Nelson George

Writing

Nelson George

Born

1957-09-01 (69)

Place of birth

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Known for

Writing

Credits

54 titles

Known for

Sidney poster
6.9

This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.

Sidney

2022

Basketball: A Love Story poster
7.3

'Basketball: A Love Story' is a series of 62 interconnected short stories that creates a vibrant mosaic of the game, featuring 165 exclusive interviews. The cast encompasses basketball's most prominent figures and explores the complex nature of love as it relates to the game.

Basketball: A Love Story

2018

Soundbreaking poster
7.8

Explore the art of music recording with a behind-the-scenes look at the birth of brand new sounds. Featuring more than 160 original interviews with some of the most celebrated recording artists of all time, Soundbreaking explores the nexus of cutting-edge technology and human artistry that has created the soundtrack of our lives.

Soundbreaking

2016

The Nineties poster
6.9

Hit rewind and explore the most iconic moments and influential people of The Nineties, the decade that gave us the Internet, DVDs, and other cultural and political milestones.

The Nineties

2017

Shut Up and Dribble poster
1.0

An inside look at the changing role of athletes in our fraught cultural and political environment, through the lens of the NBA.

Shut Up and Dribble

2018

Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association poster
6.7

Experience the ABA's nine-year rivalry with the NBA that changed basketball forever. From the 3-point shot to the Slam Dunk Contest, the ABA's innovations became game staples. Told by "Dr. J" Erving, Larry Brown, Bob Costas & other Hall of Famers.

Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association

2026

Film credits

2020s · 7 titles

Sidney poster
6.9

This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.

Sidney

2022

Thriller 40 poster
8.7

Forty years after the release of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ the best-selling album of all-time, director Nelson George takes fans back in time to the making of a pop masterpiece, featuring never-before-seen footage and candid interviews.

Thriller 40

2023

Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy poster
6.8

A cheap, powerful drug emerges during a recession, igniting a moral panic fueled by racism. Explore the complex history of crack in the 1980s.

Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy

2021

A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks poster
6.8

This documentary chronicles renaissance man Gordon Parks’ stellar career from staff photographer for LIFE magazine, through his artistic development photographing everyday Americans, through his evolution as a novelist and groundbreaking filmmaker.

A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks

2021

The Last Critic poster
5.0

Sixty years & a million records ago, Robert Christgau invented Rock music criticism. Anyone who has ever read or written a Pop music review has been influenced by Christgau, who canonized legends from The Ramones to Public Enemy & infuriated icons from Lou Reed to Billy Joel. Now in his eighties, Bob is still at it—amazingly with the same vigor, wit, concision and craft that has defined his expansive career. But in a world where albums are irrelevant, where print is dead & where algorithms have eclipsed critics we are forced to ask: What happens next—for Bob, but also for all music criticism? Is this the end of something? Is Robert Christgau the last critic?

The Last Critic

2026

Just a Boy From Tupelo: Bringing Elvis to the Big Screen poster
5.0

Director Baz Luhrmann, actors Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, and others explore the life and legacy of Elvis Presley and the making of the acclaimed hit film, ELVIS.

Just a Boy From Tupelo: Bringing Elvis to the Big Screen

2023

With Drawn Arms poster
5.4

The story behind a critical moment in American history, spawning one of most iconic images of protest from the past century. At the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, the world watched as two American runners, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, took the stage as the U.S. national anthem played, raising their fists in a symbol of black struggle and solidarity.

With Drawn Arms

2020

2010s · 4 titles

2000s · 7 titles

The Wire Odyssey poster
7.1

A retrospective documentary of the first four seasons of the acclaimed series The Wire.

The Wire Odyssey

2007

It's Black Entertainment poster
8.7

A star-studded tribute (from the creators of That's Entertainment) to the contributions of Afro-Americans in film over the last century. Vanessa Williams traces the struggles and triumphs of the superstars of music and film. Among the many artists featured are: Whitney Houston, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Cab Calloway, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Little Richard, Also included are today's contemporary superstars: Snoop Dogg, Ice T, Quincy Jones, Spike Lee, Russell Simmons, and many, more! 80 minutes plus DVD bonus features.

It's Black Entertainment

2002

The Wire: The Last Word poster
1.5

A documentary exploring the role of the media in relation to the acclaimed series The Wire.

The Wire: The Last Word

2007

Perfect Upset: The 1985 Villanova vs. Georgetown NCAA Championship poster
10.0

"PERFECT UPSET" is a 2005 sports documentary about the Villanova Wildcats' shocking win against the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas in the 1985 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

Perfect Upset: The 1985 Villanova vs. Georgetown NCAA Championship

2005

Queens of Disco poster
NR

Graham Norton profiles the leading ladies of the disco era, including Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summer, Grace Jones, Chaka Khan, Madonna and 'honorary disco queen' Sylvester.

Queens of Disco

2007

Downtown Calling poster
NR

In the late 1970s, the "greatest city in the world" was teetering on the edge of total chaos. A failed economy, crime and en mass housing corruption gave way to a city in crisis. Yet out of the economic and social strife that held the "Big Apple" hostage, a family of homegrown cultures that would forever change the world began to emerge. Downtown Calling not only documents, in detail, the evolution of New York City's fertile music and art subculture during this period, but how its collective output continues to play a prominent, driving role in the international fashion, art and music industries today.

Downtown Calling

2009

No artwork available
9.0

No synopsis available yet.

Raisin' Kane: A Rapumentary

2001

1990s · 2 titles

Series credits

Basketball: A Love Story poster
7.3

'Basketball: A Love Story' is a series of 62 interconnected short stories that creates a vibrant mosaic of the game, featuring 165 exclusive interviews. The cast encompasses basketball's most prominent figures and explores the complex nature of love as it relates to the game.

Basketball: A Love Story

2018

Soundbreaking poster
7.8

Explore the art of music recording with a behind-the-scenes look at the birth of brand new sounds. Featuring more than 160 original interviews with some of the most celebrated recording artists of all time, Soundbreaking explores the nexus of cutting-edge technology and human artistry that has created the soundtrack of our lives.

Soundbreaking

2016

The Nineties poster
6.9

Hit rewind and explore the most iconic moments and influential people of The Nineties, the decade that gave us the Internet, DVDs, and other cultural and political milestones.

The Nineties

2017

Shut Up and Dribble poster
1.0

An inside look at the changing role of athletes in our fraught cultural and political environment, through the lens of the NBA.

Shut Up and Dribble

2018

Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association poster
6.7

Experience the ABA's nine-year rivalry with the NBA that changed basketball forever. From the 3-point shot to the Slam Dunk Contest, the ABA's innovations became game staples. Told by "Dr. J" Erving, Larry Brown, Bob Costas & other Hall of Famers.

Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association

2026

Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World poster
7.0

Public Enemy’s Chuck D leads a cast of hip-hop icons and leading African-American and Latino cultural commentators as they chart the factors that led to the birth of the revolutionary art form of hip-hop in 1970s New York, as well as the creation of the seminal hit The Message. They evoke a picture of how, after the turbulence of the 60s and the civil rights struggles, desperate social conditions and the experience of countless dispossessed people of colour living in a city mired in crisis helped give birth to a new art form.

Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World

2023

Bill Russell: Legend poster
7.2

Winningest NBA champion and civil rights icon Bill Russell builds a larger-than-life legacy on and off the court in this biographical documentary.

Bill Russell: Legend

2023

Hip Hop Was Born Here poster
3.6

Hosted by legendary rapper LL COOL J, the series will chart the creation, evolution and ongoing legacy of hip-hop not just as a genre but as a culture.

Hip Hop Was Born Here

2025

Black Hollywood: 'They've Gotta Have Us' poster
6.3

A unique portrait of how art and activism for black people in film are indivisible from race and cinema.

Black Hollywood: 'They've Gotta Have Us'

2018

Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution poster
6.0

The two-part documentary event “Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution” explores the progression of Black comedy and the comedians who have used pointed humor to expose, challenge and ridicule society’s injustices and to articulate the Black experience in America. The series examines Black comedy through a unique lens, tracing the evolution and social awakening of the courageous comedians who dared to push against the constraints of their time and spoke truth to power.

Right to Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution

2022

And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop poster
NR

The film documents the development of hip hop culture since its inception in the 1970s. With interviews from various figures in the community such as Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Fab 5 Freddy, KRS-One, MC Hammer and Busy Bee.

And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop

2004

Biography: Bobby Brown poster
7.0

Taking a personal look at the American Music Award winner's journey to superstardom and the fallout from his personal struggles with sobriety and the tragic deaths of his two children and first wife, Whitney Houston.

Biography: Bobby Brown

2022

Behind the camera

CB4 poster
6.1

A "rockumentary", covering the rise to fame of MC Gusto, Stab Master Arson, and Dead Mike: members of the rap group "CB4". We soon learn that these three are not what they seem and don't appear to know as much about rap music as they claim... but a lack of musical ability in an artist never hurts sales, does it? You've just got to play the part of a rap star...

CB4

1993

CB4 poster
6.1

A "rockumentary", covering the rise to fame of MC Gusto, Stab Master Arson, and Dead Mike: members of the rap group "CB4". We soon learn that these three are not what they seem and don't appear to know as much about rap music as they claim... but a lack of musical ability in an artist never hurts sales, does it? You've just got to play the part of a rap star...

CB4

1993

Thriller 40 poster
8.7

Forty years after the release of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ the best-selling album of all-time, director Nelson George takes fans back in time to the making of a pop masterpiece, featuring never-before-seen footage and candid interviews.

Thriller 40

2023

Strictly Business poster
5.4

Waymon has a great job in real estate and a promising future, but he's also trapped in a loveless longterm relationship. He meets Natalie, a beautiful club-hopping hipster, and quickly falls in love. Realizing he's just not cool enough to attract her on his own, he seeks the help of his friend Bobby, a free-spirited smooth talker who works in the mail room at Waymon's firm and utilizes the predicament as leverage to advance in the company.

Strictly Business

1991

Life Support poster
5.5

The true-life story of a mother who overcame an addiction to crack and became a positive role model and an AIDS activist in the black community.

Life Support

2007

Life Support poster
5.5

The true-life story of a mother who overcame an addiction to crack and became a positive role model and an AIDS activist in the black community.

Life Support

2007

The Black Godfather poster
6.6

Follows the life of Clarence Avant, the ultimate, uncensored mentor and behind-the-scenes rainmaker in music, film, TV and politics.

The Black Godfather

2019

The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story poster
7.0

Wanda Pratt works tirelessly to raise three children, including future NBA basketball player Kevin Durant.

The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story

2016

Say Hey, Willie Mays! poster
6.0

Follow Willie Mays’ life both on and off the field over five decades as he navigated the American sports landscape and the country’s ever-evolving cultural backdrop, all while helping to define what it means to be one of America’s first Black sports superstars. He left an indelible mark in New York City and San Francisco, building a love affair with both cities’ fans.

Say Hey, Willie Mays!

2022

No artwork available
NR

Fifteen women are brought together a social networking invitation via a host with less than cordial motives.

Left Unsaid

2010

Brooklyn Boheme poster
6.8

Brooklyn Boheme is a love letter to a vibrant African American artistic community who resided in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill Brooklyn during the 80's and 90's that included the great Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Branford Marsalis, Rosie Perez, Saul Williams, Lorna Simpson, Talib Kweli just to name a few. Narrated and written by Fort Greene resident Nelson George, this feature length documentary celebrates "Brooklyn's equivalent of the Harlem Renaissance" and follows the rise of a new kind of African American artist, the Brooklyn Boheme.

Brooklyn Boheme

2012

Brooklyn Boheme poster
6.8

Brooklyn Boheme is a love letter to a vibrant African American artistic community who resided in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill Brooklyn during the 80's and 90's that included the great Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Branford Marsalis, Rosie Perez, Saul Williams, Lorna Simpson, Talib Kweli just to name a few. Narrated and written by Fort Greene resident Nelson George, this feature length documentary celebrates "Brooklyn's equivalent of the Harlem Renaissance" and follows the rise of a new kind of African American artist, the Brooklyn Boheme.

Brooklyn Boheme

2012

The Announcement poster
6.9

On Thursday, Nov. 7, 1991, Earvin "Magic" Johnson made people stop and watch at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. But this time it wasn't his basketball brilliance as a perennial NBA All-Star and three-time MVP that was captivating audiences worldwide. Instead, the 32-year-old groundbreaking point guard was holding a press conference to make the stunning announcement that he was HIV-positive and would be retiring from basketball immediately.

The Announcement

2012

A Ballerina's Tale poster
6.4

A feature documentary on African American ballerina Misty Copeland that examines her prodigious rise, her potentially career ending injury alongside themes of race and body image in the elite ballet world.

A Ballerina's Tale

2015

Finding the Funk poster
7.2

Finding the Funk is a road trip in search of the past, present and future of Funk music. Starting with Funk's roots in Jazz and the James Brown bands of the '60s we travel to the Bay Area to celebrate Sly & the Family Stone, then to Dayton the birthplace of so many of Funk's originators, then onto Detroit where from the ashes of Motown, P-Funk's Mothership arose, and then to LA where a new crop of musicians are creating their own Funk history. On our journey into Funk, we talk to legends Sly Stone, Bootsy Collins, George Clinton, Nona Hendryx, Maceo Parker, Bernie Worrell, and Steve Arrington and their descendants Mike D, D'Angelo, Sheila E, Shock G and Sade's Stuart Matthewman. Narrated by Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson of the Roots.

Finding the Funk

2014

Suspect poster
7.0

A young white woman leaving a nightclub alone drops her cigarette lighter on the street. When a young black man follows her and attempts to return it, she panics and assumes he is attacking her. The ensuing chase threatens to erupt into violence.

Suspect

1991

Focus Forward: Short Films, Big Ideas poster
NR

Focus Forward: Short Films, Big Ideas is an award-winning series of 30 three-minute stories about innovators—people who are reshaping the world through act or invention—directed by the world's most celebrated documentary filmmakers.

Focus Forward: Short Films, Big Ideas

2012

One Special Moment poster
9.0

An action adventure film star becomes smitten with an idealistic high school teacher when he agrees to participate in a business deal involving the teacher's ambitious clothing designer brother.

One Special Moment

2001

No artwork available
NR

All Hail the Beat' celebrates a rhythm machine deemed obsolete in 1984 but still influential until to this day. The Roland TR-808 existed from 1980 to 1984. In that brief time span it was embraced by hip hop and helped inspire the creation of new dance music genres (electro boogie, techno) as we hear in testimony from innovators D-Nice, formerly of Boogie Down Productions, Arthur Baker, producer of the classic "Planet Rock" for Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force, and Juan Atkins, credited with creating the Detroit techno sound. Editor Waajeed, who is also a well known hip hop producer himself, has created a sonic tapestry of 808 beats that runs underneath the film, as if the device itself is giving commentary on its history.

All Hail the Beat

2012

No artwork available
NR

All Hail the Beat' celebrates a rhythm machine deemed obsolete in 1984 but still influential until to this day. The Roland TR-808 existed from 1980 to 1984. In that brief time span it was embraced by hip hop and helped inspire the creation of new dance music genres (electro boogie, techno) as we hear in testimony from innovators D-Nice, formerly of Boogie Down Productions, Arthur Baker, producer of the classic "Planet Rock" for Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force, and Juan Atkins, credited with creating the Detroit techno sound. Editor Waajeed, who is also a well known hip hop producer himself, has created a sonic tapestry of 808 beats that runs underneath the film, as if the device itself is giving commentary on its history.

All Hail the Beat

2012

No artwork available
NR

Walt Frazier, arguably one of the most illustrious players in the history of the New York Knickerbockers, has emerged in the 21st century as a Big Apple style icon. In the '70s he was "Clyde," a cool-as-ice point guard with big hats and mutton chop side burns. Today, in his role as Knicks' broadcaster, Frazier's wardrobe (featuring vibrant colors and shocking patterns) and rhyming couplets that Jay-Z envies. We'll talk with the man at his Manhattan restaurant, Walt Frazier's Wine & Dine, and explore the evolution of his style.

Disdain the Mundane

2013