nicolas Saada.

Aujourd'hui

2012

Series credits

Behind the camera

La Comédie-Française ou L'amour joué poster
5.7

La Comédie-Française is the oldest continuous repertory company in the world, founded in late 17th-century Paris. This is the first time a documentary filmmaker has been allowed to examine all the aspects of this great theatrical company. Sequences include sections of plays, casting, set and costume design, administrative meetings and rehearsals and performances of four classic French plays, Don Juan by Molière, La Thebaide by Racine, La Double Inconstance by Marivaux, and Occupe-toi d'Amelie by Feydeau.

La Comédie-Française ou L'amour joué

1996

La Comédie-Française ou L'amour joué poster
5.7

La Comédie-Française is the oldest continuous repertory company in the world, founded in late 17th-century Paris. This is the first time a documentary filmmaker has been allowed to examine all the aspects of this great theatrical company. Sequences include sections of plays, casting, set and costume design, administrative meetings and rehearsals and performances of four classic French plays, Don Juan by Molière, La Thebaide by Racine, La Double Inconstance by Marivaux, and Occupe-toi d'Amelie by Feydeau.

La Comédie-Française ou L'amour joué

1996

Crazy Horse poster
6.5

A cinéma vérité exploration of the grueling schedules, auditions, lighting design, and backstage operations at the famous Parisian nude cabaret, Le Crazy Horse de Paris, over a ten-week period, specifically capturing the creation of a new show put together by choreographer Philippe Decouflé. Wiseman highlights the immense precision, discipline, and artistic effort required by dancers and staff to maintain the legendary cabaret's distinct aesthetic.

Crazy Horse

2011

Crazy Horse poster
6.5

A cinéma vérité exploration of the grueling schedules, auditions, lighting design, and backstage operations at the famous Parisian nude cabaret, Le Crazy Horse de Paris, over a ten-week period, specifically capturing the creation of a new show put together by choreographer Philippe Decouflé. Wiseman highlights the immense precision, discipline, and artistic effort required by dancers and staff to maintain the legendary cabaret's distinct aesthetic.

Crazy Horse

2011

Titicut Follies poster
7.3

Employing methods of direct cinema–observation, limited stylization, and non-intervention–this stark look into the State Prison for the Criminally Insane in Bridgewater, Massachusetts shows its denizens, who were often kept in barren cells and infrequently bathed, forced to strip naked publicly, force feeding, and the indifference and bullying by many of the hospital's staff.

Titicut Follies

1967

Titicut Follies poster
7.3

Employing methods of direct cinema–observation, limited stylization, and non-intervention–this stark look into the State Prison for the Criminally Insane in Bridgewater, Massachusetts shows its denizens, who were often kept in barren cells and infrequently bathed, forced to strip naked publicly, force feeding, and the indifference and bullying by many of the hospital's staff.

Titicut Follies

1967

Titicut Follies poster
7.3

Employing methods of direct cinema–observation, limited stylization, and non-intervention–this stark look into the State Prison for the Criminally Insane in Bridgewater, Massachusetts shows its denizens, who were often kept in barren cells and infrequently bathed, forced to strip naked publicly, force feeding, and the indifference and bullying by many of the hospital's staff.

Titicut Follies

1967

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library poster
6.4

A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library

2017

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library poster
6.4

A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library

2017

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library poster
6.4

A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library

2017

Central Park poster
7.5

The famous New York City landmark is given the spotlight, as well as the variety of ways in which people make use of it: running, boating, walking, skating, music, theatre, sports, picnics, parades and concerts. Further illustrated are the complex problems the NYC Parks Department deals with in order to maintain and preserve the park and keep it open and accessible to the public.

Central Park

1990

Central Park poster
7.5

The famous New York City landmark is given the spotlight, as well as the variety of ways in which people make use of it: running, boating, walking, skating, music, theatre, sports, picnics, parades and concerts. Further illustrated are the complex problems the NYC Parks Department deals with in order to maintain and preserve the park and keep it open and accessible to the public.

Central Park

1990

The Garden poster
8.3

A documentary exploring the landscape of Madison Square Garden. Filmed in 1997 and prevented from public screening by the property's operators.

The Garden

2005

The Garden poster
8.3

A documentary exploring the landscape of Madison Square Garden. Filmed in 1997 and prevented from public screening by the property's operators.

The Garden

2005

I Miss Sonia Henie poster
5.4

One camera in one setting, one attic and eight young directors – the result is a unique Dadaistic collage of seven short sketches. The original task for each filmmaker was to keep each short under three minutes, to set it in one hotel room, and to include the sentence “I miss Sonja Henie." This experimental film was shot over a single night at the international film festival FEST in Beograd in 1971.

I Miss Sonia Henie

1971

Boxing Gym poster
6.6

Veteran award-winning documentarian Frederick Wiseman turns his lens on the world of boxing, specifically on a gym in Austin, Texas. Unobtrusively recording the simple comings and goings at the facility, Wiseman documents daily life at the gym, its many patrons, their routines, and its owner, Richard Lord.

Boxing Gym

2010

A Couple poster
7.3

Explores a long-term relationship between a man and a woman: the man, Leo Tolstoy; the woman, his wife, Sophia. Married for 36 years, had thirteen children, nine of whom survived, each kept a diary. Although they lived together, in the same house, they frequently wrote letters to each other. Leo insists that they read their diaries aloud to guests at dinner parties. The Tolstoys were also a dysfunctional couple, arguing frequently and being very unhappy with each other while occasionally enjoying passionate moments of reconciliation. Sophia’s monologue explores the joys and struggles of their life together, loosely drawn from their letters to each other and their diary entries.

A Couple

2022

A Couple poster
7.3

Explores a long-term relationship between a man and a woman: the man, Leo Tolstoy; the woman, his wife, Sophia. Married for 36 years, had thirteen children, nine of whom survived, each kept a diary. Although they lived together, in the same house, they frequently wrote letters to each other. Leo insists that they read their diaries aloud to guests at dinner parties. The Tolstoys were also a dysfunctional couple, arguing frequently and being very unhappy with each other while occasionally enjoying passionate moments of reconciliation. Sophia’s monologue explores the joys and struggles of their life together, loosely drawn from their letters to each other and their diary entries.

A Couple

2022

Menus-Plaisirs, les Troisgros poster
7.1

Founded in 1930, Troisgros has held three Michelin stars for 55 years. The children of the fourth generation, Marie-Pierre and Michel's sons continue the family business: César runs the Michelin-starred restaurant, 'Le Bois sans feuilles' ('The Leafless Wood'), and Léo is in charge of one of the other two Troisgros restaurants, 'La Colline du colombier' ('The Dovecote Hill'). From the daily market to the cheese maturing cellars, via the vineyard, the cattle farm and the vegetable garden adjacent to the restaurant, Menus-Plaisirs is an intimate, sensory journey through the kitchens of one of the world's most prestigious restaurants.

Menus-Plaisirs, les Troisgros

2023

Menus-Plaisirs, les Troisgros poster
7.1

Founded in 1930, Troisgros has held three Michelin stars for 55 years. The children of the fourth generation, Marie-Pierre and Michel's sons continue the family business: César runs the Michelin-starred restaurant, 'Le Bois sans feuilles' ('The Leafless Wood'), and Léo is in charge of one of the other two Troisgros restaurants, 'La Colline du colombier' ('The Dovecote Hill'). From the daily market to the cheese maturing cellars, via the vineyard, the cattle farm and the vegetable garden adjacent to the restaurant, Menus-Plaisirs is an intimate, sensory journey through the kitchens of one of the world's most prestigious restaurants.

Menus-Plaisirs, les Troisgros

2023

Menus-Plaisirs, les Troisgros poster
7.1

Founded in 1930, Troisgros has held three Michelin stars for 55 years. The children of the fourth generation, Marie-Pierre and Michel's sons continue the family business: César runs the Michelin-starred restaurant, 'Le Bois sans feuilles' ('The Leafless Wood'), and Léo is in charge of one of the other two Troisgros restaurants, 'La Colline du colombier' ('The Dovecote Hill'). From the daily market to the cheese maturing cellars, via the vineyard, the cattle farm and the vegetable garden adjacent to the restaurant, Menus-Plaisirs is an intimate, sensory journey through the kitchens of one of the world's most prestigious restaurants.

Menus-Plaisirs, les Troisgros

2023

Belfast, Maine poster
7.0

A film about ordinary experience in a beautiful old New England port city. A portrait of daily life with particular emphasis on the work and the cultural life of the community, among the activities shown are the work of lobstermen, tug-boat operators, factory workers, shop owners, city counselors, doctors, judges, policemen, teachers, social workers, nurses and ministers. Cultural activities include choir rehearsal, dance class, music lessons and theatre production.

Belfast, Maine

1999

Belfast, Maine poster
7.0

A film about ordinary experience in a beautiful old New England port city. A portrait of daily life with particular emphasis on the work and the cultural life of the community, among the activities shown are the work of lobstermen, tug-boat operators, factory workers, shop owners, city counselors, doctors, judges, policemen, teachers, social workers, nurses and ministers. Cultural activities include choir rehearsal, dance class, music lessons and theatre production.

Belfast, Maine

1999

High School poster
7.2

What really happens inside the walls of an American high school? Famed documentarian Frederick Wiseman answers that question in this peek inside Philadelphia's Northeast High School, where students constantly clash with teachers, and teachers wage their own battle against the administration. Delving into the everyday struggle teachers face to discipline their unruly charges, the audience is offered a glimpse into the highs and lows at an urban public school.

High School

1969

High School poster
7.2

What really happens inside the walls of an American high school? Famed documentarian Frederick Wiseman answers that question in this peek inside Philadelphia's Northeast High School, where students constantly clash with teachers, and teachers wage their own battle against the administration. Delving into the everyday struggle teachers face to discipline their unruly charges, the audience is offered a glimpse into the highs and lows at an urban public school.

High School

1969

High School poster
7.2

What really happens inside the walls of an American high school? Famed documentarian Frederick Wiseman answers that question in this peek inside Philadelphia's Northeast High School, where students constantly clash with teachers, and teachers wage their own battle against the administration. Delving into the everyday struggle teachers face to discipline their unruly charges, the audience is offered a glimpse into the highs and lows at an urban public school.

High School

1969

Model poster
6.3

Frederick Wiseman focuses his lens on male and female models at work on television commercials, fashion shows, magazine covers, and advertising for a variety of products, including designer collections, fur coats, sports clothes and automobiles. The models are seen at work with photographers whose techniques illustrate different styles of fashion and product photography. The business aspect of running an agency is also shown: interviewing prospective models, career counseling, arranging portfolios, talking with clients, and planning trips presents a view of the intersections of fashion, business, advertising, photography, television and fantasy.

Model

1981

Model poster
6.3

Frederick Wiseman focuses his lens on male and female models at work on television commercials, fashion shows, magazine covers, and advertising for a variety of products, including designer collections, fur coats, sports clothes and automobiles. The models are seen at work with photographers whose techniques illustrate different styles of fashion and product photography. The business aspect of running an agency is also shown: interviewing prospective models, career counseling, arranging portfolios, talking with clients, and planning trips presents a view of the intersections of fashion, business, advertising, photography, television and fantasy.

Model

1981

National Gallery poster
7.3

A portrait of the day-to-day operations of the National Gallery of London, that reveals the role of the employees and the experiences of the Gallery's visitors. The film portrays the role of the curators and conservators; the education, scientific, and conservation departments; and the audience of all kinds of people who come to experience it.

National Gallery

2014

National Gallery poster
7.3

A portrait of the day-to-day operations of the National Gallery of London, that reveals the role of the employees and the experiences of the Gallery's visitors. The film portrays the role of the curators and conservators; the education, scientific, and conservation departments; and the audience of all kinds of people who come to experience it.

National Gallery

2014

National Gallery poster
7.3

A portrait of the day-to-day operations of the National Gallery of London, that reveals the role of the employees and the experiences of the Gallery's visitors. The film portrays the role of the curators and conservators; the education, scientific, and conservation departments; and the audience of all kinds of people who come to experience it.

National Gallery

2014

Deaf poster
8.5

The School for the Deaf at the Alabama Institute is organized around a theory of total communication, i.e. the use of signs and finger spelling in conjunction with speech, hearing aids, lip reading, gestures and the written word. Sequences deal with various aspects of this comprehensive training such as teaching students and parents to sign; speech therapy; psychological counseling; regular academic courses; vocational training; disciplinary problems; parents visits; sports and recreational activity; training in living and working independently; and developing skills in home and money management.

Deaf

1986

Deaf poster
8.5

The School for the Deaf at the Alabama Institute is organized around a theory of total communication, i.e. the use of signs and finger spelling in conjunction with speech, hearing aids, lip reading, gestures and the written word. Sequences deal with various aspects of this comprehensive training such as teaching students and parents to sign; speech therapy; psychological counseling; regular academic courses; vocational training; disciplinary problems; parents visits; sports and recreational activity; training in living and working independently; and developing skills in home and money management.

Deaf

1986

Canal Zone poster
7.2

Follow the people who live and work in the Panama Canal Zone and glimpse into both the operation of the Canal and the various governmental agencies — business, military, and civilian — related to the functioning of the Canal and the lives of the Americans in the zone. Features sequences of ships in transit, the work of special canal pilots, aspects of the civil government, work of the military, and the social, religious and recreational life of the Zonians.

Canal Zone

1977

Canal Zone poster
7.2

Follow the people who live and work in the Panama Canal Zone and glimpse into both the operation of the Canal and the various governmental agencies — business, military, and civilian — related to the functioning of the Canal and the lives of the Americans in the zone. Features sequences of ships in transit, the work of special canal pilots, aspects of the civil government, work of the military, and the social, religious and recreational life of the Zonians.

Canal Zone

1977

Canal Zone poster
7.2

Follow the people who live and work in the Panama Canal Zone and glimpse into both the operation of the Canal and the various governmental agencies — business, military, and civilian — related to the functioning of the Canal and the lives of the Americans in the zone. Features sequences of ships in transit, the work of special canal pilots, aspects of the civil government, work of the military, and the social, religious and recreational life of the Zonians.

Canal Zone

1977

At Berkeley poster
6.7

Direct cinema pioneer Frederick Wiseman takes an in-depth look at the preeminent American university during a fall semester that saw a vigorous debate over tuition hikes, budget cuts, and the future of higher education in the United States.

At Berkeley

2013

At Berkeley poster
6.7

Direct cinema pioneer Frederick Wiseman takes an in-depth look at the preeminent American university during a fall semester that saw a vigorous debate over tuition hikes, budget cuts, and the future of higher education in the United States.

At Berkeley

2013

Hospital poster
6.8

A look at the daily activities at the Metropolitan Hospital in New York City, with emphasis on the emergency ward and outpatient clinics. The cases depicted illustrate how medical expertise, availability of resources, organizational considerations, and the nature of communication among the staff and patients affect the delivery of healthcare.

Hospital

1970

Hospital poster
6.8

A look at the daily activities at the Metropolitan Hospital in New York City, with emphasis on the emergency ward and outpatient clinics. The cases depicted illustrate how medical expertise, availability of resources, organizational considerations, and the nature of communication among the staff and patients affect the delivery of healthcare.

Hospital

1970