List of films based on actual events

This is a list of feature films that are based on actual events. Not all movies have remained true to the genuine history of the event or the characters they are portraying, often adding action and drama to increase the substance and popularity of the movie. True story movies gained popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s with the production of movies based on actual events that first aired on CBS, ABC, and NBC.

1890s

• Major Wilson's Last Stand (1899) — A short war film dramatising the final engagement of the Shangani Patrol and the death of Major Allan Wilson and his men in Rhodesia in 1893

1900s

• The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906) — Follows the life of the legendary bushranger Ned Kelly, often cited as the first full-length feature film

1920s

• The Battleship Potemkin (1925) — Sergei Eisenstein's classic silent film based on a mutiny that occurred in 1905 during the Tsarist regime when the crew of the Russian battleship Potemkin rebelled against their officers
• The Johnstown Flood (1926) — An American silent epic film depicting the Johnstown Flood of 1889 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
• Chicago (1927) — Phyllis Haver plays Roxie Hart in this silent film based on the 1926 play Chicago by Maurine Dallas Watkins, which was inspired by the stories of Belva Gaertner and Beulah Annan, jazz babies on death row. Remade in 2002.
• The General (1927) — Silent film chronicling the 1862 theft of a railroad locomotive and its recovery by an overlooked "little guy"
• Napoléon (1927) — Sweeping French epic recounting the early life and career of Napoleon Bonaparte, from his boyhood through his successful invasion of Italy

1930s

• Rasputin and the Empress (1932) — Passion and politics in the court of Czar Nicholas II
• In the Wake of the Bounty (1933) — Australian film about the Mutiny on the Bounty
• Cleopatra (1934) — A retelling of the story of Cleopatra VII
• Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) — The first Hollywood depiction of the mutiny-at-sea tale, with Clark Gable and Charles Laughton
• San Francisco (1936) — Hurly-burly of the Barbary Coast, quickly quashed by the infamous 1906 San Francisco earthquake
• You Only Live Once (1937) — Though named Eddie and Joan, the two main characters are loosely based on Bonnie and Clyde, just three years after the outlaws' deaths
• Marie Antoinette (1938) — Based on the life of Marie Antoinette, from her betrothal to Louis XVI, through her reign as the last queen of France, to her execution
• Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) — The future president (portrayed by Henry Fonda) finds success as a lawyer — and finds himself a wife (played by Marjorie Weaver)

1940s

• Edison, The Man (1940) — In flashback, 50 years after inventing the light bulb, an 82-year-old Thomas Edison tells his story beginning at age 22 with his arrival in New York
• Young Tom Edison (1940) — A chronicle of inventor Thomas Edison's boyhood, showing him as a lad whose early inventions and scientific experiments frequently end in disastrous results, until a life-or-death event in his home town redeems him and his ideas
• Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940) — Based on Dr. Paul Ehrlich's pioneer work in the chemical treatment of diseases such as TB and syphilis
• Citizen Kane (1941) — Inspired by true events in the life of publisher William Randolph Hearst
• Sergeant York (1941) — Alvin C. York, a pacifist from the Tennessee hills, becomes the most decorated American soldier of World War I. Gary Cooper won the Academy Award for Best Actor in the film directed by Howard Hawks.
• The Pride of the Yankees (1942) — a film based on NY Yankees first baseman, Lou Gehrig
• Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) — Story of George M. Cohan, the actor, singer, dancer, playwright, songwriter, producer, theatre owner, director, and choreographer known as "The Man Who Owns Broadway"
• Gentleman Jim (1942) — a film based on the autobiography, The Roar of the Crowd, about world heavyweight boxing champion James J. Corbett
• The Fighting Sullivans (1944) — Story of the Sullivan brothers from Iowa and the sinking of the USS Juneau (CL-52)
• The Fighting Rats of Tobruk (1944) — a film telling the story of the Siege of Tobruk where the Allies held out for 250 days against Rommel's Afrika Korps in 1942.
• Dillinger (1945) — An early outlaw depiction, starring Lawrence Tierney, using footage cannibalized from Lang's You Only Live Once
• Night and Day (1946) — Loosely based on the life of songwriter Cole Porter, played by Cary Grant
• Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) — Loosely based on the life of songwriter Jerome Kern, with an all-star cast including Sinatra, Garland, and Lena Horne
• Boomerang (1947) – Based on the true story of a vagrant accused of murder, only to be found innocent through the efforts of the prosecutor.
• Call Northside 777 (1948) — Documentary-style film noir based on the true story of a Chicago reporter who proved that a man imprisoned for murder was wrongly convicted.
• Rope (1948) — Two young men attempt to prove their superiority by performing the "perfect murder" of a former classmate, hiding his body in a chest in their apartment, then serve dinner off it for a party, in a story based on a 1929 play that was inspired by the Leopold and Loeb murder in 1924, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
• Scott of the Antarctic (1948) — depicts Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition and his attempt to be the first to reach the South Pole
• Words and Music (1948) – Story of the songwriting partnership of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

1950s

• The Wooden Horse (1950) – Director Jack Lee. The story of an escape by three officers from Stalag Luft III. All successfully made it to England. Starring Leo Genn, Anthony Steel and David Tomlinson.
• Young Man with a Horn (1950) — Inspired by the life of self-taught cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, who set new standards in jazz but succumbed to alcoholism at age 28, a tragedy that the movie replaced with a happy ending^[1]
• 5 Fingers (1951) — James Mason plays Cicero, a World War II-era spy in Ankara, Turkey, and the highest-paid spy in history
• Appointment with Venus (1951) – A film based on the evacuation of Alderney cattle from the Channel Islands during World War II
• The Desert Fox (1951) — German general Erwin Rommel evades the Allies in North Africa, but not the Gestapo back home
• A Place in the Sun (1951) — Update of Dreiser's An American Tragedy in which Chester Gillette was executed for drowning his pregnant girlfriend
• I'll See You in My Dreams (1951) Director Michael Curtiz. The story of legendary lyricist Gus Khan, one of the most prolific songwriters of the 20th Century. Starring Danny Thomas and Doris Day.
• Moulin Rouge (1952) — John Huston's colorful film about the artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
• Gift Horse (USA as Glory at Sea) (1952) – The second half of the movie is based on what is known as "The Greatest Raid of All" which was to blow up the dock at St Nazaire by slamming it with an explosive loaded ship in World War II. Starring Trevor Howard and Richard Attenborough.
• Albert R.N. (1953) — the true story of British prisoners-of-war that make a dummy, "Albert", and use at roll call in order to trick German guards
• Houdini (1953) — Fanciful account of the life of magician and escapologist Harry Houdini, starring Tony Curtis
• Titanic (1953) — Film about the RMS Titanic.
• The Colditz Story (1955) — A prisoner of war film based on the book written by Pat Reid, Escape Officer for British POWs imprisoned in Oflag IV-C, Colditz Castle in Germany during WW II
• The Dam Busters (1955) — Depiction of the Operation Chastise, technically challenging raids against German dams in World War II, which required the development of "bouncing bombs"
• Sardar (1955) — Based on life of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of India's greatest freedom fighters and the first Home Minister of India
• To Hell and Back (1955) — A biographical film in which Audie Murphy, America's most decorated soldier, played himself at the studio's urging, although Murphy wanted Tony Curtis for the role
• Lust for Life (1956) — An MGM biographical film about force-of-nature painter Vincent van Gogh, played by Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn plays Paul Gauguin
• The Battle of the River Plate (1956) — A film with Anthony Quayle about the hunt for the German pocket battleship Graf Spee
• The Wrong Man (1956) — An Alfred Hitchcock film with Henry Fonda portraying a man wrongly accused of armed robbery
• Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) — The life of silent film actor Lon Chaney, Sr., the child of deaf-mute parents, played by James Cagney
• Portland Exposé (1957) — A film noir based on Jim Elkins, ringleader of a crime syndicate in Portland, Oregon
• The Spirit of St. Louis (1957) — The depiction of Charles Lindbergh's first solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927, with James Stewart as "Lucky Lindy"
• The Yangtse Incident (1957) — The story of HMS Amethyst. A war film telling the story of a British frigate caught up in the Chinese Civil War.
• I Want to Live! (1958) — Heavily fictionalized story of Barbara Graham, a woman convicted of murder and facing execution
• I Was Monty's Double (1958) – Based on the autobiography of M. E. Clifton James, who pretended to be General Montgomery as part of a campaign of disinformation during World War II
• The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) — The story of Gladys Aylward rescuing Chinese orphaned children
• A Night to Remember (1958) — A documentary-style retelling of the Titanic's demise, from the book 1955 book by Walter Lord
• Too Much, Too Soon (1958) — The unfortunate story of Diana Barrymore, daughter of John Barrymore based on her autobiography.
• The Five Pennies (1959) — a semi-biographical 1959 film starring Danny Kaye as cornet player and bandleader Red Nichols

1960s

1960

• Psycho (1960) – Inspired by the crimes of the real-life serial killer, Ed Gein.
• Sink the Bismarck! (1960) – The behemoth Bismarck is wanted by the Royal Navy after sinking their prized battlecruiser HMS Hood and is chased throughout the North Atlantic before being bombarded and sent to the bottom in May 1941.
• Spartacus (1960) — Stanley Kubrick's epic treatment of the Roman slave revolt known as the Third Servile War in 73 B.C.

1961

• Cast a Giant Shadow (1961) – The life of Colonel Mickey Marcus, who volunteered to help Israel in the war of independence, starring Kirk Douglas
• El Cid (1961) — A highly romanticized story of the life of the Castilian knight El Cid
• The Great Impostor (1961) – A film based on the life of Ferdinand Waldo Demara, starring Tony Curtis
• Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) — Spencer Tracy portrays an American judge in Nuremberg in 1948, assigned to preside over the trial of four German judges, each allegedly guilty of war crimes, charged with having abused the court system to help cleanse Nazi Germany of the politically and socially undesirable
• Kappalottiya Thamizhan (1961) – Indian Tamil film based on the life of V. O. Chidambaram Pillai, starring Sivaji Ganesan and Gemini Ganesan

1962

• Birdman of Alcatraz (1962) — Burt Lancaster portrays convicted murderer Robert Stroud
• The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) — William Holden stars as World War II spy Eric Erickson, whose life view is broadened by the woman he loved (played by Lilli Palmer)
• Gypsy (1962) — A musical film about the relationship between legendary stripper Gypsy Rose Lee and her irrepressible stage mother, adapted from the Broadway show, which was in turn based on Lee's memoir
• Lawrence of Arabia (1962) — David Lean's epic about T. E. Lawrence
• The Longest Day (1962) — A depiction of "D-Day", the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944, during World War II
• The Miracle Worker (1962) — The story of blind and deaf humanitarian Helen Keller and her teacher, the titular Annie Sullivan
• Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) — A retelling of the famous mutiny
• The Password is Courage (1962) – A somewhat blasé version of the exploits of British Sergeant-Major Charles Coward who was a POW in World War II. He was bizarrely awarded the Iron Cross. He also smuggled himself into Auschwitz and gave testimony at the Nuremberg Trials. Starring Dirk Bogarde with a cameo appearance by Coward.

1963

• Cleopatra (1963) — Chronicles the struggles of Cleopatra VII, the young Queen of Egypt, to resist the imperialist ambitions of Rome
• The Great Escape (1963) — Allied prisoners attempt a mass, 175-man breakout of Stalag Luft III. 76 escaped.^[2]
• Miracle of the White Stallions (1963) – A film about the evacuation of the Lipizzaner horses from the Spanish Riding School in Vienna during World War II
• PT 109 (1963) — U.S. President John F. Kennedy's exploits and heroism as captain of the ill-fated patrol boat, cut in half by a Japanese destroyer during World War II
• The Sadist (1963) — First feature film loosely based on the teenage serial killers Charles Starkweather and his girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate

1964

• Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) — An epic battle film starring Sophia Loren, Stephen Boyd, Alec Guinness, James Mason, Christopher Plummer, Mel Ferrer and Omar Sharif, directed by Anthony Mann
• Zulu (1964) — An historical war film depicting the Battle of Rorke's Drift between the British Army and the Zulus in January 1879

1965

• Harlow (1965) — A biographical film about the life of film star Jean Harlow, starring Carroll Baker in the title role
• The Sound of Music (1965) — The story of the Von Trapp family, with Julie Andrews as the young woman who leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to a widowed naval officer's seven children

1966

• The Battle of Algiers (1966) — Based on events during the Algerian War (1954–62) against French colonial rule in North Africa, the most prominent being the titular Battle of Algiers
• Born Free (1966) — Based on the true events with Joy and George Adamson, a real-life couple who raised Elsa the Lioness, an orphaned lion cub, to adulthood, and released her into the wilderness of Kenya

1967

• Bonnie and Clyde (1967) – A highly romanticized story of outlaw couple Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway
• In Cold Blood (1967) – The account of the Clutter family murder in 1959 Kansas, adapted from Truman Capote's book of the same name
• The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967) – Based on the true events leading to the 1929 murder of seven mob associates of the North Side gang, led by Al Capone's South Side gang, starring Jason Robards

1968

• The Boston Strangler (1968) – Tony Curtis is Albert DeSalvo, convicted and imprisoned for the Boston area "Green Man" rapes and suspected of the murders of 13 women from 1962 through 1964
• Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) – A British film about the Crimean War and the events leading up to the charge of the Light Brigade, an event immortalized by the 1854 poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

1969

• Battle of Britain (1969) – The dogfights between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe, resulting in the failure of Hitler's Operation Sea Lion
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) – An account of an outlaw pair who flee the closing Old West for greener pastures in Bolivia
• Ring of Bright Water (1969) – Loosely based on Gavin Maxwell's autobiographical book of the same name, about his life with pet otters in Scotland

1970s

1970

• Airport (1970) — Based on the Continental Airlines Flight 11 suicide bombing.
• Cromwell (1970) — A British historical drama film, based on the life of Oliver Cromwell, who led the Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War
• Patton (1970) — The biographical story of U.S. General George S. Patton
• Shangani Patrol (1970) — A war film, shot on location in Rhodesia, based on the pursuit of King Lobengula in 1893, ending with the heroic last stand of Major Allan Wilson and his men
• Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970) — Sprawling Japanese and American production of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor

1971

• 10 Rillington Place (1971) — A depiction of the events surrounding the wrongful execution of Timothy Evans, a Welshman framed for the death of his daughter by his landlord, English serial killer John Christie, who killed women in his flat at 10 Rillington Place (parts of the film were filmed in the actual location) Only the exterior shots were filmed of Number 10. The interiors were shot in Number 7.
• Brian's Song (1971) — The story of Brian Piccolo, a running back for the Chicago Bears, his cross-racial friendship with teammate Gale Sayers, and his ultimately losing battle with cancer, starring James Caan as Piccolo and Billy Dee Williams as Sayers
• Dirty Harry (1971) – The film was inspired by the Zodiac killings of the 1960s and early 70s. The detective on the case, Dave Toschi, was the inspiration for Harry Callahan and Frank Bullitt in Bullitt (1968).
• The French Connection (1971) — Based on the story of drug smuggling from Marseilles to New York City in the 1960s
• Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) — Czar Nicholas II, the inept monarch of Russia insensitive to the needs of his people, is overthrown and exiled to Siberia with his family

1972

• Lady Sings the Blues (1972) — A film about jazz singer Billie Holiday, loosely based on her 1956 autobiography

1973

• Badlands (1973) — A fictionalized account of the 1957 Nebraska murder spree by Charles Starkweather and his 15-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate
• Dillinger (1973) — The story of the 1930s gangster, starring Warren Oates
• The Exorcist (1973) — Based on William Peter Blatty's novel of the same name, which is based on a 1949 case of demonic possession that Blatty heard about as a student at Georgetown University
• Papillon (1973) — Based on the life of French convict Henri Charrière
• Serpico (1973) — The story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, played by Al Pacino, directed by Sidney Lumet
• Walking Tall (1973) — Film about real life Sheriff Buford Pusser, a former wrestler turned lawman in McNairy County, Tennessee.

1974

• Lenny (1974) — A biographical film about the comedian Lenny Bruce
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) — A horror film based on the murders of 2 women by Ed Gein.

1975

• Dersu Uzala (1975) — A Soviet-Japanese co-production film based on the 1923 memoir Dersu Uzala by Russian explorer Vladimir Arsenyev
• Dog Day Afternoon (1975) — A depiction of the events surrounding a 1972 Brooklyn bank robbery, which American bank robber John Wojtowicz, played by Al Pacino, said was "only 30% true"
• The Hindenburg (1975) — A depiction of German airship LZ 129 Hindenburg, which exploded on landing in 1937, the film's sabotage theme was superseded by new evidence in the 1990s
• Jaws (1975) – A thriller film based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name, which was based on shark attacks
• The Legend of Lizzie Borden – a made-for-television movie directed by Paul Wendkos and starring Elizabeth Montgomery, this film was based on the 1892 trial of Lizzie Borden and presented an fictionalized scenario in which Lizzie could have successfully gotten away with murder.

1976

• All the President's Men (1976) — Reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal leading to President Nixon's resignation
• Bound For Glory (1976) — A biopic about Depression-era folksinger and social advocate Woody Guthrie
• Helter Skelter (1976) — An account of the Tate/Leno and Rosemary LaBianca murders in Los Angeles in 1969, perpetrated by the Manson Family
• Sybil (TV 1976) — Inspired by the life of Shirley Ardell Mason, who was diagnosed with multiple personality disorder
• The Town That Dreaded Sundown — loosely based on the actual crimes attributed to an unidentified serial killer known as the Phantom Killer that terrorized the residents in the town of Texarkana, Texas.

1977

• A Bridge Too Far (1977) — The story of the failure of Operation Market Garden during World War II
• MacArthur (1977) — A retelling of World War II-era General of the Army Douglas MacArthur's life from 1942, before the Battle of Bataan, to 1952, after he had been removed from his Korean War command by President Truman for insubordination
• Operation Thunderbolt (1977) — Based on the Israeli commando raid in Entebbe, Uganda, to release more than 100 hostages

1978

• The Buddy Holly Story (1978) — A biopic about Texas musician Buddy Holly
• Midnight Express (1978) — Based on the book by William Hayes and his experiences after he is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison

1979

• The Amityville Horror (1979) — Based on the alleged real-life experiences of the Lutz family, who buys a new home in Long Island, only to flee after they experience a series of frightening paranormal events along with the murders of the DeFeo family by Ronald DeFeo, Jr.
• Escape from Alcatraz (1979) — A 1979 American prison film, directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood, based on true events, dramatizing possibly the only successful escape attempt from the maximum security prison on Alcatraz Island
• Norma Rae (1979) — Based on the true story of Crystal Lee Jordan. Sally Field plays Norma Rae, who works in a North Carolina textile mill, and becomes involved in organizing a union

1980s

1980

• Breaker Morant (1980) — Based on the 1902 court martial of Breaker Morant during the Boer War
• Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) — Adapted from the autobiographical book by Loretta Lynn and George Vecsey, directed by Michael Apted
• The Elephant Man (1980) — The story of Joseph Merrick, an Englishman with severe deformities who was exhibited as a human curiosity named the Elephant Man, directed by David Lynch
• McVicar (1980) – Based on the story of British gangster John McVicar played by The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey
• Raging Bull (1980) — Based on the life and career of middleweight boxing champ Jake LaMotta, played by Robert De Niro

1981

• Gallipoli (1981) — A depiction of the Anzac battlefield at Gallipoli and the Battle of the Nek on August 7, 1915
• Mommie Dearest (1981) — Based on controversial biography by Joan Crawford's adopted daughter Christina Crawford, the film documents the later years of Joan's career and her alleged abuse against her daughter.
• Reds (1981) — The American journalist and radical John Reed becomes involved with the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, during which he wrote Ten Days That Shook the World.

1982

• Frances (1982) — Based on the story of actress Frances Farmer, who battled the studio system and mental illness
• Gandhi (1982) — A biographical film based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi

1983

• 10 to Midnight (1983) — Parallels the murders committed by American mass murderer Richard Speck, directed by J. Lee Thompson
• Adi Shankaracharya (1983) — A Sanskrit film based on the life of philosopher Adi Shankaracharya by G. V. Iyer
• Cross Creek (1983) — Mary Steenburgen stars as The Yearling author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, based in part on the author's 1942 memoir, Cross Creek
• The Right Stuff (1983) — Based on Tom Wolfe's 1979 book about the test pilots involved in early high-speed aeronautical research and the United States' first attempt at manned spaceflight
• Silkwood (1983) — Inspired by the true-life story of Karen Silkwood, who died in a suspicious car accident while investigating alleged wrongdoing at the Kerr-McGee plutonium plant where she worked

1984

• Amadeus (1984) — A story adapted by playwright Peter Shaffer, directed by Miloš Forman, based on the theory that composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was murdered by fellow composer Antonio Salieri
• The Burning Bed (1984) — A story, based on the true story of Francine Hughes (played by Farrah Fawcett), an abused battered wife has enough of her abusive husband and, after he rapes her one night, she sets the bed on fire with him asleep in it
• The Killing Fields (1984) — Based on the Cambodian civil war

1985

• Dance With a Stranger (1985). Directed by Mike Newell. The story of Ruth Ellis, the society hostess who was the last woman to be hanged in Britain, Starring Miranda Richardson.
• The Doctor and the Devils (1985) – Based on the 1828 Burke and Hare murders, though the names of the characters have been changed.
• The Emerald Forest (1985) — Loosely based on the (semi-confirmed) true story of a Peruvian worker whose son was abducted by Amazonian indigenous people
• The Falcon and the Snowman (1985) — Based on the story of childhood friends, Christopher Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee, turned traitor spies
• Marie (1985) — Based on Marie Ragghianti's exposure of the 1970s Tennessee Board of Parole scandals, adapted from the book Marie: A True Story by Peter Maas
• Out of Africa (1985) — recounts events of the seventeen years when Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke lived in Kenya, then called British East Africa, on a coffee plantation
• Sweet Dreams (1985) — The story of country music legend Patsy Cline, played by Jessica Lange

1986

• Act of Vengeance (1986) — Based on the Joseph Yablonski family murders in connection with the United Mine Workers
• At Close Range (1986) — Based on the rural Pennsylvania crime family led by Bruce Johnston, Sr, directed by James Foley
• The Delta Force (1986) — Based heavily on the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 in 1985, directed by Menahem Golan
• Heartburn (1986) — Based on Nora Ephron's autobiographical novel about the breakup of her marriage to Carl Bernstein
• Hoosiers (1986) — Based loosely on the 1953-54 Milan High School basketball team, winners of that year's Indiana state high school basketball championship, despite representing a school of only 160 students
• The Mission (1986) — A depiction of the experiences of 18th century Jesuits in South America, starring Robert De Niro
• Salvador (1986) — The story of an American journalist in El Salvador during the Salvadoran civil war
• Sid and Nancy (1986) — Based on the relationship of Sex Pistols bassist, Sid Vicious and his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, Sid's drug use, and the controversy surrounding Nancy's death

1987

• Cry Freedom (1987) — Based on the life of South African activist Steve Biko
• Full Metal Jacket (1987) — Based on the book The Short-Timers, which tells of the experience of a soldier during the Vietnam War
• La Bamba (1987) — Based on the real life events affecting the lives of rock star Ritchie Valens, his half-brother Bob Morales, his girlfriend Donna Ludwig and their families
• The Last Emperor (1987) — Based on the life of Chinese emperor Pu Yi
• Matewan (1987) — John Sayles' film dramatizing the events of the Battle of Matewan, a coal miners' strike in 1920 in Matewan, a small town in the hills of West Virginia
• Nayagan (1987) — Based on the life of underworld don Varadarajan Mudaliar
• The Untouchables (1987) — Loosely based on the 1930s crackdown on Chicago gangster Al Capone by the United States Department of the Treasury agent Eliot Ness
• White Mischief (1987) — Based on the events of Sir John "Jock" Delves Broughton and the Happy Valley set in 1940 during World War II

1988

• The Accused (1988) — A depiction of two trials for the 1983 gang rape of Cheryl Araujo at Big Dan's Tavern in New Bedford, Massachusetts, this film frankly addresses the unspoken prejudice against rape victims
• The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank (1988) — based on Miep Gies' book Anne Frank Remembered which documents her life in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II
• Bird (1988) — Forest Whitaker portrays the troubled life of jazz musician Charlie 'Bird' Parker, directed by Clint Eastwood
• Bloody Wednesday (1988) — Based on the San Ysidro McDonald's massacre
• Buster (1988) – About the Great Train Robber Buster Edwards played by the rock drummer Phil Collins
• A Cry in the Dark (1988) — Meryl Streep, with an Australian accent, plays an unlikeable woman convicted of her child's murder by the court of public opinion, directed by Fred Schepisi
• Eight Men Out (1988) — Based on the Black Sox scandal during the play of Major League Baseball's 1919 World Series
• Mississippi Burning (1988) — Based on the FBI investigation following the 1964 slayings of three political activists, directed by Alan Parker
• Talk Radio (1988) — Based on the assassination of radio host Alan Berg, directed by Oliver Stone
• Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) — The story of Preston Tucker, the maverick car designer and his ill-fated challenge to the auto industry with his revolutionary car concept, the 1948 Tucker Sedan

1989

• Born On The Fourth Of July (1989) — The autobiography of Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic, directed by Oliver Stone
• Casualties of War (1989) — Based on the events of the incident on Hill 192 in 1966 during the Vietnam War
• A City of Sadness (1989) — Based on the February 28 Incident, telling the story of a family embroiled in the tragic "White Terror" that was wrought on the Taiwanese people by the Kuomintang government (KMT) after their arrival from mainland China in the late 1940s, during which tens of thousands of Taiwanese were rounded up, shot, and/or sent to prison, the film won the Golden Lion award (Best Film Award) at the 1989 Venice Film Festival
• A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story (1989) — An NBC TV movie based on the 1985 ruling Thurman v. City of Torrington, concerning a Connecticut homemaker who sued the city police department in Torrington, Connecticut, claiming a failure of equal protection under the law against her abusive husband, starring Nancy McKeon as Tracey, Dale Midkiff as Buck, and Bruce Weitz as Tracey's lawyer, Burton Weinstein
• Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure (1989) — Based on the story of Jessica McClure, an 18-month-old toddler who became stuck in a well in the backyard of her home in Midland, Texas, for 58 hours
• Glory (1989) — Based on the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry during the American Civil War, directed by Edward Zwick
• I Know My First Name Is Steven (1989) — The true story of Steven Stayner's life after being kidnapped at the age of seven and held with his captor and physically abused for seven years, before his release after ransom is paid.
• My Left Foot (1989) — The story of Christy Brown, a disabled Irish writer who could type only with the toes on his left foot
• Resurrected (1989) — Based on the story of the British soldier Philip Williams, who is presumed dead and left behind in the Falkland Islands but is accused of desertion when he reappears seven weeks after the end of the Falklands War
• Small Sacrifices (1989) — An American made-for-TV movie written by Joyce Eliason and based on the best-selling true crime book by Ann Rule of the same name about Diane Downs and the murder and attempted murder of her three children, starring Farrah Fawcett

1990s

1990

• Awakenings (1990) — An American drama film based on British neurologist Oliver Sacks's memoir of the same title, about his discovery of the beneficial effects of the drug L-DOPA, which he administered to catatonic patients, who awakened after decades of catatonia, directed by Penny Marshall
• Europa Europa (1990) — A German film based on the true story of author and motivational speaker Solomon Perel's life
• GoodFellas (1990) — Based on the book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, the true story of New York City mobster Henry Hill, directed by Martin Scorsese
• The Krays (1990) — A trendy take on the criminally insane East End gangsters the Kray twins, who enjoyed a brief, black-humored celebrity during London's Swinging Sixties
• Not Without My Daughter (1990) — The story of American author and public speaker Betty Mahmoody, who was abducted and held hostage with her daughter in Iran, directed by Brian Gilbert
• Reversal of Fortune (1990) — The true story of the unexplained coma of socialite Sunny von Bülow, the subsequent attempted murder trial, and the eventual acquittal of her husband, Claus von Bülow, who was defended by Alan Dershowitz.
• Too Young to Die? (1990) — A television movie starring Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis, touching on the debate concerning the death penalty, loosely based on the true story of Attina Marie Cannaday
• Vincent & Theo (1990) — The intense relationship between an art dealer Vincent van Gogh and his alienated older brother Theo, directed by Robert Altman
• White Hunter Black Heart (1990) — Based on the location filming of The African Queen in 1951

1991

• As One (1991) – Based on the true story of North and South Korea's struggle to compete as a unified team, and their subsequent claim on the 1991 World Table Tennis Championship title
• The Boys from St. Petri (1991) — A Danish World War II film inspired by the activities of the Churchill Club
• Bugsy (1991) — The glamorized and sanitized story of mobster Bugsy Siegel, the putative father of the Las Vegas Strip, directed by Barry Levinson
• The Doors (1991) — Based on the life of Jim Morrison before his death in Paris, directed by Oliver Stone
• JFK (1991) — Loosely based on New Orleans DA Jim Garrison's late-1960s prosecution of defendant Clay Shaw — in addition to pieces of a half-dozen other conspiracy theories — in the John F. Kennedy assassination
• Let Him Have It (1991) – The story of the murder of a London policeman killed during an attempted break in by Christopher Craig and Derek Bentley. Covers the subsequent trial and execution of what has turned out to be an innocent man. Starring Christopher Eccleston and Paul Reynolds. Directed by Peter Medak.
• Mission of the Shark (1991) — Based on the saga of the USS Indianapolis (CA-35)
• Switched at Birth (1991) — The true story of Kimberly Mays and Arlena Twigg, babies switched soon after birth in a Florida hospital in 1978

1992

• A League of Their Own (1992) — Based on the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during World War II
• Lorenzo's Oil (1992) — Based on the true story of Augusto and Michaela Odone, two parents in a relentless search for a cure for their son Lorenzo's adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD).
• Malcolm X (1992) – Bio-epic of the controversial and influential Black leader. Dir. Spike Lee

1993

• Alive (1993) — Based on the Piers Paul Read book that tells the story of the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in 1972, directed by Frank Marshall
• The Amy Fisher Story (1993) — A television film dramatizing the events surrounding Amy Fisher's teenage affair with Joey Buttafuoco and her conviction for aggravated assault in the shooting of Buttafuoco's wife Mary Jo
• And the Band Played On (1993) — An American television film docudrama adapted from the book of the same title by Randy Shilts, chronicling the discovery and spread of HIV and AIDS, with emphasis on government indifference and political infighting to what was then perceived as a specifically gay disease, directed by Roger Spottiswoode
• Cool Runnings (1993) — Based on the true story of the first Jamaican bobsled team trying to make it to the 1988 Winter Olympics, directed by Jon Turteltaub
• Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993) — American biographical drama film written and directed by Rob Cohen, and starring Jason Scott Lee, Lauren Holly
• Fire in the Sky (1993) — A science fiction horror drama film based on an alleged extraterrestrial encounter, in which a group of men who were clearing bush for the government arrive back in town, claiming that their friend was abducted by aliens. Nobody believes them and, despite a lack of motive and no evidence of foul play, their friend's disappearance is treated as murder.
• Gettysburg (1993) — Based on the story of the Battle of Gettysburg, and originally made to be a TV minseries, it is one of the longest feature films ever released at 254 minutes
• Heaven & Earth (1993) — Based on the experiences of Le Ly Hayslip during the Vietnam War
• The Puppetmaster (1993) — The story of Li Tian-lu, who becomes a master puppeteer but is faced with demands to turn his skills to propaganda during Japanese-ruled Taiwan from pre-1896 to the end of World War II in 1945. The film won the Jury Prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival and the FIPRESCI Prize at Istanbul International Film Festival.
• Rudy (1993) — Based on the story of Notre Dame football walk-on Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, directed by David Anspaugh
• Sardar (1993) – Based on life of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, one of India's greatest freedom fighters and the 1st Home Minister of India
• Schindler's List (1993) — Adapted from the book Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally about Oskar Schindler and his actions to save over 1,000 Jews from the Holocaust, directed by Steven Spielberg

1994

• 8 Seconds (1994) — Based on the story of American rodeo legend Lane Frost (played by Luke Perry), who died from injuries sustained riding a bull at the 1989 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo
• Ed Wood (1994) — Based on the story of film director Edward D. Wood Jr., starring Johnny Depp as Ed Wood and Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi, and directed by Tim Burton
• Heavenly Creatures (1994) — Based on the true story of Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker, principals in the 1954 Parker–Hulme murder case in New Zealand
• The Madness of King George (1994) — The true story of King George III's deteriorating mental health, which stemmed from porphyria, based on the play The Madness of George III
• Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) — About writer Dorothy Parker and the members of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of writers, actors and critics who met almost daily from 1919 to 1929 at Manhattan's Algonquin Hotel
• Quiz Show (1994) — Adapted from a book by Richard N. Goodwin about the real-life American television quiz show scandals of the 1950s, directed by Robert Redford

1995

• Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story (1995/TV) – This made-for-cable drama chronicles the life and premature death of NBC anchorwoman Jessica Savitch.
• Apollo 13 (1995) — The story of the Apollo 13 lunar mission, based on the book Lost Moon by Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger, directed by Ron Howard
• Balto (1995) — A live-action/animated historical adventure account of Balto, a Siberian husky who helped make the 1925 serum run to Nome
• The Basketball Diaries (1995) — Based on the autobiographical book of the same name by author and musician Jim Carroll, an edited collection of diaries he kept between the ages of 12 and 16.
• Bombay (1995) — An Indian Tamil bilingual film centered on the 1993 Bombay riots
• Braveheart (1995) — An historical drama war film based on the story of William Wallace of Scotland, a 13th-century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence against King Edward I of England, directed by and starring Mel Gibson
• Casino (1995) — A Pileggi/Scorsese collaboration telling the story of the last mafia-run casino in Las Vegas, the fictional Tangiers, based on Frank Rosenthal, who ran the Stardust, Fremont, and Hacienda casinos in Las Vegas for the Chicago Outfit from the 1970s until the early 1980s
• Dangerous Minds (1995) — Based on the story of teacher LouAnne Johnson who takes on the challenge of an unruly class and wins them over
• Heat (1995) — Loosely based on Chicago police officer Chuck Adamson's pursuit of career criminal Neil McCauley in the 1960s, starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, directed and produced by Michael Mann
• Nixon (1995) — The story of American President Richard Nixon
• Operation Dumbo Drop (1995) — An American comedy film based on a true story by United States Army Major Jim Morris, about Green Berets during the Vietnam War in 1968 who attempt to transport an elephant through jungle terrain to a local South Vietnamese village, which in turn helps American forces monitor Viet Cong activity, starring Danny Glover and Ray Liotta
• Pocahontas (1995) — Highly fictionalized film about the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, the first feature-length animated film by Disney to be based on historical events
• Ravan Raaj: A True Story (1995) — A Hindi film based on a doctor's story centered on kidney smugglers and a serial killer
• The Young Poisoner's Handbook — dark comedy, based on the life of Graham Young, more commonly known as "The Teacup Murderer" of the 1970s

1996

• Bastard Out of Carolina (1996) — Based on real-life events of child abuse from the semi-autobiographical book of the same title by Dorothy Allison, directed by Anjelica Huston
• The Crucible (1996) — A drama film based on the Salem witch trials between 1692 and 1693, written by Arthur Miller and based on his play of the same name
• Deadly Voyage (1996) – A television film directed by John Mackenzie about Kingsley Ofosu, the sole survivor of a group of nine African stowaways murdered on the cargo ship MC Ruby in 1992
• The Dentist (1996) – A horror film based on real-life dentist/serial killer Nick Rex. Directed by Brian Yuzna.
• Fly Away Home (1996) — Adapted from the book by Bill Lishman, dramatizing the actual experiences of Bill Lishman who in 1986 started training geese to follow his ultralight and succeeded in leading their migration in 1993, directed by Carroll Ballard.
• The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) — A fictionalized account about two lions that attacked and killed workers in Tsavo, Kenya during the building of the African Uganda-Mombasa Railway in 1898, killing 130 people over a nine-month period.
• Ghosts of Mississippi (1996) — Based on the 1994 third retrial of Byron De La Beckwith, the white supremacist accused of the 1963 assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers, directed by Rob Reiner
• Killer: A Journal of Murder (1996) — James Woods plays the evil 1920s serial killer Carl Panzram, who befriended prison guard Henry Lesser, directed by Tim Metcalfe
• Michael Collins (1996) — Based on the life of IRA leader Michael Collins

1997

• Amistad (1997) — Based on the true story of a slave mutiny that took place aboard the ship La Amistad in 1839, and the legal battle that followed
• Anastasia (1997) — Loosely based on the story of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman
• Boogie Nights (1997) — Loosely based on the life of porn star John Holmes
• Border (1997 film) (1997) — An Indian war film based on the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971
• Donnie Brasco (1997) — Loosely based on Joseph D. Pistone, the FBI agent who successfully infiltrated the Bonanno crime family in New York City during the 1970s
• Four Days in September (1997) — A Brazilian thriller film that tells the true story of the abduction of American ambassador Charles Burke Elbrick in 1969 by the MR-8 group, adapted from the book by Fernando Gabeira, directed by Bruno Barreto.
• Iruvar (1997) — An Indian Tamil political drama based on the life of Indian actor, director, producer and politician M. G. Ramachandran and Indian politician M. Karunanidhi
• Kundun (1997) — Based on the life of the Dalai Lama, the exiled political and spiritual leader of Tibet
• Prefontaine (1997) — Based on the life of Olympic hopeful Steve Prefontaine, a middle and long-distance runner who competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics and died at age 24 in an car accident
• Private Parts (1997) — Based on eccentric radio DJ Howard Stern's 1993 autobiography of the same name
• Rosewood (1997) — A dramatization of a 1923 racist lynch mob attack on an African American community
• Selena (1997) — Based on the life of Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla Perez
• Seven Years in Tibet (1997) — Based on the autobiographical travel book written by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer, based on his real life experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951 during World War II and the interim period before the Communist Chinese People's Liberation Army resumed control of Tibet in 1950.
• Titanic (1997) — Based on the events of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, directed by James Cameron

1998

• A Civil Action (1998) — Based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Harr, telling the true story of environmental pollution that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts in the 1980s
• Daun di Atas Bantal (1998) — Indonesian award-winning film based on true stories of the lives of three street boys in Yogyakarta in Java, Indonesia, directed by Garin Nugroho
• Elizabeth (1998) — A film centered on the early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch
• Gia (1998) — Based on the life of Gia Carangi, a top American fashion model during the late 1970s and early 1980s
• Gods and Monsters (1998) — A depiction of the last days of British film director James Whale
• Patch Adams (1998) — The story of the medical doctor, clown, performer, and social activist^[3] Patch Adams, directed by Tom Shadyac
• Psycho (1998) — Inspired by the crimes of the real-life serial killer, Ed Gein. Remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960)
• Saving Private Ryan (1998) — The story of the Niland Brothers during World War II, directed by Steven Spielberg
• Without Limits (1998) — A biographical film about the relationship between record-breaking distance runner Steve Prefontaine and his coach Bill Bowerman, who later co-founded Nike, Inc., directed by Robert Towne

1999

• Angela's Ashes (1999) — An Irish-American drama based on the memoir of the same title by Frank McCourt, telling the story of McCourt and his childhood after he and his family are forced to move from America back to Ireland because of financial difficulties and family problems caused by his father's alcoholism
• Anna and the King (1999) — The story of Anglo-Indian travel writer, educator and social activist Anna Leonowens and her experiences in Siam (Thailand). Directed by Andy Tennant
• Boys Don't Cry (1999) — The story of hate crime victim Brandon Teena, directed by Kimberly Peirce
• Girl, Interrupted (1999) — Based on Susanna Kaysen's memoir of the same name, chronicling her 18-month stay at a mental institution, directed by James Mangold
• The Hurricane (1999) — Based on the imprisonment of middleweight boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, directed by Norman Jewison
• The Insider (1999) — Based on the experiences of Dr. Jeffrey Wigand, a tobacco industry whistleblower, directed by Michael Mann
• The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) — Based on the story of Joan of Arc, a young girl who believed she was God's messenger
• October Sky (1999) — American biographical film adapted from the memoir Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 to take up rocketry against his father's wishes, & eventually became a NASA engineer, directed by Joe Johnston
• The Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999) — Based on the story of Steve Jobs (Apple Computer) and Bill Gates (Microsoft) and their rivalry on the development of the personal computer
• RKO 281 (1999) — The story of the making of Citizen Kane, directed by Benjamin Ross
• The Straight Story (1999) — Based on the story of Alvin Straight's journey across Iowa and Wisconsin on a lawnmower
• Topsy-Turvy (1999) — A musical drama concerning the 15-month period in 1884 and 1885 leading up to the premiere of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado, focusing on the creative conflict between playwright and composer, and the decision by the two men to continue their partnership

2000s

2000

• All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story (2000) – A television film based on Mary Kay Letourneau's illicit affair with one of her sixth grade students
• Almost Famous (2000) — A comedy-drama film based on Cameron Crowe's early life, telling the coming-of-age story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering a fictitious rock band named Stillwater
• Bawandar (2000) — An Indian film based on the true story of Bhanwari Devi, a rape victim from Rajasthan, India
• Bharathi (2000) — A Tamil biographical film based on the life of Indian writer, poet, journalist, Indian independence activist and social reformer Mahakavi Bharathiyar
• Chopper (2000) — Based on the biography of Australian criminal Chopper Read, directed by Andrew Dominik
• The Dish (2000) — The story of the Parkes antenna in New South Wales, Australia, how it plays a key role in the first Apollo moon landing, the quirky characters of the nearby town of Parkes and the roles they play
• Erin Brockovich (2000) — A biographical film about American legal clerk and environmental activist Erin Brockovich, directed by Steven Soderbergh
• The Filth and the Fury (2000) — a film on the story of UK punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols
• The Iron Ladies (2000) — A Thai comedy film based on a men's volleyball team composed of gay and transgender athletes
• Men of Honor (2000) — Based on Master Chief Petty Officer Carl Brashear the first African-American Master Diver of the U.S. Navy, directed by George Tillman, Jr.
• The Perfect Storm (2000) — Adapted from the book The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger about the 1991 Perfect Storm, also known as the Halloween Nor'easter of 1991, directed by Wolfgang Petersen
• Remember the Titans (2000) — Based on the 1971 football season of the newly integrated T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia
• Shadow of the Vampire (2000) — The story of the making of Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens, directed by E. Elias Merhige
• Thirteen Days (2000) — Set during the two-week Cuban missile crisis in October 1962, centering on how President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and others handled the explosive situation

2001

• Ali (2001) — A biographical film of sports legend, Muhammad Ali, from his early years to his days in the ring
• A Beautiful Mind (2001) — Adapted from Sylvia Nasar's A Beautiful Mind, an unauthorized biography of American mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr., directed by Ron Howard
• Behind Enemy Lines (2001) — Loosely based on the Mrkonjić Grad incident, directed by John Moore
• Black Hawk Down (2001) — Adapted from Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern Warfare by Mark Bowden about the Battle of Mogadishu
• Blow (2001) — Based on the American cocaine smuggler George Jung, directed by Ted Demme
• Bully (2001) — Based on the case of Bobby Kent, who was murdered by seven teens in what is now Weston, Florida, directed by Larry Clark
• The Cat's Meow (2001) — Inspired by the mysterious death of film mogul Thomas H. Ince
• Enemy at the Gates (2001) — Based on Vasily Zaytsev during the Battle of Stalingrad, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud
• From Hell (2001) — Based on the murders of Jack the Ripper
• Pearl Harbor (2001) — Based on the events of the Pearl Harbor attack and the Doolittle Raid, directed by Michael Bay
• Quitting (2001) — A Chinese drama film based on the life of actor Jia Hongsheng, who was suffered from heroin and marijuana addiction from 1992 to 1997
• Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) — Based on the life of memoirist, children's author and creative writing teacher Beverly Donofrio, who wrote the autobiographical book on her life by the same tile
• Rock Star (2001) — Tells the story of Chris "Izzy" Cole, a tribute band singer whose ascendance to the position of lead vocalist of his favorite band was inspired by the real-life story of Tim "Ripper" Owens
• There is a Secret in my Soup — Based on the Hello Kitty murder

2002

• 8 Mile (2002) — Based on rapper Marshall Bruce Mathers III (Eminem) and his rap battles in Detroit
• Bloody Sunday (2002) — Based on the events of Bloody Sunday on January 30, 1972, in Derry, Northern Ireland, in which 26 unarmed civil-rights protesters and bystanders were shot by soldiers of the British Army
• Catch Me If You Can (2002) — The story of con artist Frank Abagnale, directed by Steven Spielberg
• Chicago (2002) — Adapted from the stage musical by Bob Fosse and Fred Ebb, exploring the themes of celebrity, scandal, and corruption in Jazz Age Chicago, directed by Rob Marshall
• City of God (2002) — A Brazilian crime drama film, adapted from a book by Paulo Lins, depicting the growth of organized crime in Rio de Janeiro between the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1980s, directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund
• Dahmer (2002) — The story of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer
• Frida (2002) — The story of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo
• The Interrogation of Michael Crowe (TV 2002) — Based on the 1998 case and interrogation of Michael Crowe, who confessed to the murder of his sister in 1998
• Kandahar (2002) — The story of Afghan refugee Nelofer Pazira's return to Afghanistan, directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf
• The Laramie Project (2002) — Adapted from the play The Laramie Project, both by Moisés Kaufman, telling the story of the aftermath of the 1998 murder of American student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming
• The Mothman Prophecies (2002) — Based on paranormal events in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, culminating in the Silver Bridge collapse on December 15, 1967, directed by Mark Pellington
• Paid in Full (2002) — Based on events in the life of drug dealer Azie Faison during the crack epidemic in 1980s Harlem, leading up to the murders of his friends Rich and Donnell Porter, directed by Charles Stone III
• The Pianist (2002) — Based on the memoir by Władysław Szpilman, a Polish musician of Jewish origins and a childhood survivor of Nazi-occupied Poland
• Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story (2002) — Based on the 2002 court case Marc Hall v. Durham Catholic School Board
• Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) — An Australian drama film based on the book Follow The Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara, based on the true story of the author's mother and two other mixed-race Aboriginal girls who ran away from the Moore River Native Settlement north of Perth, Western Australia, to return to their Aboriginal families after having been placed there in 1931, directed by Phillip Noyce
• The Rookie (2002) — Based on the life of American professional baseball player Jim Morris, known for his brief Major League Baseball career
• Ted Bundy (2002) — The story of serial killer Ted Bundy
• We Were Soldiers (2002) — Based on the Battle of Ia Drang, the first major engagement of American troops in the Vietnam War, directed by Randall Wallace

2003

• 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out (2003) — Based on the real-life story of the 1997 robbery known as the North Hollywood shootout
• Antwone Fisher (2003) — American drama based on the autobiographical book Finding Fish, directed by Denzel Washington in his directorial debut
• Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal (2003) — made for TV documentary on how gameshow contestant, Michael Larson, managed to secretly memorise the Press Your Luck game board pattern and won over $110,000
• Elephant (2003) — Based on the events surrounding the April 20, 1999, Columbine High School massacre in Columbine, Colorado
• Gacy (2003) – Based on serial killer John Wayne Gacy. The film focuses upon Gacy's life after he moved to Norwood Park in 1971 up until his arrest in 1978.
• Gods and Generals (2003) — Prequel to Gettysburg, about General Stonewall Jackson
• LOC Kargil (2003) — Indian war film based on the 1999 Kargil War
• Memories of Murder (2003) — South Korean film based on the true story of the country's first known serial murders, which took place between 1986 and 1991
• Monster (2003) — The story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, directed by Patty Jenkins
• Profoundly Normal (2003) – The story of two mentally challenged childhood friends who, despite their limitations, find love and family life in the "normal" world.
• Radio (2003) — Based on the real-life story of South Carolina high school football coach Harold Jones and his mentally challenged assistant, James Robert "Radio" Kennedy, adapted from a 1996 Sports Illustrated article by Gary Smith titled "Someone to Lean On"
• Seabiscuit (2003) — Based on the book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand about the champion American thoroughbred racehorse
• Shattered Glass (2003) — Based on Stephen Glass's journalistic career at The New Republic during the mid-1990s and the discovery of his widespread journalistic fraud
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) — An American slasher film depicting the murder of several people in Wisconsin
• Touching the Void (2003) — Adapted from the book by Joe Simpson, about his and Simon Yates' disastrous and near fatal attempt to climb Siula Grande (6,344m) in the Waywash mountain range in the Peruvian Andes in 1985, directed by Kevin MacDonald
• Veronica Guerin (2003) — Based on the true story of Irish journalist Veronica Guerin
• Wonderland (2003) — Based on the Wonderland murders in Los Angeles in 1981, directed by James Cox

2004

• 12 Days of Terror (2004) — Based on true events that occurred in July 1916 in central and southern New Jersey, the film recounts 12 days during which people along the Jersey coast were subjected to attacks by a shark (in the film it is a great white shark)
• 36 Quai des Orfèvres (2004) — A French film based on a true story about the police
• Against the Ropes (2004) — A drama based on the life of American boxing manager Jackie Kallen, the first woman to become a success in the sport
• Alexander (2004) — Based on the life of Alexander the Great
• The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004) — The story of would-be assassin Samuel Byck, who plotted to kill Richard Nixon in 1974, directed by Niels Mueller
• The Aviator (2004) — The story of Howard Hughes, directed by Martin Scorsese
• Beyond the Sea (2004) — Based on the life of singer Bobby Darin
• Black Friday (2004) — An Indian Hindi film based on the 1993 Bombay bombings
• De-lovely (2004) – The story of the marriage of the songwriter Cole Porter and Linda Lee Thomas
• Downfall (Der Untergang) (2004) — A German film based on the final 12 days of Adolf Hitler's life in his Berlin bunker and Nazi Germany in 1945
• Evilenko (2004) – English-language Italian thriller loosely based on the real life Soviet serial killer Andrei Chikatilo
• Finding Neverland (2004) — The story of Sir James Matthew Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan
• Friday Night Lights (2004) — Adapted from Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H. G. Bissinger, about the 1988 football season of Permian High School in Odessa, Texas, directed by Peter Berg
• Hidalgo (2004) — The story of American distance rider Frank Hopkins and his mustang Hidalgo, recounting his racing his horse in Arabia in 1891 against Bedouin riding pure-blooded Arabian horses, directed by Joe Johnston
• The Hillside Strangler (2004) – based on the true story of the Hillside Strangler serial killers, Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, Jr. They kidnapped, raped, tortured and killed girls and women in late 1977 to early 1978 in the hills above Los Angeles, California.
• Hotel Rwanda (2004) — The story of the Paul Rusesabagina's experiences during the Rwandan Genocide, directed by Terry George
• Iron Jawed Angels (2004) — Follows Alice Paul and the National Woman's Party's attempts to force President Wilson to grant American women the right to vote during World War I.
• Kaadhal (2004) — A Tamil romantic drama based on a true love story
• Kamaraj (2004) — Tamil biographical film based on the life of Indian politician K. Kamaraj, known as the "Kingmaker" during the 1960s in India
• Kinsey (2004) — A look at the life of Alfred Kinsey, a pioneer in the area of human sexuality research
• Miracle (2004) — The story of Herb Brooks and the U.S. Olympic hockey team leading up to, and during, the 1980 Winter Olympics, directed by Gavin O'Connor
• The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) — A biographical film about the early life of Che Guevara
• Open Water (2004) — Based on the story of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, who were left behind on their scuba diving trip in the South Pacific, directed by Chris Kentis
• Ray (2004) — A 2004 biographical film about singer Ray Charles
• Something the Lord Made (2004) — A film about black cardiac pioneer Vivien Thomas and his complex and volatile partnership with white surgeon Alfred Blalock, the world-famous "Blue Baby doctor," who pioneered modern heart surgery

2005

• Aurore (2005) — Biographical drama based on the murder of Aurore Gagnon, a Canadian child abuse victim
• Beyond the Gates (2005) — Based on events during the early days of the Rwandan Genocide, directed by Michael Caton-Jones
• Capote (2005) — A biographical film about Truman Capote who, during his research for his book In Cold Blood, an account of the murder of a Kansas family, develops a close relationship with murderer Perry Smith, one of the killers
• Cinderella Man (2005) — Based on the story of James J. Braddock, a supposedly washed-up boxer who comes back to become a champion and an inspiration in the 1930s
• Coach Carter (2005) — Based on the Richmond High School basketball team led by coach Ken Carter
• The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) — An American courtroom drama horror film loosely based on the story of Anneliese Michel, following a self-proclaimed agnostic who acts as defense counsel representing a parish priest accused by the state of negligent homicide after he performs an exorcism, directed by Scott Derrickson
• Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005) — A film about Curtis 50 Cent Jackson's life
• The Great Raid (2005) — The story of the raid at Cabanatuan on the Philippine island of Luzon during World War II, directed by John Dahl
• The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005) — Based on the life of golfer, Francis Ouimet, directed by Bill Paxton
• The Green River Killer (2005) — Based on real life serial killer Gary Ridgway, directed by Ulli Lommel
• Jarhead (2005) — Based on the Gulf War memoir of Anthony Swofford, directed by Sam Mendes
• The Last Hangman (2005) — Based on the life and career of British executioner Albert Pierrepont, from early 1933 through the end of his career in 1955, during which he executed some 608 people, including the Nuremberg war criminals and Ruth Ellis, the last women to be executed in Britain
• Lies My Mother Told Me (2005) — A Canadian television movie based on the real life murder of Larry McNabney by his wife, Elisa McNabney, with the help of a college student
• Lords of Dogtown (2005) — A biographical film based on the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys about an influential group of skateboarders who revolutionized the sport, directed by Catherine Hardwicke
• Munich (2005) — Loosely based on Operation Wrath of God following the aftermath of the Munich massacre, directed by Steven Spielberg
• The New World (2005) — Depicts the founding of the Jamestown, Virginia, settlement, inspired by the historical figures Captain John Smith and Pocahontas
• North Country (2005) — An American drama film chronicling the case of Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co., which changed sexual harassment law, directed by Niki Caro
• Only the Brave (2005) — The story of the rescue of the Lost Battalion by the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II, directed by Lane Nishikawa
• Sehar (2005) — An Indian Hindi film depicting organized crime in the late 1990s in India, loosely based on real-life gangster and hired killer, Shri Prakash Shukla
• Sins (2005) — A Bollywood film based on the true story of a Catholic priest from Kerala who was hanged due to his sexual relationship with a married woman
• Syriana (2005) — A geopolitical thiller film loosely based on the book See No Evil by Robert Baer, a former FBI agent, based on his experiences
• Walk the Line (2005) — based on two autobiographies of Johnny Cash, Man in Black and Cash: The Autobiography
• The World's Fastest Indian (2005) — The life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle — a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967

2006

• Alpha Dog (2006) — An American crime drama based on the kidnap and murder of 15-year-old Nicholas Markowitz and surrounding events in 2000, organized mainly by Jesse James Hollywood a young middle-class drug dealer in California
• Black Book (2006) — A Dutch film based on the true story of a young Jewish girl set during World War II
• The Black Dahlia (2006) — Based loosely on the true story of the unsolved Black Dahlia homicide in January 1947, directed by Brian De Palma
• Bobby (2006) — Based on speculated events leading to the shooting of Robert F. Kennedy at The Ambassador Hotel in 1968, directed by Emilio Estevez
• Buenos Aires, 1977 (a.k.a. Chronicle of an Escape) (2006) — An Argentinian political thriller film which tells the true story of four men who narrowly escaped death at the hands of a military death squad during the Argentine Dirty War in the 1970s
• Catch a Fire (2006) — Based on the experiences of former migrant worker turned Umkhonto we Sizwe member Patrick Chamusso during apartheid in the 1980s, directed by Phillip Noyce
• Find Me Guilty (2006) — Based on the trial of mobster Giacomo "Jackie" DiNorscio, which became the longest Mafia trial in American history, directed by Sidney Lumet
• Flags of Our Fathers (2006) — Based on the book Flags of Our Fathers written by James Bradley and Ron Powers about the Battle of Iwo Jima and the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima
• Flight 93 (2006) — Based on the events aboard United Airlines Flight 93 on 9/11, directed by Peter Markle
• Glory Road (2006) — Based on the story of the 1965–66 Texas Western Miners basketball team and its march to the national championship, although some liberties were taken
• Gridiron Gang (2006) — Based on real incidents involving youth gang members in a youth jail named "Killpatrick Camp" who played for a football team led by coach Sean Porter
• Hollywoodland (2006) — Based on the suspicious death of actor George Reeves on June 16, 1959, directed by Allen Coulter
• Infamous (2006) — While researching his book In Cold Blood, writer Truman Capote develops a close relationship with convicted murderers Dick Hickock and Perry Smith
• Invincible (2006) — Based on the story of Vince Papale, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1970s as a walk-on
• Karla (2006) — A film based on the true story of serial killers Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka
• The Last King of Scotland (2006) — Based on factual events during Idi Amin's rule of Uganda, directed by Kevin Macdonald
• Lonely Hearts (2006) — Loosely based on the investigation of homicide detective Elmer C. Robinson into the Lonely Hearts Killers, directed by his own grandson Todd Robinson
• Marie Antoinette (2006) — Based on the life of Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France, from her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI to her reign as queen to the French Revolution
• Provoked (2006) — A film based on the true story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia who murdered her abusive husband
• The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) — Based on the true story of Chris Gardner's nearly one-year struggle with homelessness, starring Will Smith and his son Jaden Smith
• The Queen (2006) — After the death of Princess Diana, HM Queen Elizabeth II struggles with her reaction to a sequence of events nobody could have predicted
• Take the Lead (2006) — Based on the story of Pierre Dulaine, a well-known ballroom dancer and dance instructor, known for "Dancing Classrooms," as he teaches potential high school dropouts how to ballroom dance during detention in an attempt to raise their self-respect and confidence
• Traces of Love (2006) — Based on the Sampoong Department Store collapse of 1995
• United 93 (2006) — Based on United Airlines Flight 93 and the passengers on board who prevented the hijackers from reaching their intended target, directed by Paul Greengrass
• We Are Marshall (2006) — The story of the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed 5 members of flight crew, 25 boosters, 8 coaches and 37 players of the Marshall University football team, directed by McG
• World Trade Center (2006) — Based on the rescue of John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno, both freed from the wreckage of the collapsing World Trade Center towers
• The Zodiac (2006) — A film about the Zodiac Killer

2007

• 300 (2007) — A fictionalized account of the Battle of Thermopylae, based on the comic series written by Frank Miller.
• An American Crime (2007) — An American crime drama based on the torture and murder of Sylvia Likens by Indianapolis housewife Gertrude Baniszewski.
• American Gangster (2007) — Based on the true life story of Frank Lucas, a former heroin dealer, and organized crime boss in Harlem during the late 1960s and early 1970s
• The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) — Based on the last year of Jesse James' life, leading up to his assassination by Robert Ford
• Battle In Seattle (2007) — Based on the protest activity at the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999
• Becoming Jane (2007) — A biographical portrait of a pre-fame Jane Austen and her romance with a young Irishman
• Borderland (2007) — Loosely based on serial killer/cult leader Adolfo Constanzo
• Breach (2007) — Based on the capture of Soviet spy Robert Hanssen
• Chapter 27 (2007) — A biographical film depicting the murder of John Lennon by Mark David Chapman
• Charlie Wilson's War (2007) — Based on Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan to help launch Operation Cyclone, a program to organize and support the Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet war in Afghanistan
• Chicago Massacre: Richard Speck (2007) — A film based on the notorious mass murderer Richard Speck, who systematically tortured, raped and murdered a group of student nurses from South Chicago Community Hospital in 1966.
• Control (2007) – Based on the story Ian Curtis, the singer of Joy Division, whose personal, professional and romantic life led him to commit suicide at the age of 23.
• Curse of the Zodiac (2007) — An American horror film based on the Zodiac killings in the San Francisco Bay area in the early 1970s
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) — A biographical drama based on the life of Jean-Dominique Bauby, depicting his life after suffering a massive stroke in December 1995 at the age of 43, which left him with a condition known as locked-in syndrome
• El Cantante (2007) — Based on the life of legendary salsa singer, Hector Lavoe, directed by Leon Ichaso
• Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) — A sequel to the 1998 film Elizabeth, depicting a mature Queen Elizabeth I of England, who endures multiple crises late in her reign, including court intrigues, an assassination plot, the Spanish Armada, and romantic disappointments
• Freedom Writers (2007) — Based on the book, The Freedom Writers Diary by teacher Erin Gruwell, based on Woodrow Wilson Classical High School in Eastside, Long Beach, California
• The Girl Next Door (2007) — An American horror film loosely based on the torture and murder of Sylvia Likens by Indianapolis housewife Gertrude Baniszewski and based on the book The Girl Next Door written by Jack Ketchem
• Goodbye Bafana (2007) — Based on the relationship between Nelson Mandela and writer James Gregory
• The Great Debaters (2007) — The story of the efforts of debate coach Melvin B. Tolson (Denzel Washington) at historically black Wiley College to place his team on equal footing with whites in the American South during the 1930s
• Guru (2007) — An Indian bi-language (Hindi and Tamil) film loosely based on the life of Indian business tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani, who helped found Reliance Industries in Mumbai, India
• The Hoax (2007) — The story of the fake autobiography that Clifford Irving allegedly helped Howard Hughes write
• I'm Not There. (2007) — The story about the life of Bob Dylan, in which six characters embody a different aspect of the musician's life and work
• In the Valley of Elah (2007) — Based loosely on the homicide of returning Iraq War veteran Richard T. Davis in 2003 by fellow soldiers from Baker Company, directed by Paul Haggis
• Into the Wild (2007) — Based on the 1996 non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer about the adventures and travels of Christopher McCandless across North American and his life spent in the Alaskan wilderness in the early 1990s
• Kalloori (2007) — Indian Tamil movie based on the real life incident in which three girls were burnt to death in Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu, India, directed by Balaji Shakthivel
• The Killing of John Lennon (2007) — The story of Mark Chapman's plot to kill John Lennon
• Kuppi (2007) — An Indian Tamil film based on the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
• A Mighty Heart (2007) — Based on the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan
• Mongol (2007) — Intended to be the first in a trilogy of films based on the life of Genghis Khan
• Periyar (2007) — An Indian Tamil biographical film based on the life of social reformer and rationalist Periyar E. V. Ramasamy
• Pride (2007) — Based loosely on the true story of Philadelphia swim coach Jim Ellis and his African American swim team in 1974 Philadelphia
• Primeval (2007) — Based on tales of a real man-eating crocodile named Gustave, still living in Burundi
• Rescue Dawn (2007) — Based on the story of Dieter Dengler, a U.S. Navy pilot who was shot down in Laos during the Vietnam War
• Rise of the Footsoldier (2007) — A British gangster film based on the true story of the Rettendon murders and the autobiography of Carlton Leach, a former football hooligan of the infamous Inter City Firm, who became a powerful figure of the English underworld
• Rohtenburg (2007) — Based on the "Rotenburg Cannibal" (Armin Meiwes)
• Satham Podathey (2007) — Indian Tamil psychological thriller film based on a true story
• September Dawn (2007) — Based on the September 7–11, 1857, Mountain Meadows massacre
• Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007) — A Hindi film based on the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout shootout, a real-life gun battle between gangsters and Mumbai Police during an encounter with gangster Maya Dolas
• Stuck (2007) — Loosely based on the hit-and-run committed by Chante Jawan Mallard, who left her victim to die slowly in her garage
• Sybil (2007) — The true story based on the life of Shirley Ardell Mason who was diagnosed with multiple personality disorder
• Talk To Me (2007) — Based on the life of Washington, D.C., radio personality Ralph "Petey" Greene
• What We Do Is Secret (2007) — Based on the 1970s Los Angeles punk band, The Germs and their lead singer, Darby Crash
• Zodiac (2007) — Based on the story of the Zodiac Killer

2008

• 21 (2008) — Inspired by the story of the MIT Blackjack Team
• The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008) — Based on German militant group, the Red Army Faction, the film retells the story of the early years of the RAF, concentrating on its beginnings in 1967 (at the time of the German student movement) up to the German Autumn (Deutscher Herbst) of 1977.
• Baby Blues (2008) — Based on Andrea Yates, who drowned her five children in 2001 in a severe case of postpartum psychosis.
• The Bank Job (2008) — Based on a 1971 London robbery allegedly concocted by MI5
• Bronson (2008) — A film fictionalized and based on the life of Britain's most violent prisoner Michael Gordon Peterson, better known as 'Charles Bronson'.
• Cadillac Records (2008) — Based on the life of influential Chicago-based record company executive Leonard Chess and the singers who recorded for Chess Records
• Camino (2008) — Inspired by the real story of a girl who died from spinal cancer at the age of 14 in 1985 and is currently in the process of canonization
• Cape No. 7 (2008) — A story based on a report about a Taiwanese postman who successfully delivered a piece of mail addressed in the old Japanese style – the sender was the former Japanese employer of the recipient. Taiwan was ruled by Japan from 1896 to 1945, and the film depicts the subtly long-lasting relations between the people in Taiwan and Japan.
• Changeling (2008) — Loosely based upon the real-life Wineville Chicken Murders, involving Christine Collins and the disappearance of her son
• Che (2008) — A merged version of two films: The Argentine and Guerrilla about the life of Marxist revolutionary, Che Guevara
• The Counterfeiters (2008) — An Austrian film based on Operation Bernhard
• Defiance (2008) — The story of the Bielski partisans
• The Duchess (2008) — Based on the life of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
• Everlasting Moments (2008) — A Swedish drama based on the true story of Maria Larsson, a Swedish working class woman in the early 20th century who wins a camera in a lottery and goes on to become a photographer
• The Express (2008) — Based on the life of "The Elmira Express" Ernie Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy
• Felon (2008) — Based on events at California State Prison, Corcoran in the 1990s
• Flammen & Citronen (2008) — Based on the lives of Bent Faurschou-Hviid and Jørgen Haagen Schmit, members of the Holger Danske, a Danish resistance group in Nazi-occupied Denmark
• Flash of Genius (2008) — The story of Robert Kearns, inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper and his claims and lawsuit against Ford Motor Company
• Forever the Moment (2008) — Based on the achievements of the South Korean women's national handball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• Frost/Nixon (2008) — The story of the 1977 televised Frost/Nixon interviews
• Haber (2008) – the work of Fritz Haber in developing chemical weaponry for the German army during World War I.
• Hunger (2008) — Based on Bobby Sands and the 1981 Irish hunger strike
• The Hurt Locker (2008) — Oscar-winning war film about a three-man explosive ordnance disposal team during the Iraq War
• Ip Man (2008) — Based on the life of Yip Man", a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and master of Bruce Lee
• Jodhaa Akbar (2008) — Based on the life of Mughal emperor Akbar the Great
• Living Proof (2008) — Based on the true life story of Denny Slamon, who helped develop a breast cancer drug called Herceptin 2
• Marley & Me (2008) — Based on the memoir of the same title by journalist John Grogan
• Max Manus (2008) — A Norwegian biographic war film based on real events in the life of resistance fighter Max Manus, who helped to save his country from the Germans during World War II
• Milk (2008) — Based on the life of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California
• The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) — Based on the lives of sisters Anne and Mary Boleyn, who compete for the affection of King Henry VIII
• Stone of Destiny (2008) — The story of attorney Ian Hamilton, who helped recapture the Stone of Scone for Scotland
• The Stoning of Soraya M. (2008) — The story of Soraya Manutchehri, a victim of stoning in Iran
• The Strangers (2008) — An American horror film inspired by true events revolving around a young couple staying in an isolated vacation home who are terrorized by three unknown assailants
• Valkyrie (2008) — The story of the 20 July plot in 1944 by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and to use the Operation Valkyrie national emergency plan to take control of the country
• W. (2008) — Based on the life and presidency of George W. Bush

2009

• Accident on Hill Road (2009) — Based on Chante Mallard, a Fort Worth, Texas, woman convicted and sentenced to 50 years' imprisonment for her role in the death of a 37-year-old homeless man
• Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009) — Based on the life of Ben Carson, who grew up to become a world famous neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins and first surgeon to separate conjoined twins.
• April Showers (2009) – an American independent film inspired by the 1999 Columbine High School shooting and the days that followed.
• Amelia (2009) — A look at the life of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart, who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to circumnavigate the globe.
• Ann Rule's Everything She Ever Wanted (2009/TV) — A fascinating true crime story of a whirlwind of misguided love, denial, guilt, and passions out of control.
• Ann Rule's Too Late to Say Goodbye (2009/TV) — Based on the murder of Jennifer Corbin by her husband Dr. Barton Corbin.
• The Blind Side (2009) — Adapted from the 2006 Michael Lewis book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, focusing on the life of future NFL player Michael Oher
• Bright Star (2009) — A drama based on the three-year romance between 19th-century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne, which was cut short by Keats' untimely death at age 25
• Coco avant Chanel (2009) — About fashion designer Coco Chanel before she was famous
• The Damned United (2009) — A British sports film based on Brian Clough's tenure as Leeds United's manager
• Deadfall Trail (2009) — Based on a three-week survival trip in the Kaibab National Forest
• Everyman's War (2009) — Based on the Battle of the Bulge during World War II
• Formosa Betrayed (2009) — An American political thriller which depicts the KMT government's intentional wipe-out of the Taiwan people's opposition voices in the 1980s, inspired by two actual events—one surrounding the death of Professor Chen Wen-chen (陳文成) of Carnegie Mellon University in 1981, and the other the 1984 assassination of (American-citizen) journalist Henry Liu in California
• Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009) — Based on the faithful Akita Hachikō
• In Her Skin (2009) — An Australian drama based on the brutal murder of 15-year-old Melbourne girl Rachel Barber, who went missing on March 1, 1999
• The Informant! (2009) — Based on the real-life story of Mark Whitacre, the highest-ranked executive in U.S. history to turn whistleblower
• Invictus (2009) — Based on the real-life story of South African president Nelson Mandela and François Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks, the South African rugby union team
• Julie & Julia (2009) — An American comedy drama contrasting the lives of two food writers: pioneer chef Julia Child in the 1940s and 21st century New Yorker Julie Powell, who aspires to cook all 524 recipes in Child's cookbook in 365 days
• The Killing Room (2009) — A psychological thriller based on the Project MKUltra programme by the CIA, with fictionalized characters
• Mao's Last Dancer (2009) — Based on the autobiography of ballet dancer Li Cunxin
• Notorious (2009) — A depiction of the life and career of rapper Biggie Smalls before his death
• Pazhassi Raja (2009) — A Malayalam historical drama film based on the life of Pazhassi Raja, a Hindu king who fought against the British in the 18th century
• Prayers for Bobby (2009) — The true story of gay rights crusader Mary Griffith, whose teenage son committed suicide due to her religious intolerance, based on the book of the same title by Leroy F. Aarons
• Public Enemies (2009) — An American biographical crime film in which the FBI tries to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s
• The Soloist (2009) — Based on the life of Nathaniel Ayers, a musician who developed schizophrenia and became homeless
• The Stoneman Murders (2009) — A Hindi film based on the real life Stoneman serial killings, which made headlines in the early 1980s in Mumbai
• Taking Chance (2009) — Based on the experiences of Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, who escorted the body of Marine Chance Phelps back to his hometown from Iraq
• Taking Woodstock (2009) — An American comedy based on the Woodstock Festival of 1969, directed by Ang Lee
• The Young Victoria (2009) — A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert

2010s

2010

• 127 Hours (2010) — Based on the story of Aron Ralston, the American mountain climber who amputated his own arm to free himself after being trapped by a boulder for six days in Blue John Canyon in 2003
• All Good Things (2010) — Inspired by the life of accused murderer Robert Durst, the film chronicles the life of the wealthy son of a New York real estate tycoon, and a series of murders linked to him, as well as his volatile relationship with his wife and her subsequent unsolved disappearance.
• The Bang Bang Club (2010) — A Canadian-South African film based on the lives of four photojournalists active within the townships of South Africa during apartheid, especially between 1990 and 1994
• Bonded by Blood (2010) — based on the Essex boys, a group involved in organised crime in Essex, England, and their suspicious murders, which are still debated today (see also Rise of the Footsoldier)
• Bruce Lee, My Brother (2010) — Based on the life of Bruce Lee from his teenage years through part of his adult years
• Conviction (2010) — A legal drama based on the story of a single mother, Betty Anne Waters, who goes to law school so she can become her brother Kenny's attorney after Kenny is wrongly convicted of murder
• D.C. Sniper (2010) — An American direct-to-video drama thriller based on the Beltway sniper attacks of October 2002 committed by John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo
• Dear Mr. Gacy (2010) — A Canadian drama thriller based on the book The Last Victim by Jason Moss
• Extraordinary Measures (2010) — A medical drama based on the story of John Crowley and Aileen Crowley, whose children have Pompe disease
• Fair Game (2010) — Based on the outing of former CIA agent Valerie Plame by members of the US government (See: Plame Affair)
• The Fighter (2010) — Based on the life of boxer Micky Ward and his half-brother, Dicky Eklund
• Green Zone (2010) — A British-French-American war thriller depicting the events from the end of the invasion phase of the 2003 invasion of Iraq until the transfer of power to the Iraqis
• I Am Sindhutai Sapkal (2010) — A Marathi film based on the life of Indian social activist Sindhutai Sapkal who is known for her work of raising orphan children
• I Love You Philip Morris (2010) — A true story based on the life of con artist, impostor and multiple prison escapee Steven Jay Russell
• Ip Man 2 (2010) — Based on the life of Yip Man, a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and the story of him in Hong Kong
• Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (2010) — An Indian Hindi movie based on Chittagong uprising of 1930
• The King's Speech (2010) — An historical British drama based on King George VI, who suffered from a severe stammer
• A Kiss and a Promise (2010) — The real-life story of a sociopath (Mick Rossi), who owns and operates a bed and breakfast in Ontario with his wife, played by Natasha Gregson Wagner, co-starring Patrick Bergin and Sean Power
• Letters to God (2010) — Based on the true story of Tyler Doughtie, an 8-year-old suffering from cancer with a love of writing and sending letters to God
• Lula, o filho do Brasil (2010) — Based on the life of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
• Montevideo, God Bless You! (2010) — Based on the events leading to the participation of the Yugoslavia national football team at the first FIFA World Cup in Montevideo, Uruguay in July 1930
• Mr. Nice — loosely based on the Welsh former drug smuggler turned author, Howard Marks, who achieved notoriety through high-profile court cases
• Nadunissi Naaygal (2010) — An Indian Tamil psychological thriller film based on a true story about murderer Veera (Samar)
• Of Gods and Men (2010) — Based on the assassination of the monks of Tibhirine
• Rakta Charitra (2010) — An Indian trilingual (Telugu, Hindi, and Tamil) biographical crime film based on the life of political leader and factionist Paritala Ravindra, directed by Ram Gopal Varma
• The Runaways (2010) — An American drama based on the 1970s all-girl rock band The Runaways, focusing in particular on the relationship between rockers Cherie Currie and Joan Jett, adapted from Currie's memoir
• Secretariat (2010) — Based on the story of a Thoroughbred named Secretariat, who won the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes and still holds the record after 37 years, and his owner, Penny Chenery
• The Silent House (2010) — (Spanish: La Casa Muda) a Uruguayan Spanish-language horror film directed by Gustavo Hernández, allegedly inspired by real events that took place in the 1940s
• The Social Network (2010) — Loosely based on creation of Facebook and the lawsuits that followed
• The Special Relationship (2010) — An American-British political film based on relationship between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. President Bill Clinton
• Striker (2010) — A Bollywood action drama film set in a Mumbai ghetto in the mid 1980s, a story of triumph and human spirit over indomitable odds
• Temple Grandin (2010) — A 2010 biopic directed by Mick Jackson and starring Claire Danes as Temple Grandin, a woman with autism who revolutionized practices for the humane handling of livestock on cattle ranches and slaughterhouses
• Unstoppable (2010) — An American action thriller loosely based on the CSX 8888 incident, which tells the story of a runaway train carrying hazardous material, which puts cities and people in danger
• The Whistleblower (2010) — A thriller which tells the story of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska police officer who was recruited to serve as a U.N. peacekeeper with DynCorp International in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1999
• You Don't Know Jack (2010) — A television film based in part on the book, Between the Dying and the Dead: Dr. Jack Kevorkian's Life And The Battle To Legalize Euthanasia, focusing on the life and work of physical-assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian
• The Way Back (2010) — A true story of seven men who escape from prison in Siberia (after being held by Stalin), then walk through the Gobi Desert, Himalayas and all the way to Sikkim, India

2011

• 17 Miracles (2011) — Based on the actual experiences of members of the Willie Handcart Company of Mormon pioneers following their late-season start and subsequent winter journey to Salt Lake City in 1856
• 1911 (2011) — A Chinese historical drama based on the 1911 Revolution and Xinhai Revolution, starring Jackie Chan
• 50/50 (2011) — A comedy-drama film loosely based on the life of screenwriter Will Reiser
• The Amityville Haunting (2011) — A direct-to-video film, the tenth production to be inspired by the 1977 book The Amityville Horror, about the family who moves into the house in
• Bernie (2011) — A black comedy film based on the 1996 murder of 81-year-old millionaire Marjorie Nugent in Carthage, Texas, by her 39-year-old companion
• Blackthorn (film) (2011) — A western film based on the life of an aged Butch Cassidy living under the assumed name of James Blackthorn in a secluded village in Bolivia 20 years after his disappearance in 1908
• The Craigslist Killer (2011) — The film is inspired by the true story of a man named Philip Markoff who killed one woman and is known to have assaulted at least two others in Massachusetts and Rhode Island
• The Devil's Double (2011) — An allegedly biographical film based on Latif Yahia, body double for Uday Hussein, the playboy son of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein
• The Dirty Picture (2011) — A Bollywood biopic movie based on the life of Silk Smitha, a South Indian actress known for her erotic roles
• Dolphin Tale (2011) — Inspired by the true story of a bottlenose dolphin named Winter who was rescued off the Florida coast and taken in by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where she is fitted with prosthetic tail after she loses her natural tail after becoming entangled in a rope attached to a crab trap
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011) — Based on the September 11 attacks on the Twin Towers
• The Fields (2011) — A story based on the life of screenwriter Harrison Smith
• The Help (2011) — An American drama film about a young white woman and her relationship with two black maids during the civil rights era
• The Iron Lady (2011) — British biographical film based on the life of Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013), the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of the 20th century
• J. Edgar (2011) — A biopic movie based on the life of J. Edgar Hoover, directed by Clint Eastwood
• Janie Jones (2011) — An American film based on the story of a young girl who is abandoned by her meth-addicted former-groupie mother, who informs a fading rock star that she is his daughter
• Juan y Eva (2011) — An Argentinian movie based on the first meeting of Argentine president Juan Perón and Eva Perón during the 1944 San Juan earthquake
• Kill the Irishman (2011) — A biopic movie based on the life of Irish American mobster Danny Greene
• Machine Gun Preacher (2011) — A biopic film based on the life of former gang biker turned preacher and defender of Africa orphans Sam Childers, starring Gerard Butler
• Margin Call (2011) — An American independent film loosely modeled on Lehman Brothers and the financial crisis of 2007-2008
• Megan Is Missing (2011) — An American drama horror movie presented by way of "found footage" which follows two teenage girls who go online to find friends, but instead go missing
• Moneyball (2011) — An American biographical sports drama film based on Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team's 2002 season by Michael Lewis
• Monica (2011) — An Indian Hindi film based on a true story inspired by the murder case of Shivani Bhatnagar, a journalist working for the Indian Express newspaper
• No One Killed Jessica (2011) — Based on real life murder case of Jessica Lall, a model in New Delhi who was working as a celebrity barmaid at a crowded socialite party when she was shot dead in April 1999
• Not a Love Story (2011) — A Bollywood movie based on the 2008 Neeraj Grover Murder Case
• Puncture (2011) — Based on a true story about Mike Weiss (played by Chris Evans), a young Houston lawyer and a drug addict
• Ragini MMS (2011) — A Bollywood horror thriller movie based on true story about a girl from Delhi named Deepika
• Red Dog (2011) — An Australian family film based on a true story about a Kelpie/cattle dog cross who was well known for his travels through Western Australia's Pilbara region
• The Resistance (2011 Chinese film), a Chinese Action/Adventure film, inspired by an actual event of Nanking Massacre that occurred in China during WWII. Starring Peng Zhang Li
• The Rite (2011) — A film is based on the book The Making of a Modern Exorcist by Rome-based Matt Baglio, published in 2009, and based on the early life of Father Gary Thomas
• Sanctum (2011) — A film inspired by Andrew Wight's near-death experience after leading a diving expedition miles into a system of underwater caves, then having to find a way out after a freak storm collapses the entrance, produced by James Cameron
• Silent House(2011) — An American independent horror film based on a young woman who is terrorized in her family vacation home while cleaning the property with her father and uncle
• Snowtown (2011) — based on the Snowtown murders
• Soul Surfer (2011) — An American drama about Bethany Hamilton, a 13-year-old surfer who loses her arm in a shark attack, but is determined to get back in the water
• Texas Killing Fields (2011) — Based on true events surrounding the murder of women picked up along I-45 and dumped in an old oil field in League City, Texas
• Thambi Vettothi Sundaram (2011) — An Indian Tamil film based on true story, set in Kaliyikkavila, a town on the state border
• Traffic — A Malayalam thriller film based on actual event that happened in Chennai
• We Bought a Zoo (2011) — A comedy-drama family film based on a memoir by Benjamin Mee, owner of Dartmoor Zoological Park near the village of Sparkwell in the county of Devon in England
• Yugapurushan (2011) — A Malayalam film based on the life of the saint Sree Narayana Guru

2012

• Act of Valor (2012) — An American film based on real US Navy SEALs missions around the world
• Aravaan (2012) — A Tamil period film which based on a Tamil novel depicting the history of Madurai from 1310 to 1910
• Argo (2012) — Based on the Canadian Caper, dramatization of the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran in 1979 during the Iran hostage crisis
• Big Miracle (2012) — A true story movie based on Operation Breakthrough in 1988
• Buddha in a Traffic Jam (2012) — A Bollywood movie loosely based on the life of Indian author and political activist Arundhati Roy
• Chasing Mavericks (2012) — Based on the life of surfer Jay Moriarity
• Compliance (2012) — Based on the strip search prank call scam
• Dandupalya (2012) — A Kannada crime film based on the real life incidents of a notorious gang named Dandupalya
• Emperor (2012) — An American-Japanese film based on the investigation of the role of Emperor Hirohito in World War II
• For Greater Glory (aka Cristiada) (2012)— a historical war drama based on the Mexican Cathloic counter-revolution of the 1920s
• Game Change (2012) — An HBO political movie based on John McCain's 2008 presidential election campaign
• Gangs of Wasseypur(2012) — An Indian crime movie based on a true story about events in Wasseypur, India, directed by Anurag Kashyap
• Hitchcock (2012) — based on the book Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho about the relationship between director Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma Reville during the filming of Psycho
• House on the Hill (2012) — Based on a true story, chronicling the outrageous 1980s murder spree of serial killer Leonard Lake and Charles Ng, who would target, kidnap, rob and kill people
• The Iceman (2012) — An American crime thriller based on the life of notorious Mafia hitman Richard Kuklinski
• The Impossible (2012) — Based on a Spanish family who survives a tsunami tragedy in December 26, 2004, in Thailand, directed by J.A. Bayona and starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor
• Ivan Megharoopan (2012) — A Malayalam film based on the life of Malayalam poet P. Kunhiraman Nair
• Jeff (2012) — film about serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer during the summer of his arrest
• Kazhugu (2012) — An Indian Tamil movie revolving around four people, referred to as "Kazhugu," who recover the bodies of suicide victims who jump off a cliff
• Last Flight to Abuja (2012) — A Nigerian thriller disaster film based on a Nigerian aviation tragedy in 2006
• Lincoln (2012) — An American epic historical drama film based on the final four months of President Lincoln's life and his efforts in January 1865 to have the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives
• Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (2012) – The film was said to be based on a real-life incident that happened in the life of cinematographer C. Prem Kumar and described as a humorous tale about a young man who forgets a few days of his life even as he is about to get married.
• No (2012) — A Chilean drama film based on the unpublished play El Plebiscito, focusing on how advertising tactics came to be widely used in political campaigns
• Pachai Engira Kaathu (2012) — An Indian Tamil political movie based on true events which happened in Pollachi
• Paan Singh Tomar (2012) – Based on the life of Paan Singh Tomar, Indian steeplechase champion and national record holder turned dacoit
• People Like Us (2012) — Based on the true story of a sister and a brother who never know that they are siblings
• Vinmeengal (2012) — An Indian Tamil movie based on a real life incident
• The Vow (2012) — A romantic movie based on Kim and Krickitt Carpenter's story
• When the Lights Went Out (2012) — Based on the British poltergeist case The Black Monk of Pontefract
• Won't Back Down (2012) — Loosely based on the events surrounding the use of the parent trigger law in Sunland-Tujunga, Los Angeles in 2010
• Zero Dark Thirty (2012) — A war film based on the decade-long manhunt for Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States

2013

• 12 Years a Slave (2013) — Based on Solomon Northup, a New York State-born free negro who was deceived and kidnapped in Washington, D.C. and sold into slavery (1841–1853)
• 42 (2013) — Based on Jackie Robinson's breaking of the "color barrier" of Major League Baseball in the 1940s
• American Hustle (2013) — A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive British partner, Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso. DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia.
• The Attacks of 26/11 (2013) — Based on the 2008 Mumbai attacks
• Attahasa (2013) — A Kannada biopic film based on the notorious forest brigand Veerappan
• Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) — A Hindi film based on life of Indian athlete Milkha Singh
• Blackfish (2013) — a look at the unethical treatment of killer whales by theme park giants, SeaWorld
• The Bling Ring (2013) — An American satirical black comedy crime film based on the Bling Ring, also known as the Hollywood Hills Burglar Bunch, who broke into Hollywood Hills homes from October 2008 through August 2009.
• Bozo — A Japanese film based on the Akihabara massacre
• Captain Phillips (2013) — The film is a biopic of merchant mariner Captain Richard Phillips, who was taken hostage by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean during the Maersk Alabama hijacking in 2009 led by Abduwali Muse.
• Celluloid (2013) — A Malayalam movie based on the life story of J. C. Daniel, the father of Malayalam cinema
• CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story (2013) — The biopic follows Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas, and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, formed as TLC, and their rises and falls in their music careers while being "the best selling girl group of all time".
• The Conjuring (2013) — An American supernatural horror film based on disturbing events in a farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island in 1971
• Dallas Buyers Club (2013) — In 1985 Dallas, electrician and hustler Ron Woodroof works around the system to help AIDS patients get the medication they need after he is himself diagnosed with the disease.
• Devil's Knot (2013) — A biographical crime-drama thriller film based on a true story as told in Mara Leveritt's 2002 book of the same name, concerning three teenagers known as the West Memphis Three, who were convicted for killing three young boys and subsequently sentenced to life in prison.
• Diana (2013) — A British film based on the last two years in the life of Diana, Princess of Wales
• Empire State (2013) — An American film based on two childhood friends who plan to rob an armored car depository
• The Frozen Ground (2013) — An American thriller film based on the real-life 1980s Alaskan hunt for serial killer Robert Hansen, written and directed by Scott Walker
• Fruitvale Station (2013) — Based on the true story of a 22-year-old African-American man and his last day in 2009
• Gimme Shelter (2013) — The story of a young girl Vanessa Hudgens who feels unwanted and runs away to find her father, but finds out she's with-child
• Gibraltar (2013) — French movie about story of Marc Fievet, an informant who served French customs in October 1987, in which he finds himself in the center of massive drug traffic in Gibraltar, Spain
• Jobs (2013) — An American biographical drama film based on the life of Steve Jobs
• Kaptaan (2013) — A Pakistani film based on the life of Pakistani politician, social worker and former cricketer Imran Khan
• Kill Your Darlings (2013) — 1944 murder linked to a group of young poets hoping to change literature
• Lone Survivor (2013) — A true account of military courage and survival
• The Look of Love (2013) — A British film based on the life of Paul Raymond
• Louis Cyr (2013) — Biopic of Louis Cyr, the 19th Century strong man still considered to be one of the strongest men to have ever lived
• Lovelace (2013) — The story of Linda Lovelace, who is used and abused by the porn industry at the behest of her coercive husband, before taking control of her life.
• Madras Cafe (2013) — Based on events during the Sri Lankan civil war
• Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) — A South African film based on the 1994 autobiography by Nelson Mandela
• Non-Disclosure: Haunted (2013) — The story of a divorced man and his son who rent a haunted house
• Orissa (2013) — A Malayalam film based on the love story between a police constable and an Odisha girl
• Pain & Gain (2013) — An American crime-comedy film based on the kidnapping, extortion, torture, and murder of several people by an organized group of criminals that included a number of bodybuilders affiliated with Sun Gym in Florida.
• Philomena (2013) — A world-weary political journalist picks up the story of a woman's search for her son, who was taken away from her decades ago after she became pregnant and was forced to live in a convent.
• Rush (2013) — Based on the true story of the Formula One season in 1976 with the unforgettable battle for the championship between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, and Lauda's remarkable recovery from a near fatal accident at the 1976 German Grand Prix
• Saving Mr. Banks (2013) — Based on the untold true story of the Walt Disney adaptation of the book Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers
• Shootout at Wadala (2013) — A Hindi film based on infamous Indian urban dacoit and most feared gangster in the Mumbai underworld Manya Surve. His death in 1982 during an encounter with the Maharashtra police became city's first encounter.
• Snitch (2013) — Based on the true story of a drug dealer
• Tracks (2013) — In 1977, Robyn Davidson travels from Alice Springs across 2,700 kilometres (1,700 miles) of Australian deserts to the Indian Ocean with her dog and four camels. National Geographic photographer Rick Smolan documents her journey
• U Want Me 2 Kill Him? (2013) (stylised as Uwantme2killhim?) — loosely based on the true story of two teenage schoolboys who are drawn into a complicated world of online chatrooms, alter egos and deception, eventually leading to one stabbing the other.
• The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) — Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill

2014

• The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014) — a South Korean war drama based on Yi Sun-Shin in Joseon's final stand at the epic Battle of Myeongnyang in 1597.
• Annabelle (2014) — an American supernatural psychological horror film inspired by the story of a doll named Annabelle that was investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren.
• Chaar Sahibzaade (2014) — a Punjabi language Indian 3D computer-animated historical film based on the sacrifices of the sons of 10th Sikh guru Guru Gobind Singh—Sahibzada Ajit Singh, Jujhar Singh, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh.
• Citizen Four (2014) — about Edward Snowden and the NSA spying scandal
• A Dark Reflection (2014) — a British independent investigative thriller based on actual events surrounding the issue of Aerotoxic Syndrome
• The Face of an Angel (2014) – a British psychological thriller inspired by the book Angel Face, drawn from crime coverage by Newsweek/Daily Beast writer Barbie Latza Nadeau, based on the real-life story of Amanda Knox who was accused of the murder of Meredith Kercher in 2007
• Foxcatcher (2014) — an American biographical true crime drama loosely based on the events surrounding multimillionaire E.I. du Pont family heir and wrestling enthusiast John E. du Pont's 1986 recruitment of 1984 U.S. Olympic gold medalist wrestlers Mark Schultz and his older brother Dave to help coach U.S. wrestlers for participation in national, world, and Olympic competition
• Heaven Is for Real (2014) — based on a novel of the same name about a three-year-old boy, who allegedly went to heaven
• An Honest Liar (2014) — the life of former magician, escape artist, and skeptical educator James Randi, in particular the investigations through which Randi publicly exposed psychics, faith healers, and con-artists
• Houdini (2014) — a two-part, four-hour, look at the life of famed illusionist and escape artist, Harry Houdini
• I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story (2014) — documentary film about Caroll Spinney the original performer of the Sesame Street characters Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch
• The Imitation Game (2014) – a British historical thriller loosely based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges about the British cryptanalyst Alan Turing, who helped solve the Enigma code during the Second World War and was later prosecuted for homosexuality.
• The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz (2014) — a biographical documentary film about Aaron Swartz, an American computer programmer, entrepreneur, writer, political organizer and Internet hacktivist
• Love & Mercy (2014) — an American biographical film about musician and songwriter Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys
• Marvellous (2014) — a British drama television film about the life of Neil Baldwin
• Mary Kom (2014) — an Indian biographical sports drama about five-times female World Boxing Champion and Olympic bronze medalist Mary Kom, the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the six world championships
• Million Dollar Arm (2014) — based on the true story of baseball pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel who were discovered by sports agent J.B. Bernstein after winning a reality show competition
• The Monuments Men (2014) — an American-German war film loosely based on the non-fiction book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter, the film follows an Allied group from the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program, tasked with finding and saving pieces of art and other culturally important items before their destruction or theft by the Nazis during World War II.
• A Murder Beside Yanhe River (2014) — a Chinese historical film based on the murder case of Huang Kegong, who was a general of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army
• Selma (2014) — an American historical drama based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches
• The Theory of Everything (2014) — a British biographical coming of age romantic drama adapted from the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Wilde Hawking, which deals with her relationship with her ex-husband, English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking

2015

• The Big Short (2015) — Four denizens of the world of high-finance predict the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight.
• Black Mass (2015) — an American action organized crime-drama based on the 2001 book Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob, written by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill, about Irish-American mobster Whitey Bulger.
• Bridge of Spies (2015) — an American historical spy thriller based on the 1960 U-2 incident, in which lawyer James B. Donovan is thrust into the center of the Cold War when he is given a mission to negotiate the release of Francis Gary Powers, a pilot whose plane was shot down in the Soviet Union.
• Captive (2015) — an American crime-drama thriller based on the non-fiction book An Unlikely Angel by Ashley Smith about Brian Nichols, who escaped from the Fulton County courthouse in Atlanta on 11 March 2005 and held Smith as a hostage.
• Concussion (2015) — an American sports drama, based on the 2009 GQ article "Game Brain" by Jeanne Marie Laskas, focused on a forensic pathologist and neuropathologist, Dr. Bennet Omalu, who discovers CTE in the brains of two NFL players.
• The Danish Girl (2015) -The remarkable love story inspired by the lives of artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda's marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili's groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.
• Danny Collins (2015) — an American comedy-drama inspired by the true story of folk singer Steve Tilston.
• Everest (2015) — an American historical biography action adventure disaster thriller based on the real events of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster and the non-fiction book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer.
• The Finest Hours (2015) — an American disaster drama based on the 2009 book of same name, by Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias, about the true story of the Pendleton rescue mission attempt by U.S. Coast Guard ships.
• In the Heart of the Sea (2015) — an American biographical thriller based on Nathaniel Philbrick's 2000 non-fiction book of the same name, about the sinking of the whaleship Essex.
• Joy (2015) — an American biographical comedy-drama about a struggling single mom of three children, Joy Mangano, who invented the 'Miracle Mop' and is the President of Ingenious Designs, LLC.
• Legend (2015) — British crime thriller based on real life London gangsters, the Kray twins. Adapted from the book The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins by John Pearson.
• Manjhi - The Mountain Man (2015) − Manjhi is an upcoming Indian biopic based on the life of Dashrath Manjhi, popularly known as the ‘Mountain man’, who lived in Gehlaur village, near Gaya, in Bihar. It is directed by Ketan Mehta and produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, Maya Movies Pvt. Ltd. & NFDC. It features Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Radhika Apte in the lead roles. The film is scheduled for release on 21 August 2015.
• McFarland, USA (2015) — an American sports drama based on the true story of a 1987 cross country team from a predominantly Mexican-American high school, McFarland High School, in McFarland, California.
• Pawn Sacrifice (2015) — an American biographical film portraying Cold War-era championship chess match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky
• The Revenant (2015) — an American western thriller adapted from Michael Punke's 2003 novel of the same name, partially based in the life of frontiersman Hugh Glass
• Rudramadevi (2015) — An Indian Telugu 3D historical film based on the life of Rudrama Devi, one of the prominent rulers of the Kakatiya dynasty in the Deccan Plateau, and one of the few ruling queens in Indian history
• Spare Parts (2015) — an American drama based on the true story of a group of high school students who compete in a 2004 underwater robotics competition
• Steve Jobs (2015) — an American biographical drama based on the life of Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs, based on a screenplay adapted from Walter Isaacson's biography Steve Jobs.
• Straight Outta Compton (2015) — an American biographical drama which revolves around the rise and fall of the Compton, California rap group N.W.A.
• Suffragette (2015) — historical period drama based on the early feminist movement
• True Story (2015) — an American drama film based on the memoir of journalist Michael Finkel about his encounter with wanted murderer Christian Longo, who hid under Finkel's identity.
• Trumbo (2015) — biographical drama film following the life of Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo and his exile due to his political beliefs
• The Walk (2015) — an American biographical film based on the story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on 7 August 1974.
• Woman in Gold (2015) — British-American drama based on the true story of Maria Altmann, an elderly Holocaust survivor who, together with her young lawyer, E. Randol Schoenberg, fought the government of Austria to reclaim Gustav Klimt's painting of her aunt, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, which culminated in the 2004 case before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Republic of Austria v. Altmann.
• Woodlawn (2015) — American Christian sports drama film based on the true story of Tony Nathan and the Woodlawn High Colonels football team as coaches and teammates struggle to ease racial tensions during the 1973 desegregation of Birmingham, Alabama school system.
• The 33 (2015) — English-language Chilean film based on the real events of the 2010 mining disaster, in which a group of thirty-three miners were trapped inside the San José Mine in Chile for over two months.

2016

• 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) — American war film based on Mitchell Zuckoff's 2014 book 13 Hours. It recounts the true life events of six members of a security team who fought to defend the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, after waves of terrorist attacks on September 11, 2012.
• Snowden (2016) — an American biographical political thriller based on the books The Snowden Files by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena.

See also

• Docudrama
• List of historical period drama films

References

External links

• Movies Based On True Stories Archives
• History at the Movies: Historical and Period Films
• Internet Movie Database list
• Films Based on Historical Events and People

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