Joe Berlinger

Directing

Joe Berlinger

Born

1961-10-30 (64)

Place of birth

Boca Raton, Florida, USA

Known for

Directing

Credits

45 titles

Joseph "Joe" Berlinger (born October 30, 1961) is an American documentary film-maker who, in collaboration with Bruce Sinofsky, has created such films as Paradise Lost about the West Memphis 3, Brother's Keeper, Some Kind of Monster, and Crude. In collaboration with journalist Greg Milner, Berlinger has also written a book called Metallica: This Monster Lives, which is about his journey from making the poorly received Blair Witch 2 to creating Some Kind of Monster with Metallica, one of the world's most famous metal bands. Berlinger has also worked in TV series such as Homicide: Life on the Street, D.C. and FanClub. The first movie Berlinger directed, in 1992, was the documentary My Broth…

Known for

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile poster
7.0

A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy, from the perspective of his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

2019

Devil's Knot poster
6.2

The savage murders of three young children sparks a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a satanic ritual.

Devil's Knot

2013

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 poster
4.4

A group of college students decide to take part in a witch hunt tour inspired by a horror movie. As the adventure goes awry, the students realise that an evil being has followed them home.

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

2000

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills poster
7.6

A horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills

1996

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster poster
7.1

After bassist Jason Newsted quits the band in 2001, heavy metal superstars Metallica realize that they need an intervention. In this revealing documentary, filmmakers follow the three rock stars as they hire a group therapist and grapple with 20 years of repressed anger and aggression. Between searching for a replacement bass player, creating a new album and confronting their personal demons, the band learns to open up in ways they never thought possible.

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster

2004

Paul Simon: Under African Skies poster
7.1

Paul Simon returns to South Africa to explore the incredible journey of his historic Graceland album, including the political backlash he received for allegedly breaking the UN cultural boycott of South Africa designed to end the Apartheid regime. On the 25th anniversary of Paul Simon's GRACELAND, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger offers a glimpse at the controversy surrounding the decision to record the album in South Africa despite a UN boycott of the nation, which was aimed at ending apartheid. In the run-up to an eagerly anticipated reunion concert, Simon, Quincy Jones, Peter Gabriel, David Byrne, Harry Belafonte, Paul McCartney and others reflect on the decision to record with local artists in South Africa, and the cultural impact of the album that delivered such hits as "I Know What I Know" and "You Can Call Me Al."

Paul Simon: Under African Skies

2012

Film credits

2000s · 2 titles

Behind the camera

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile poster
7.0

A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy, from the perspective of his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

2019

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile poster
7.0

A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy, from the perspective of his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

2019

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 poster
4.4

A group of college students decide to take part in a witch hunt tour inspired by a horror movie. As the adventure goes awry, the students realise that an evil being has followed them home.

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

2000

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 poster
4.4

A group of college students decide to take part in a witch hunt tour inspired by a horror movie. As the adventure goes awry, the students realise that an evil being has followed them home.

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

2000

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills poster
7.6

A horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills

1996

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills poster
7.6

A horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills

1996

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster poster
7.1

After bassist Jason Newsted quits the band in 2001, heavy metal superstars Metallica realize that they need an intervention. In this revealing documentary, filmmakers follow the three rock stars as they hire a group therapist and grapple with 20 years of repressed anger and aggression. Between searching for a replacement bass player, creating a new album and confronting their personal demons, the band learns to open up in ways they never thought possible.

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster

2004

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster poster
7.1

After bassist Jason Newsted quits the band in 2001, heavy metal superstars Metallica realize that they need an intervention. In this revealing documentary, filmmakers follow the three rock stars as they hire a group therapist and grapple with 20 years of repressed anger and aggression. Between searching for a replacement bass player, creating a new album and confronting their personal demons, the band learns to open up in ways they never thought possible.

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster

2004

Paul Simon: Under African Skies poster
7.1

Paul Simon returns to South Africa to explore the incredible journey of his historic Graceland album, including the political backlash he received for allegedly breaking the UN cultural boycott of South Africa designed to end the Apartheid regime. On the 25th anniversary of Paul Simon's GRACELAND, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger offers a glimpse at the controversy surrounding the decision to record the album in South Africa despite a UN boycott of the nation, which was aimed at ending apartheid. In the run-up to an eagerly anticipated reunion concert, Simon, Quincy Jones, Peter Gabriel, David Byrne, Harry Belafonte, Paul McCartney and others reflect on the decision to record with local artists in South Africa, and the cultural impact of the album that delivered such hits as "I Know What I Know" and "You Can Call Me Al."

Paul Simon: Under African Skies

2012

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory poster
7.4

A further investigation into the arrest of three teenagers convicted of killing three young boys in Arkansas who spent nearly 20 years in prison before being released after new DNA evidence indicated they may be innocent.

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

2012

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory poster
7.4

A further investigation into the arrest of three teenagers convicted of killing three young boys in Arkansas who spent nearly 20 years in prison before being released after new DNA evidence indicated they may be innocent.

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

2012

We the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss poster
7.0

Everyone’s talking about it, but who can explain it? Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions and Morgan Spurlock’s Cinelan have partnered to produce WE THE ECONOMY 20 Short Films You Can’t Afford to Miss. Each film is helmed by an acclaimed filmmaker, each with their own creative vision. The series aims to drive awareness and establish a better understanding of the U.S. economy. Told through animation, comedy, musical, non-fiction, and scripted films, WE THE ECONOMY seeks to demystify a complicated topic while empowering the public to take control of their own economic futures.

We the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss

2014

Paradise Lost 2: Revelations poster
7.2

Revisiting the 1994 Arkansas murder of three 8-year-old boys and the three teenagers convicted of the crime. A follow up to Paradise Lost, Revelations features new interviews with the convicted men, as well as with the original judge and police investigators.

Paradise Lost 2: Revelations

2000

Paradise Lost 2: Revelations poster
7.2

Revisiting the 1994 Arkansas murder of three 8-year-old boys and the three teenagers convicted of the crime. A follow up to Paradise Lost, Revelations features new interviews with the convicted men, as well as with the original judge and police investigators.

Paradise Lost 2: Revelations

2000

Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru poster
6.4

Granted unprecedented access, director Berlinger captures renowned life and business strategist Tony Robbins behind the scenes of his mega seminar Date with Destiny, pulling back the curtain on this life-altering and controversial event, the zealous participants and the man himself.

Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru

2016

Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru poster
6.4

Granted unprecedented access, director Berlinger captures renowned life and business strategist Tony Robbins behind the scenes of his mega seminar Date with Destiny, pulling back the curtain on this life-altering and controversial event, the zealous participants and the man himself.

Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru

2016

Hank: 5 Years from the Brink poster
6.8

For three weeks in September 2008, one person was charged with preventing the collapse of the global economy. No one understood the financial markets better than Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs. In Hank: Five Years from the Brink, Paulson tells the complete story of how he persuaded banks, Congress and presidential candidates to sign off on nearly $1 trillion in bailouts - even as he found the behavior that led to the crisis, and the bailouts themselves, morally reprehensible. Directed by Academy Award nominee Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost Trilogy, Some Kind of Monster), the film features Paulson, and his wife of 40 years, Wendy. it's a riveting portrait of leadership under unimaginable pressure - and a marriage under unfathomable circumstances.

Hank: 5 Years from the Brink

2013

Crude poster
6.5

The story of lawsuit by tens of thousands of Ecuadorans against Chevron over contamination of the Ecuadorean Amazon.

Crude

2009

Crude poster
6.5

The story of lawsuit by tens of thousands of Ecuadorans against Chevron over contamination of the Ecuadorean Amazon.

Crude

2009

Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger poster
6.4

A documentary that captures the sensational trial of infamous gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger, using the legal proceedings as a springboard to explore allegations of corruption within the highest levels of law enforcement. Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger examines Bulger's relationship with the FBI and Department of Justice that allowed him to reign over a criminal empire in Boston for decades.

Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger

2014

Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger poster
6.4

A documentary that captures the sensational trial of infamous gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger, using the legal proceedings as a springboard to explore allegations of corruption within the highest levels of law enforcement. Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger examines Bulger's relationship with the FBI and Department of Justice that allowed him to reign over a criminal empire in Boston for decades.

Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger

2014

Metallica: This Monster Lives poster
5.8

Ten years after the release of their controversial documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky catch up with the members of the band at the 2013 Toronto film festival world premiere of their 3D feature film, Metallica Through the Never, using the premiere of the new film as a springboard to reflect upon the legacy of Some Kind of Monster, its influence on the band and their experiences during the decade since its release.

Metallica: This Monster Lives

2014

The Longest Wave poster
NR

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger travels the globe with legendary windsurfer and pioneering waterman Robby Naish, a 24-time world champion whose quest to master the world's longest waves unexpectedly reveals his vulnerabilities as a competitor, mentor and father. THE LONGEST WAVE transcends the action sports genre by capturing obstacles outside of the legendary athlete's professional life in an intimate, cinéma-vérité style, revealing Naish balancing the pursuit of excellence at sea with the demands of life's complications on land.

The Longest Wave

2019

The Longest Wave poster
NR

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger travels the globe with legendary windsurfer and pioneering waterman Robby Naish, a 24-time world champion whose quest to master the world's longest waves unexpectedly reveals his vulnerabilities as a competitor, mentor and father. THE LONGEST WAVE transcends the action sports genre by capturing obstacles outside of the legendary athlete's professional life in an intimate, cinéma-vérité style, revealing Naish balancing the pursuit of excellence at sea with the demands of life's complications on land.

The Longest Wave

2019

The Longest Wave poster
NR

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger travels the globe with legendary windsurfer and pioneering waterman Robby Naish, a 24-time world champion whose quest to master the world's longest waves unexpectedly reveals his vulnerabilities as a competitor, mentor and father. THE LONGEST WAVE transcends the action sports genre by capturing obstacles outside of the legendary athlete's professional life in an intimate, cinéma-vérité style, revealing Naish balancing the pursuit of excellence at sea with the demands of life's complications on land.

The Longest Wave

2019

Primetime Preacher$ poster
NR

Chronicles the 1980s golden age of Christian broadcasting, detailing how three of America's most prominent televangelists shifted evangelical Christianity into a massive political force.

Primetime Preacher$

2026

Gray Matter poster
7.0

In the spring of 2002, filmmaker Joe Berlinger traveled to Vienna to witness the burial of the preserved brains of over 700 children killed at a Nazi "euthanasia" clinic. GRAY MATTER chronicles the filmmaker's personal journey as he searches for Dr. Heinrich Gross -- known as the "Austrian Dr. Mengele" -- who allegedly participated in these killings. Along the way Berlinger meets survivors of the clinic, as well as other remarkable individuals, who are confronting a nation that has only begun to grapple with its denial of this horrific legacy.

Gray Matter

2004

Gray Matter poster
7.0

In the spring of 2002, filmmaker Joe Berlinger traveled to Vienna to witness the burial of the preserved brains of over 700 children killed at a Nazi "euthanasia" clinic. GRAY MATTER chronicles the filmmaker's personal journey as he searches for Dr. Heinrich Gross -- known as the "Austrian Dr. Mengele" -- who allegedly participated in these killings. Along the way Berlinger meets survivors of the clinic, as well as other remarkable individuals, who are confronting a nation that has only begun to grapple with its denial of this horrific legacy.

Gray Matter

2004

Intent to Destroy: Death, Denial & Depiction poster
4.8

INTENT TO DESTROY embeds with a historic feature production as a springboard to explore the violent history of the Armenian Genocide and legacy of Turkish suppression and denial over the past century.

Intent to Destroy: Death, Denial & Depiction

2017

Intent to Destroy: Death, Denial & Depiction poster
4.8

INTENT TO DESTROY embeds with a historic feature production as a springboard to explore the violent history of the Armenian Genocide and legacy of Turkish suppression and denial over the past century.

Intent to Destroy: Death, Denial & Depiction

2017

Intent to Destroy: Death, Denial & Depiction poster
4.8

INTENT TO DESTROY embeds with a historic feature production as a springboard to explore the violent history of the Armenian Genocide and legacy of Turkish suppression and denial over the past century.

Intent to Destroy: Death, Denial & Depiction

2017

Brother's Keeper poster
7.1

This documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky details the murder trial of Delbert Ward. Delbert was a member of a family of four elderly brothers, working as semi-literate farmers and living together in isolation from the rest of society until William's death.

Brother's Keeper

1992

Brother's Keeper poster
7.1

This documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky details the murder trial of Delbert Ward. Delbert was a member of a family of four elderly brothers, working as semi-literate farmers and living together in isolation from the rest of society until William's death.

Brother's Keeper

1992

No artwork available
10.0

Each year in the United States, over 200,000 prisoners face a parole board that must make the difficult judgment of whether these convicted criminals are ready to gain their freedom and return to society. This documentary focuses on three inmates in Louisiana, Nevada, and Massachusetts with a range of chilling crimes - a father's murder by his troubled son, a crime of passion by a respected NASA scientist, and a shooting/robbery on the streets of Las Vegas. Incorporating interviews of key characters with extensive testimony footage and reenactment sequences that explore the life and crime of the inmate, the film vividly examines the conflicting needs of the victim, the criminal, and the community while testing our own notions of justice.

Judgment Day: Should the Guilty Go Free

2003

Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders poster
NR

The film festival cut of mini-series Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders, a highly detailed reconstruction of the infamous Clutter family murders, which inspired Truman Capote’s bestseller In Cold Blood, directed by Oscar nominee Joe Berlinger.

Cold Blooded: The Clutter Family Murders

2018

Ubah! poster
NR

You may not know her name, but chances are you have seen Ubah Hassan in commercials for Macy's or Ralph Lauren. This short film takes you into the world of this up-and-coming model, whose life has not always been picture perfect.

Ubah!

2015

No artwork available
NR

A “fail-safe” mechanical failure jams the United States military’s chain of command and sends the country hurtling toward nuclear war. A contemporary remake of Sidney Lumet's 1964 Cold War thriller based on Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler's 1962 novel.

Fail-Safe

—

No artwork available
7.0

An exploration of New York's cabbie subculture.

Outrageous Taxi Stories

1989