Julian Schnabel

Directing

Julian Schnabel

Born 1951-10-26 · Brooklyn, New York, USA

Julian Schnabel is an American artist and filmmaker. In the 1980s Schnabel received international media attention for his "plate paintings"—large-scale paintings set on broken ceramic plates. Schnabel directed Before Night Falls, which became Javier Bardem's breakthrough Academy Award nominated role and the four-time Academy Award nominated The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. He has won a Golden Globe, as well as BAFTA, a César Award, a Golden Palm, two nominations for the Golden Lion and an Academy Award nomination.

Acting credits

Tribeca 25 poster
NR

In the aftermath of 9/11, producers Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal transformed an ambitious effort to revive Lower Manhattan into one of the world's leading cultural institutions. Through rare archival footage, exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes access, art can foster community, confront injustice, and help shape culture.

Tribeca 25

2026

Critic poster
7.9

Seventy critics and filmmakers discuss cinema around the conflict between the artist and the observer, the creator and the critic. Between 1998 and 2007, Kléber Mendonça Filho recorded testimonies about this relationship in Brazil, the United States and Europe, based on his experience as a critic.

Critic

2008

The Hamptons poster
NR

Filmed between May and September of 2001, a documentary about The Hamptons, an area in the eastern part of Long Island, New York, famous for being a vacation spot for the wealthiest Americans: a place where wealthy families can spend the summer and weekends by the beach.

The Hamptons

2002

Goya, Carrière & the Ghost of Buñuel poster
7.5

French writer Jean-Claude Carrière (1931-2021) traces the life and work of Spanish painter Francisco de Goya (1746-1828).

Goya, Carrière & the Ghost of Buñuel

2022

The Trainer poster
6.8

Jack Flex is broke, buff, and wildly delusional—but he’s got a dream: to sell his absurd invention, the Heavy Hat, on his mom’s favorite shopping channel. When a desperate producer gives him a shot, Jack’s web of lies—celebrity clients, Hollywood fame—starts to unravel. With just one week to turn fiction into fact, he sprints through L.A. in a chaotic quest for credibility, hope, and a shot at stardom.

The Trainer

2024

Pixote In Memoriam poster
7.3

A tribute documentary on Fernando Ramos da Silva, the famous child star of the acclaimed film by Hector Babenco, "Pixote, a Lei do Mais Fraco" (1981). 20 years after his assassination by the police, his co-stars and Babenco talk about Fernando's contributions to the film, his troubled life when his acting works didn't took off as expected (since he was typecast) and which made him turn back to his past life of poverty and crimes. The project also presents that film's influence to many directors and artists around the world.

Pixote In Memoriam

2007

Heckler poster
5.9

HECKLER is a comedic feature documentary exploring the increasingly critical world we live in. After starring in a film that was critically bashed, Jamie Kennedy takes on hecklers and critics and ask some interesting questions of people such as George Lucas, Bill Maher, Mike Ditka, Rob Zombie, Howie Mandel and many more. This fast moving, hilarious documentary pulls no punches as you see an uncensored look at just how nasty and mean the fight is between those in the spotlight and those in the dark.

Heckler

2007

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child poster
7.3

A thoughtful portrait of a renowned artist, this documentary shines the spotlight on New York City painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. Featuring extensive interviews conducted by Basquiat's friend, filmmaker Tamra Davis, the production reveals how he dealt with being a black artist in a predominantly white field. The film also explores Basquiat's rise in the art world, which led to a close relationship with Andy Warhol, and looks at how the young painter coped with acclaim, scrutiny and fame.

Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child

2010

Sketches of Frank Gehry poster
6.9

First and foremost, Frank Gehry is an artist. Described as a young child as having golden hands, Frank begins his creation through sketch. Forming thought into substantive sculpture, the marriage of art and architechure is brought to life. Join director Sydney Pollack on a journey into the world and work of the most important architect of our Age.

Sketches of Frank Gehry

2006

Heart of a Dog poster
6.5

Musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson reflects on the deaths of her husband Lou Reed, her mother and her beloved dog.

Heart of a Dog

2015

Along for the Ride poster
7.0

A documentary chronicling the filmmaking career of Dennis Hopper.

Along for the Ride

2016

Dennis Hopper: Uneasy Rider poster
5.8

The life & times of Dennis Hopper, showbiz maestro and Hollywood eccentric.

Dennis Hopper: Uneasy Rider

2016

Lifeline: Clyfford Still poster
8.0

Jackson Pollock said, “he makes the rest of us look academic,” Mark Rothko acknowledged him as a “myth-maker” and Clement Greenberg called him “a highly influential maverick and an independent genius.” Clyfford Still, one of the strongest, most original contributors to abstract expressionism, walked away from the commercial art world at the height of his career. Extremely disciplined, principled, and prolific, Still left behind a treasure trove of works like no other major artist in history. With a wonderful mosaic of archival material, found footage and audio recorded by the artist himself, Lifeline paints a picture of a modern icon, his uncompromising creative journey and the price of independence.

Lifeline: Clyfford Still

2019

Rockets Redglare! poster
7.7

A portrait of Rockets Redglare, the morbidly obese fixture of New York's underground until his death in 2001. Rockets was the sometimes bodyguard/drug dealer of Sid Vicious and Jean Michel Basquiat, as well as a talented stand-up comic and character actor who left his indelible mark wherever he went. This film chronicles Rockets' last days, hunting for methadone in Puerto Rico and telling stories from his past.

Rockets Redglare!

2003

aka Mr. Chow poster
6.6

With his signature circular glasses and mustache, Michael Chow is an exuberant force at the crossroads between eccentricity and sophistication. The famed restaurateur defined “The Moment” with the openings of Mr. Chow, the bustling upscale Chinese eateries that attracted the glitterati of Swingin’ London, 70s Hollywood, and post Studio 54 New York.

aka Mr. Chow

2023

Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies poster
4.4

The influence that artists Pablo Picasso and George Braque had on the world of cinema is the subject of this documentary from filmmaker Arne Glimcher. A lifelong lover of film, Picasso was intrigued by the machines used to create moving pictures, as well as the images they produced. In this film, artists such as Martin Scorsese, Julian Schnabel, Chuck Close, and the late Robert Rauschenberg reveal how Picasso and Braque's shared love of film helped to create some of the greatest art of the 20th Century. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies

2008

The Warhol Effect poster
NR

Lifting the lid on the fascinating last decade of Andy Warhol's life and the legacy he left for future artists, through never-before-seen footage and interviews with insiders.

The Warhol Effect

2024

Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait poster
7.3

A chronicle of the personal life and public career of the celebrated artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel.

Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait

2017

Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments poster
8.3

The inevitable fat cigar between his fingers, the American actor, director and fine artist Dennis Hopper (1936) self-mockingly looks back on his chequered life and career, at the request of Dutch director, photographer and fine artist Thom Hoffman. The latter sifted through the turbulent life story of Hopper, who is primarily known from the cult film Easy Rider (1969). Hopper went through as many high as low points. In conveniently arranged chapters, Hoffman shows the decisive moments in Hopper's life and asks colleagues like Wim Wenders, David Lynch, Sean Penn and Julian Schnabel to comment on them. The documentary is richly illustrated with film excerpts, photos, newspaper articles and anecdotes. The main reason for this film was the retrospective of Dennis Hopper's art work in the Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum in 2001.

Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments

2004

No artwork available
8.0

Andy Warhol, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century (who also coined the immortal catchphrase "In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes"), gets the definitive treatment. This film includes a look into his inner circle and examines both his artistic and personal impact on society. From day-glo Marilyns and Elvises to Campbell's Soup cans to the groovy 1960s and '70s, step into the limelight of the Warhol world.

Andy Warhol: The Complete Picture

2001

Five Directors On The Battle of Algiers poster
10.0

This 17-minute documentary is featured on the 3-Disc Criterion Collection DVD of The Battle of Algiers (1966), released in 2004. An in-depth look at the Battle of Algiers through the eyes of five established and accomplished filmmakers; Spike Lee, Steven Soderbergh, Oliver Stone, Julian Schnabel and Mira Nair. They discuss how the shots, cinematography, set design, sound and editing directly influenced their own work and how the film's sequences look incredibly realistic, despite the claim that everything in the film was staged .

Five Directors On The Battle of Algiers

2004

A New Spirit in Painting: 6 Painters of the 1980's poster
NR

Explores the paths being forged by six modern artists, giving us rare insight into the minds behind this rousing new wave of painting.

A New Spirit in Painting: 6 Painters of the 1980's

1984

Roxanne Lowit Magic Moments poster
NR

The professional life of Roxanne Lowit, one of the greatest fashion photographers and a pioneer of backstage photography, covering her career from 1977 and the Studio 54 until now.

Roxanne Lowit Magic Moments

2016

Behind the camera

In the Hand of Dante poster
5.5

A Vatican priest discovers Dante's original Divine Comedy manuscript. When asked to authenticate it, writer Nick Tosches steals it, while a parallel story follows Dante's quest to create his masterpiece.

In the Hand of Dante

2026

In the Hand of Dante poster
5.5

A Vatican priest discovers Dante's original Divine Comedy manuscript. When asked to authenticate it, writer Nick Tosches steals it, while a parallel story follows Dante's quest to create his masterpiece.

In the Hand of Dante

2026

In the Hand of Dante poster
5.5

A Vatican priest discovers Dante's original Divine Comedy manuscript. When asked to authenticate it, writer Nick Tosches steals it, while a parallel story follows Dante's quest to create his masterpiece.

In the Hand of Dante

2026

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly poster
7.6

Jean-Dominique Bauby, editor-in-chief of French fashion bible Elle magazine, has a devastating stroke at age 43. The damage to his brain stem results in locked-in syndrome, with which he is almost completely paralyzed and only able to communicate by blinking an eye. Bauby painstakingly dictates his memoir via the only means of expression left to him.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

2007

At Eternity's Gate poster
7.0

Famed but tormented artist Vincent van Gogh spends his final years in Arles, France, painting masterworks of the natural world that surrounds him.

At Eternity's Gate

2018

At Eternity's Gate poster
7.0

Famed but tormented artist Vincent van Gogh spends his final years in Arles, France, painting masterworks of the natural world that surrounds him.

At Eternity's Gate

2018

Before Night Falls poster
6.7

Spanning several decades, this powerful biopic offers a glimpse into the life of famed Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, an artist who was vilified for his homosexuality in Fidel Castro's Cuba.

Before Night Falls

2000

Before Night Falls poster
6.7

Spanning several decades, this powerful biopic offers a glimpse into the life of famed Cuban poet and novelist Reinaldo Arenas, an artist who was vilified for his homosexuality in Fidel Castro's Cuba.

Before Night Falls

2000

Basquiat poster
6.6

The brief life of Jean Michel Basquiat, a world renowned New York street artist struggling with fame, drugs and his identity.

Basquiat

1996

Basquiat poster
6.6

The brief life of Jean Michel Basquiat, a world renowned New York street artist struggling with fame, drugs and his identity.

Basquiat

1996

Miral poster
5.8

A drama centered on an orphaned Palestinian girl growing up in the wake of the first Arab-Israeli war who finds herself drawn into the conflict.

Miral

2010

Lou Reed's Berlin poster
6.8

Lou Reed recorded the album Berlin in 1973. It was a commercial failure. Over the next 33 years, he never performed the album live. For five nights in December 2006 at St. Ann's Warehouse Brooklyn, Lou Reed performed his masterwork about love's dark sisters: jealousy, rage and loss.

Lou Reed's Berlin

2007