Penelope Spheeris

Known for Directing

12/2/1945(Age 80)

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Biography

Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945) is an American director, producer and screenwriter. She is best known as a documentary film director whose works include the trilogy titled The Decline of Western Civilization. She has also directed feature films, including Wayne's World, her highest grossing film.

Known For (23 credits)

5.8

Movie

Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power

2022

Investigates the politics of cinematic shot design, and how this meta-level of filmmaking intersects with the twin epidemics of sexual abuse/assault and employment discrimination against women, with over 80 movie clips from 1896 - 2020.

6.4

Movie

Time Warp Vol. 2: Horror and Sci-Fi

2020

The greatest cult horror and science fiction films of all-time are studied in vivid detail in the second volume of Time Warp. Includes groundbreaking classics like "Night of the Living Dead," and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," and sci-fi gems such as "Blade Runner," and "A Clockwork Orange."

5.5

Reunited Apart

2020

Josh Gad reunites the cast and crews of various classic movies, and discusses the the films in hilarious yet heartfelt conversations.

6.8

Movie

Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness

2020

From "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" to "The Big Lebowski" and everything in between, this fascinating deep-dive documentary begins its celebration of the greatest cult movies of all-time discussing the birth of the midnight movie.

10.0

Movie

At the Video Store

2019

Equal parts personal essay, intense rumination, and playful satire, this movie laments the death of the American Video Store while it searches for the missing human element in today's digital landscape.

7.8

Punk

2019

Featuring original interviews with America’s punk pioneers and the U.K.’s most notorious bands, alongside a seamless blend of rare and unseen photos, gritty archival film and video, a crackling soundtrack of punk hits and misses, this documentary series explores the music, the fashion, the art and the DIY attitude of a subculture of self-described misfits and outcasts.

6.6

Movie

Half the Picture

2018

At a pivotal moment for gender equality in Hollywood, successful women directors talk about their art, lives and careers.

7.1

Movie

Corman's World

2011

A chronicle of the long career of American filmmaker Roger Corman, the most tenacious and ingenious low-budget producer and director in the US film industry, a pioneer of independent filmmaking and discoverer of new talent.

5.0

Movie

Direct Your Own Damn Movie!

2009

Legendary director Lloyd Kaufman, President of Troma Entertainment and Creator of the Toxic Avenger, reveals 40 years worth of maverick cinematic know-how in Direct Your Own Damn Movie! Lloyd offers you the magic key to operating outside the film studio system as well as providing you with the roadmap to script writing, pre-production, casting, managing your set, post-production and the secrets of selling you movie!

5.7

Movie

For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism

2009

The story of American film criticism.

5.3

Movie

The Kid & I

2005

Aaron Roman is a teenager with cerebral palsy who dreams of starring in a big-time action movie. When his father grants Aaron his wish for his eighteenth birthday, he experiences the reality a bit hard to manage.

7.0

Movie

Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession

2004

A documentary on the Z Channel, one of the first pay cable stations in the US, and its programming chief, Jerry Harvey. Debuting in 1974, the LA-based channel's eclectic slate of movies became a prime example of the untapped power of cable television.