
Directing
Randy Barbato
Known for
Directing
Credits
43 titles
Writer, director, and producer Randy Barbato has a soft spot for making films about public figures ostracized or misunderstood by the media and, by extension, society at large. Along with his life and creative partner, Fenton Bailey, Barbato has created some of the more groundbreaking and sometimes controversial documentaries and made-for-TV specials. A native of New Jersey, Barbato attended graduate film school at New York University, where he met Fenton Bailey, originally from Great Britain. Both dropped out after a year to form a pop band, The Pop Tarts. In 1990, the duo created their own company, World of Wonder Productions, with the intention of recording Pop Tarts music, but only after…
Known for
4.9Best friends and train stewardesses Tess and DeeDee trade their dreary shifts on the Stank Rail for the glitzy Glamazonian Express. However, when a catastrophic Stormaganza threatens to crash the high-speed train into Celebration, Florida, the duo in coach must join forces with the snobby first-class attendants, a hot but dimwitted co-conductor, and fabulous US President Judy Gagwell to save the day.
Stop! That! Train!
2026
6.4In 1972, a seemingly typical shoestring budget pornographic film was made in a Florida hotel: "Deep Throat," starring Linda Lovelace. This film would surpass the wildest expectation of everyone involved to become one of the most successful independent films of all time. It caught the public imagination which met the spirit of the times, even as the self-appointed guardians of public morality struggled to suppress it, and created, for a brief moment, a possible future where sexuality in film had a bold artistic potential. This film covers the story of the making of this controversial film, its stunning success, its hysterical opposition along with its dark side of mob influence and allegations of the on set mistreatment of the film's star.
Inside Deep Throat
2005
1.0Contemporary voices in the LGBTQ community discuss "Remembering Stonewall," the first documentary to chronicle the historic 1969 event that sparked the gay liberation movement.
Stonewall Outloud
2019
7.2Follow Naomi Smalls, Derrick Barry, Vanessa Vanjie Mateo and other queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race as Mama Ru leads them through the next level in their careers with a Las Vegas residency.
RuPaul's Drag Race: Vegas Revue
2020
5.8The New York club scene of the 80s and 90s was a world like no other. Into this candy-colored, mirror ball playground stepped Michael Alig, a wannabe from nowhere special. Under the watchful eye of veteran club kid James St. James, Alig quickly rose to the top... and there was no place to go but down.
Party Monster
2003
10.0Variety special featuring guests from the downtown New York club scene to stellar artists including Nirvana and Elton John.
RuPaul's Christmas Ball
1993
Film credits
Series credits
Behind the camera
4.9Best friends and train stewardesses Tess and DeeDee trade their dreary shifts on the Stank Rail for the glitzy Glamazonian Express. However, when a catastrophic Stormaganza threatens to crash the high-speed train into Celebration, Florida, the duo in coach must join forces with the snobby first-class attendants, a hot but dimwitted co-conductor, and fabulous US President Judy Gagwell to save the day.
Stop! That! Train!
2026
6.4In 1972, a seemingly typical shoestring budget pornographic film was made in a Florida hotel: "Deep Throat," starring Linda Lovelace. This film would surpass the wildest expectation of everyone involved to become one of the most successful independent films of all time. It caught the public imagination which met the spirit of the times, even as the self-appointed guardians of public morality struggled to suppress it, and created, for a brief moment, a possible future where sexuality in film had a bold artistic potential. This film covers the story of the making of this controversial film, its stunning success, its hysterical opposition along with its dark side of mob influence and allegations of the on set mistreatment of the film's star.
Inside Deep Throat
2005
6.4In 1972, a seemingly typical shoestring budget pornographic film was made in a Florida hotel: "Deep Throat," starring Linda Lovelace. This film would surpass the wildest expectation of everyone involved to become one of the most successful independent films of all time. It caught the public imagination which met the spirit of the times, even as the self-appointed guardians of public morality struggled to suppress it, and created, for a brief moment, a possible future where sexuality in film had a bold artistic potential. This film covers the story of the making of this controversial film, its stunning success, its hysterical opposition along with its dark side of mob influence and allegations of the on set mistreatment of the film's star.
Inside Deep Throat
2005
6.4In 1972, a seemingly typical shoestring budget pornographic film was made in a Florida hotel: "Deep Throat," starring Linda Lovelace. This film would surpass the wildest expectation of everyone involved to become one of the most successful independent films of all time. It caught the public imagination which met the spirit of the times, even as the self-appointed guardians of public morality struggled to suppress it, and created, for a brief moment, a possible future where sexuality in film had a bold artistic potential. This film covers the story of the making of this controversial film, its stunning success, its hysterical opposition along with its dark side of mob influence and allegations of the on set mistreatment of the film's star.
Inside Deep Throat
2005
1.0Contemporary voices in the LGBTQ community discuss "Remembering Stonewall," the first documentary to chronicle the historic 1969 event that sparked the gay liberation movement.
Stonewall Outloud
2019
1.0Contemporary voices in the LGBTQ community discuss "Remembering Stonewall," the first documentary to chronicle the historic 1969 event that sparked the gay liberation movement.
Stonewall Outloud
2019
5.8The New York club scene of the 80s and 90s was a world like no other. Into this candy-colored, mirror ball playground stepped Michael Alig, a wannabe from nowhere special. Under the watchful eye of veteran club kid James St. James, Alig quickly rose to the top... and there was no place to go but down.
Party Monster
2003
5.8The New York club scene of the 80s and 90s was a world like no other. Into this candy-colored, mirror ball playground stepped Michael Alig, a wannabe from nowhere special. Under the watchful eye of veteran club kid James St. James, Alig quickly rose to the top... and there was no place to go but down.
Party Monster
2003
5.8The New York club scene of the 80s and 90s was a world like no other. Into this candy-colored, mirror ball playground stepped Michael Alig, a wannabe from nowhere special. Under the watchful eye of veteran club kid James St. James, Alig quickly rose to the top... and there was no place to go but down.
Party Monster
2003
10.0Variety special featuring guests from the downtown New York club scene to stellar artists including Nirvana and Elton John.
RuPaul's Christmas Ball
1993
10.0Variety special featuring guests from the downtown New York club scene to stellar artists including Nirvana and Elton John.
RuPaul's Christmas Ball
1993
6.9Nude men in rubber suits, close-ups of erections, objects shoved in the most intimate of places—these are photographs taken by Robert Mapplethorpe, known by many as the most controversial photographer of the twentieth century. Openly gay, Mapplethorpe took images of male sex, nudity, and fetish to extremes that resulted in his work still being labelled by some as pornography masquerading as art. But less talked about are the more serene, yet striking portraits of flowers, sculptures, and perfectly framed human forms that are equally pioneering and powerful.
Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures
2016
6.9Nude men in rubber suits, close-ups of erections, objects shoved in the most intimate of places—these are photographs taken by Robert Mapplethorpe, known by many as the most controversial photographer of the twentieth century. Openly gay, Mapplethorpe took images of male sex, nudity, and fetish to extremes that resulted in his work still being labelled by some as pornography masquerading as art. But less talked about are the more serene, yet striking portraits of flowers, sculptures, and perfectly framed human forms that are equally pioneering and powerful.
Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures
2016
7.3"Wishful Drinking" is based on Fisher's memoirs of the same title. The stage adaptation had its world premiere in 2006 at the Geffen Playhouse in L.A. It later played at Berkeley Repertory before opening on Broadway in October at Studio 54. The show takes audiences on a comic tour of Fisher's messy personal life and career. The actress-writer recounts stories about her work on the "Star Wars" series as well as her relationship with her parents Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. She also discusses her much-publicized problems with alcohol and drugs.
Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking
2010
7.3"Wishful Drinking" is based on Fisher's memoirs of the same title. The stage adaptation had its world premiere in 2006 at the Geffen Playhouse in L.A. It later played at Berkeley Repertory before opening on Broadway in October at Studio 54. The show takes audiences on a comic tour of Fisher's messy personal life and career. The actress-writer recounts stories about her work on the "Star Wars" series as well as her relationship with her parents Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. She also discusses her much-publicized problems with alcohol and drugs.
Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking
2010
7.8An intimate look at one of the most overexposed yet under-revealed stars of today as she faces one of her biggest challenges ever while finishing her album, shooting videos, doing press -- and being a mom.
I Am Britney Jean
2013
5.1Lyle and Eric Menendez were nice, educated boys from Beverly Hills, which makes the murder of their parents even more inexplicable. Never-before-seen details emerge in this investigation into their lives.
Menendez: Blood Brothers
2017
5.9The strange history of the now abandoned American 1993-bill, «Don't ask, don't tell» where sexual orientation was a "non-talk" policy in the American forces, leading to 13.368 getting kicked out before 2011.
The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell
2011
5.3Over 30 filmmakers and friends of Strand Releasing have come together to honor the company’s indelible contribution to independent cinema over the past thirty years. The participating filmmakers have each created a short film for the project, all shot on iPhones.
30/30 Vision: Three Decades of Strand Releasing
2019
7.0Documentary film takes a look at some of the world's most influential fashion images as conceived by the magazine's iconic fashion editors.
In Vogue: The Editor's Eye
2012
6.3Tells the story of the rise and fall of Michael Alig, a kid from Middle America who aspired to take the place of Andy Warhol. Michael quickly rose to become the biggest party promoter in New York and King of the so-called Club Kids. But after spiraling into drug addiction, Michael brutally murdered his roommate Angel Melendez.
Party Monster: The Shockumentary
1998
5.4Paid 50 dollars for their time, 101 male prostitutes -- spanning all ages, ethnicities, and personal backgrounds -- are questioned by the filmmakers about their lives.
101 Rent Boys
2000
5.4Paid 50 dollars for their time, 101 male prostitutes -- spanning all ages, ethnicities, and personal backgrounds -- are questioned by the filmmakers about their lives.
101 Rent Boys
2000
6.3A documentary look, mostly through the eyes of Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, at her rise and fall as a popular televangelist with husband Jim Bakker.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
2000
6.3A documentary look, mostly through the eyes of Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, at her rise and fall as a popular televangelist with husband Jim Bakker.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
2000
6.3Alternately candid, funny, poignant and heartbreaking, this documentary focuses on a cross-section of men and women of all ages who invoke the exact moment in their lives--whether as toddlers, grade-schoolers, teens or young adults--when they knew, once and for all, that they were gay. Inspired by the work of writer Robert Trachtenberg, award-winning filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato set out across the country to interview these men and woman of all ages and walks of life and ask them a single, simple question: When did you know?
When I Knew
2009
4.3Documentary following Chaz (formerly Chastity) Bono's gender transition. Includes interviews with family members and friends as the transition is followed.
Becoming Chaz
2011
5.0A documentary exploring the origins and evolution of bucking, as well as the life stories and struggles of various Atlanta performers.
When the Beat Drops
2018
7.5A look at the history of the Statue of Liberty and the meaning of sculptor Auguste Bartholdi's creation to people around the world.
Liberty: Mother of Exiles
2019
7.5A look at the history of the Statue of Liberty and the meaning of sculptor Auguste Bartholdi's creation to people around the world.
Liberty: Mother of Exiles
2019
6.5In September 2001, respected German historian Lothar Machtan dropped a bombshell on the world of Hitler studies: Hitler was secretly homosexual. His highly acclaimed and explosive book "The Hidden Hitler" ignited a storm of controversy. With information from the bestselling book, award-winning filmmakers Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato and Gabriel Rotello explore areas of the Führer's private life.
The Hidden Führer: Debating the Enigma of Hitler's Sexuality
2004
10.0This 2024 GLAAD Media Award winning film explores Ric Weiland’s journey as both a trailblazer in the tech world and a quiet, yet transformative philanthropist. His founding of Microsoft with Bill Gates & Paul Allen, generosity, and determination continue to inspire a new generation of activists. This documentary is a tribute to his life’s mission to make the world a more inclusive and truly better place for everyone.
Yes I Am: The Ric Weiland Story
2023
The documentary examines the rising popularity of camcorders and surveillance cameras, and uses a compilation of footage to demonstrate the consequences that they have on society.
Videos, Vigilantes and Voyeurism
1993
The documentary examines the rising popularity of camcorders and surveillance cameras, and uses a compilation of footage to demonstrate the consequences that they have on society.
Videos, Vigilantes and Voyeurism
1993
4.7Exploring the rapidly growing marijuana industry through an irreverent approach to the misconceptions and promises of the marijuana explosion.
Going to Pot: The High and Low of It
2021
6.7A look at the creation of former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss' latest venture, a Nevada-based male brothel called Heidi's Stud Farm, which caters to female clientèle.
Heidi Fleiss: The Would-be Madam of Crystal
2008
7.3A collage-like, incisive look at the life of writer, painter and thinker David Wojnarowicz, whose powerful, unapologetic way of seeing the world gave voice to queer rights at a critical time in US history.
Wojnarowicz: Fuck You Faggot Fucker
2020
NRTells the story of Nelson Sullivan who was the unofficial video documentary filmmaker of the late 1980s downtown New York nightlife and LGBTQ+ community, with extensive archival segments directed by Sullivan himself.
Nelson Sullivan's World Of Wonder
1994
NRTells the story of Nelson Sullivan who was the unofficial video documentary filmmaker of the late 1980s downtown New York nightlife and LGBTQ+ community, with extensive archival segments directed by Sullivan himself.
Nelson Sullivan's World Of Wonder
1994
7.2A filmed version of Jonny Donahoe’s acclaimed one-man show about depression, suicide and the lengths to which people go for those they love. Poignant and humorous, it follows a young boy who attempts to ease his mother’s depression by starting an enormous running list of everything worth living for.
Every Brilliant Thing
2016


