List of mockumentaries

Mockumentary or mock documentary is a genre of film and television, presented as a documentary recording real life, but is actually fictional. It is a commonly used medium for parody and satire.

Main article: Mockumentary

Comedy

Film

• All You Need Is Cash (aka The Rutles) (UK, 1979), Beatles parody telling of The Rutles' story, while also parodying documentary makers themselves.
• Auditions, a 1970s mockumentary about the porn industry directed by Harry Hurwitz.
• The Baby Formula, a lesbian couple both get pregnant through an experimental stem cell procedure (Canada, 2009)
• Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (US, 2005), a film crew follows Leslie Vernon, a serial-killer in training.
• Believe (US, 2007), story of multi-level marketing and a failed pyramid scheme.
• Best in Show (UK/US, 2000), story of some contestants at a national dog show.
• The Big Tease, a Scottish hairdresser's journey to the US for a hairdressing competition, filmed with mockumentary elements.
• Bob Roberts (US, 1992), a Tim Robbins satiric film about a right wing folksinger's crooked election campaign.
• Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (US/UK, 2006), about a Kazakh journalist's journey through the United States.
• Born Twiztid: Beyond the Freekshow is a mockumentary talking about the supposed early life of the band Twiztid.
• Bottomfeeders (US, 2001), about a political campaign in Pennsylvania.
• Brüno (US/UK 2009), pseudosequel to Borat about a gay Austrian reporter's journey through the United States.
• CB4, a parody rapumentary that follows the story of CB4, a fictional rap group that is loosely based on N.W.A. and 2 Live Crew.
• The Canadian Conspiracy (US, 1985), about a supposed Canadian plan to subvert the United States by taking over its media.
• Chalk, 2007 movie based on two teachers' real life experiences. LA Weekly said to think of it as "To Sir, with Sarcasm".
• Comic Book: The Movie, a 2004 direct-to-DVD release mockumentary about a comic book fanboy dealing with the unfaithful film adaptation of his favorite character, set to the backdrop of the 2002 San Diego Comic-Con.
• C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America.
• Confetti (film) (France, 2002), a British mockumentary about a fashion magazine wedding competition
• Dark Side of the Moon tries to portray the moon landings as a creation in a movie lot by Stanley Kubrick.
• The Delicate Art of Parking, a Canadian mockumentary about parking-enforcement officers.
• Dill Scallion, a 1999 feature follows the rise and fall of country-western singer Dill Scallion (Billy Burke) in the mode of The Is Spinal Tap.
• Dog Bites Man, a parody of local news coverage, and follows the misadventures of a struggling news team as they travel around the country producing news segments.
• Drop Dead Gorgeous a camera crew follows beauty pageant contestants in a small town.
• Farce of the Penguins (US, 2007), a direct-to-video film which is a parody of March of the Penguins.
• The Far Left (UK, 2009), directed by Adam Nicholas, a parody of documentaries by Louis Theroux, a ficticious film maker named Peter Jenkiss follows the life of a far left activist and his accomplice.
• Fear of a Black Hat (US, 1994), follows the fictional rap group, "N.W.H.", as it evolves with the genre from its popular origins to the advent of gangsta rap.
• Fellowship of the Dice (film), story of a first time gamer's introduction to the Role-playing game world.
• Finishing the Game, The story of the search for the "new" Bruce Lee to finish "The Game of Death".
• First on the Moon (Первые на Луне or Pervye na Lune) (Russia, 2005), Venice Film Festival winner. A mockumentary about the first Russian spaсe voyage, supposedly accomplished in 1938. Mixes archival footage and fake KGB materials.
• Forgotten Silver (New Zealand, 1995), A film by Costa Botes and Peter Jackson, parody of a historical documentary about a "forgotten" filmmaker.
• FUBAR (Canada, 2002), A film by Michael Dowse, a mockumentary that has achieved cult status about head-banger subculture, especially within Canada.
• Fudge 44 (Ireland, 2005), A film by Graham Jones, a mockumentary about six puppets in a financially impoverished Tokyo children's puppet theatre who, locals believe, came to life and robbed a nearby bank to avoid being put out of business.
• Gamers: The Movie (US, 2006), A film by Chris Folino, an award-winning mockumentary about players trying to set a record for playing a Dungeons and Dragons-like ironically cast with 80's film stars.
• Get Ready to be Boyzvoiced (Norway, 2000), a film following fictional Norwegian boy band Boyzvoice.
• G-SALE (US, 2003), A film by Randy Nargi, scripted mockumentary about garage sale fanatics.
• Hard Core Logo (Canada, 1996), following in the tradition of This Is Spinal Tap, this film traces the final tour of an overaged punk band, and serves as a model for the death of "true" punk rock. The film's associated album, A Tribute to Hard Core Logo, has several notable bands performing cover versions of Hard Core Logo songs, and is packaged as if Hard Core Logo were a real band.
• The Heavenly Kings (Hong Kong, 2006), a film following the Cantopop boy band Alive, fronted by Daniel Wu (who also directed the film).
• How to Irritate People, the 1968 "guide" written mostly by John Cleese and featuring Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, and Connie Booth.
• Incident at Loch Ness (US, 2004), the tale of all hell breaking loose as famous filmmaker Werner Herzog attempts to make a documentary about the Nessie myth while a documentary about his life is being filmed and a pigheaded producer (Zak Penn) tries his damndest to make Herzog's film a mindless high-grossing blockbuster.
• It's All Gone Pete Tong (UK, Canada, 2004), a comedy following the tragic life of legendary DJ Frankie Wilde. The story takes us through Frankie's life from one of the best DJ's alive, through subsequent battle with a hearing disorder, culminating in his mysterious disappearance from the scene.
• Kenny (Australia 2006), the life of a portable toilet installer in Melbourne, Australia.
• The Last Polka, John Candy and Eugene Levy mockumentary about the last concert of the Shmenge Brothers, a Leutonian Polka duet whose characters were first developed on Second City Television.
• LolliLove (USA, 2004), a story about a husband and wife team, played by James Gunn and Jenna Fischer, who form a charity to give each homeless person a lollipop with a cheery slogan on the wrapper, but who are really only serving themselves.
• Man Bites Dog (Belgium, 1992), Rémy Belvaux black comedy/satire in which a film crew follows a serial killer documenting his crimes.
• Man of the Year (USA, 1995), a satirical look, directed by former Playgirl magazine Man of the Year Dirk Shafer, at his reign as Man of the Year as a closeted gay man.
• Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful (US, 1992), a "behind the scenes" exposé of pop singer and sex symbol Medusa, on her "Blonde Leading the Blonde" concert tour.
• A Mighty Wind (US, 2003), story of three groups of folk singers who come together at a tribute concert in honor of their recently deceased manager.
• Mike Bassett: England Manager (UK, 2001), the fortunes of a lacklustre England football manager in the World Cup.
• Never Been Thawed (US 2005) a film about a society of people who collect frozen TV dinners.
• The Old Negro Space Program, mockumentary about the fictional "NASSA" or "Negro American Space Society of Astronauts", lampooning far-reaching racial segregation in the United States; subtitled "the shocking but false story of America's blackstronauts".
• Otaku no Video (Japan, 1991), an anime film by Gainax featuring live-action news segments of events past the film's 1985 release date.
• The Progressives - The Film (2005), satirical documentary about London band The Progressives.
• Pure Pwnage, an Internet-distributed show about a gamer followed around by his brother created by Geoff Lapaire, and Jarett Cale.
• R2-D2: Beneath the Dome, the career of supposed real-life actor R2-D2, who was played in reality by Kenny Baker and puppeteer Don Bies, co-director of this mockumentary.
• Real Life (US, 1979), Albert Brooks directs a documentary about a year in the life of an average American family (headed by Charles Grodin).
• Steamin' and Dreamin': The Grandmaster Cash Story, a comedy mockumentary that follows the exploits of Cork hip-hop artist Grandmaster Cash.
• Surf's Up, an animated mockumentary that follows the progress of a surfer penguin named Cody Maverick as he enters a surfing competition.
• Take the Money and Run (US, 1969), the second film directed by Woody Allen, in which Allen plays an ambitious but clumsy burglar.
• This Is Spinal Tap (US, 1984), follows a (fake) British rock band on tour long past their salad days.
• Waiting for Guffman (US, 1996), a small Missouri town's celebration of its sesquicentennial.
• Yacht Rock, a mockumentary series on adult comtemporary music during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
• Zelig, a mockumentary by Woody Allen about a man who changes his physical appearance in order to fit in.
• Off the Cuff (2009), a mockumentary about the Chicago improv scene. Produced by husband wife team Brent Kado and Jessica Hardy. Off the Cuff at IMDb.
• Welcome to Gentle Waters (2010), a mockumentary about a rehab retreat center in North Lake, IN. Second film by husband wife team Brent Kado and Jessica Hardy.

Television

Series

• El Divo, (Spain, 2009), created by Carlos Clavijo, written by Carlos Clavijo and Fernando Villena, directed by Carlos Clavijo.
• Victoria Wood As Seen On TV (UK, 1985-87), two series of sketch shows with regular five-minute mockumentaries, written by and starring Victoria Wood.
• Brass Eye (UK, 1997), a series of mockumentaries by Chris Morris.
• The Day Today (UK, 1994), spoof news series created by Chris Morris and Armando Iannucci which often featured documentary-style inserts, such as 'The Pool' and 'The Office'
• Paths to Freedom (Ireland, 2000), spoof fly-on-the-wall documentary about two prisoners leaving prison, both from different backgrounds one an esteemed gynaecologist and the other an inner city Dublin rapper.

• Human Remains (UK, 2000), a bleak series of fly-on-the-wall insights into dysfunctional couples.
• Look Around You (UK, 2002 and 2005), a parody of educational TV (season 1) and documentary about "the world and future of science and technology" (season 2), set roughly 25 years before the actual release dates.
• The Games (Australia, 1998 and 2000), an Australian TV comedy that follows the mayhem and bureaucratic snafu faced by the organisers of the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
• Jimmy MacDonald's Canada (Canada, 2005), lost episodes of a mid-1960s public affairs show hosted by Jimmy MacDonald who was played by Richard Waugh. The show combined new segments with authentic news and human interest archive footage.
• "Les Invincibles" (Canada, 2005-2009), a French Canadian TV dramedy about four thirty year-old men signing a pact that say they have to break-up with their girlfriends and embrace a common routine-free life.
• The Naked Brothers Band (US, 2007-2009), starred two real-life brothers Nat and Alex Wolff and their real life friends about a teenage fantasy of a world-famous kids' rock band, with cameras following the band members everywhere they go. The series was based around the real-life band Nat and Alex formed back in pre-school. The series was created by their real-life mother actress Polly Draper, who also wrote and directed the self-titled film, that became the pilot for the series.
• The Office (UK/USA, 2001-Present), British satire on white-collar management, later remade for US and other audiences.
• Operation Good Guys, a British satire of an incompetent police force (often seen as a precursor to The Office, see above).
• Parks and Recreation (US, 2009-Present), a new television series following Leslie Knope who is head of the Parks and Recreation department in a small town in Indiana.
• People Like Us (UK, radio from 1995 to 1997, and television series 1999 to 2000), a British radio and TV comedy, featuring an inept interviewer (played by Chris Langham), who interviews people in various jobs.
• Prehistoric Park (UK, 2006), a six-episode mockumentary that depicts a hypothetical scenario whereby a time machine is used to create a wildlife park.
• Reno 911! (US, 2003-2009), Comedy Central parody of COPS about an inept police force in Reno, Nevada.
• Summer Heights High (Australia, 2005), an Australian TV mockumentary about three fictitious characters at a public high school. All three protagonists are played by the actor and show's creator, Chris Lilley. Two of the characters in this series are characters previously featured in two of Chris Lilley's past television shows, including "We Can Be Heroes".
• Trailer Park Boys (Canada, 2001-2007), follows Julian, Ricky, and Bubbles, as they commit crimes, and hatch crack-pot schemes to make money, most of which are illegal and often involve growing marijuana.
• Total Drama Island (Canada, 2007-Present), a Canadian TV mockumentary of reality shows about a group of teens competing for $100,000.
• We Can Be Heroes (Australia, 2005), an Australian TV mockumentary about five fictitious candidates nominated for the prestigious Australian of the Year Award. All five protagonists are played by the actor and show's creator, Chris Lilley.
• Wildboyz (US, 2003-2006), Jackass spin-off starring Steve-O and Chris Pontius that mocks nature style documentaries.
• Gerhard Reinke's Wanderlust (US, 2003), a travel show following the misadventures of a bumbling German backpacker as he travels the globe in search of reasonably priced culturally enriching experiences.
• Modern Family (US, 2009), a new family comedy TV series following the misadventures of three inter-connected families.
• My Life as Liz (US,2010-Present) , a series about a seventeen-year old girl and her senior year in high school.
• Dorm Life (US, 2008-2009), a webseries following the fictional lives of the inhabitants of the college dorm floor 5 South.

Specials & One-offs

• Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO Special about the making of an HBO special.
• Norbert Smith - a Life, a personal project by English comedian Harry Enfield, satirising TV arts show biographies, British films of the 20th century, and the British acting fraternity.
• The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie, stars two real-life brothers Nat and Alex Wolff and their real life friends about a teenage fantasy of a world-famous kids' rock band, with cameras following the band members everywhere they go. The film is based around the real-life band Nat and Alex formed back in pre-school. The film was written and directed by their real-life mother actress Polly Draper, whom also created the series.
• Hilltop Hoods, music video Recapturing the Vibe was a comedy mockumentary discussing 'Extreme swinging'.
• Platinum Weird, a band formed by Dave Stewart and Kara DioGuardi, and the subject of a VH1 mockumentary.
• Oil Gobblers (Ropáci), a film by Jan Svěrák about fictious creatures that live underground (e.g. in mines) and feed on oil, plastik, rubbish. Polluted air is essential for them, on clean air they suffer just as if were poisoned.

Individual episodes

Sometimes an episode of an otherwise non-mockumentary series will be presented as a mockumentary.

• The Comic Strip Presents
  • "The Comic Strip Presents... Bad News Tour" (and its sequel, "More Bad News"), following an incompetent rock group on tour.
  • "The Comic Strip Presents... Eddie Monsoon: A Life?", the life story of an offensive talk show host.
• Drop The Dead Donkey
  • "The Newsmakers"
• Entourage
  • "Welcome to the Jungle", an episode as a mock "making of" film about Medellín, the film the characters produce.
• Even Stevens
  • "Band on the Roof", a "rockumentary"-style episode following the band, the Twitty-Steven Connection.
• Just Shoot Me!
  • "A&E Biography: Nina Van Horn", a faux "A&E Biography" of the character Nina Van Horn, played by Wendie Malick
• Night Court
  • "A Closer Look", an episode of in 1990 showing the affairs of the show from a news TV perspective.
• The Simpsons
  • "Behind the Laughter", a Behind the Music-style exposé
• 3rd Rock From the Sun
  • "The Loud Solomon Family: a Dickumentary", from season 5, an episode presented in an entirely documentary style taking a look into the lives of the Solomon family.

Commercials

• ESPN's "This is SportsCenter" commercials are presented in a mockumentary style.

Dramatic examples

Film

• AFR (2007), a Danish mockumentary about the fictional killing of the Danish prime minister by his secret gay lover.
• Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County (1998), a horror mockumentary that presents an "unedited" camcorder recording of a rural American family's encounter with aliens.
• The Blair Witch Project, fictional story presented as non-fiction about three filmmaker's disappearances while making a documentary film about a supernatural being described in local folklore. (The backstory of the being, a witch, had no basis in fact, either.) Also see Curse of the Blair Witch.
• Cannibal Holocaust (1980), perhaps the first horror mockumentary and a predecessor of the Blair Witch Project. It tells the story of film students who take a trip to the Colombian jungle and encounter cannibals.
• Cloverfield, a monster movie about the apocalypse of Manhattan Island.
• District 9
• C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, an alternate history in which the Confederates won the American Civil War.
• Culloden (1964), a BBC "documentary" of the battle from 1746, presented as if cameras had been there to film it.
• Dadetown (1995), a faux documentary along the lines of Roger & Me - conflict in a small town between a fading industry and an emerging one.
• David Holzman's Diary (1968), one of the earliest examples of false documentaries. In it a young man creates a film "diary" of his life falling apart.
• The Day Britain Stopped, detailing a series of events leading from a nationwide train strike in the midst of winter, forcing all Britain's motorways to become gridlocked. The lack of employees able to make it to work in turn leads to two aircraft colliding over London.
• Death of a President, a fictional documentary presented as being produced in 2008 detailing the assassination of United States president George W. Bush on October 19, 2007.
• Diary of the Dead George A. Romero's 2008 zombie film.
• The Execution of Gary Glitter, detailing the glam rock musician Gary Glitter being executed for child sexual abuse in a Britain that restores the death penalty.
• F for Fake, an Orson Welles film documenting/embellishing/fabricating information about "fakery" in general and about the famous "fakers" Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving.
• Fandom: A True Film (2004), a blend of documentary and mockumentary footage. Tells the story of an obsessed fan who travels to meet Natalie Portman and loses his mind along the way.
• The Great American Pyramid of the Midwest (2009), a mockumentary about a man with eight bricks and a dream.
• I Am a Purifier! (2002), a short film directed by Kiarash Anvari. Tells the story of a young Prostitute tries to adapt herself with two different layers of this film; fiction and documentary.
• Interview With the Assassin, with Raymond J. Barry as a terminally-ill man claiming he, not Lee Harvey Oswald, killed President John F. Kennedy.
• The Last Broadcast, a horror film — the first film to be shot, edited, and distributed digitally — in the form of a documentary about the mysterious disappearance of a pair of cable television producers.
• The Last Horror Movie, a British horror film about a wedding photographer cum serial killer who chooses his victims by recording a snuff movie over a horror video rental and waiting for the next person to rent it.
• Made in Secret: The Story of the East Van Porn Collective (2005), a fictional documentary about an anarcho-feminist porn collective.
• The Magician (2005), an Australian mockumentary following the works of a hit man in Melbourne.
• Il Mistero di Lovecraft - Road To L. (2005), an Italian horror mockumentary about H.P. Lovecraft coming to Italy in 1926.
• Nothing So Strange, a fictional documentary about Citizens for Truth, an organization seeking further investigation into the 1999 assassination of Bill Gates.
• No Burgers for Bigfoot (2007), a fictional documentary, spoofing the amateur filmmaking. From casting calls to, on locations shoots, to the film's premiere. No Burgers.. follows the director Michael Justice, and cast as they search for the Bigfoot inside us all.
• Oil Storm (2005), a fictional documentary involving increased oil prices and a hurricane similar to Hurricane Katrina.
• Paranormal Activity (2007) A suburban couple is haunted by a demonic entity in their home when they sleep.
• The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2009)A serial killer obsessively documents his career in carnage in this pseudo-documentary thriller.
• Punishment Park (1971)
• REC (2007), a Spanish horror mockumentary about a news crew that while making an episode of their TV show runs into a mysterious and deadly infection.
• The Second Renaissance (2003), a two-piece anime film and a part of The Animatrix. Presents fictional events leading to "machine rule" and to the Matrix series in documentary-style.
• Supervolcano, a docudrama about the eruption of a Yellowstone volcano.
• ...Va man dar khoshbakhti-e shirin be donya amadam! (aka ... and I was born to sweet delight!) (2000), directed by Iranian film maker Kiarash Anvari, is an experimental mockumentary in Samuel Beckett's style jumps from one time zone to another. Tells the story of a lonely man who films his daily life by an 8 mm camera and his lonely neighbour who talks about his daily life on reel tapes. They fill their loneliness in these ways.
• The War Game (1966), a fictional, worst-case-scenario docu-drama about nuclear war and its aftermath in and around a typical English city.
• The Forbidden Quest (1993), In 1931, an Irish film maker catches up with J.C. Sullivan, the carpenter and last surviving crew member of the Hollandia, a Norse ship that sailed in 1905 to Antarctica. The carpenter has old film footage to back up his tale of the events of the doomed ship.

Television

Specials

• Alternative 3, TV movie of a political conspiracy to establish a settlement on Mars.
• Bye Bye Belgium, a fake TV special report where Flanders has left the Belgian kingdom.
• Curse of the Blair Witch, a tie in to The Blair Witch Project.
• "Arthur and Phil Goes Off: Nessie: Real or Pretend", a parody of Loch Ness Monster documentaries, one of few shows made for the Channel 4 television network by British comedians Arthur Smith and Phil Nice in December 1985.
• Smallpox 2002: Silent Weapon, a docu-drama that reports on a (fictitious) attack made by terrorists using the disease of smallpox to attack the world.
• Space Odyssey: Voyage To The Planets, Docu-drama about a manned voyage through the Solar System.
• Special Bulletin, a TV Movie in the form of news coverage of a terrorist attack.

Individual episodes

• The West Wing
  • "Access", a fake behind-the-scenes documentary about a day in the White House of President Josiah Bartlet, supposedly released after his term in office has ended.
• The X-Files
  • "X-Cops", an episode made to look like an episode of the actual show COPS.
• ER
  • "Ambush", a fake documentary about a day in the ER shot by a PBS crew, and aired live.

Web series

• O-Cast, a webseries about the 12 Olympian Gods of Greek mythology living in New York City, filmed as a mockumentary.

Other mock films and television

Reality shows

• The Comeback (US, 2005), a reality show type following the life of former "it" actress Valerie Cherish.
• Double The Fist, a fictional version of Jackass.
• Drawn Together, a cartoon version of The Surreal Life.
• Series 7: The Contenders

News shows

• Special Bulletin (1983), was an NBC made-for-TV movie, which portrayed a live broadcast from a fictional American broadcasting network (Republic Broadcasting System, or RBS) on a nuclear terrorism incident in Charleston, South Carolina as they occurred. The realism of the broadcast caused a minor panic in Charleston at the time of its first airing, despite disclaimers shown after each commercial break.
• Without Warning (1994), was another TV film in the form of a mock newscast. Produced by CBS, it covered an apocalyptic alien attack scenario as seen through the eyes of a network TV news crew. Like Special Bulletin, reports of panic were also associated with its broadcast.
• Countdown to Looking Glass (1984), a cable-TV docu-drama presented as a series of news reports concerning an escalation in the Middle East between the US and the USSR, that eventually leads to nuclear war. (This film, however, isn't completely a documentary as it includes dramatic interludes).
• Ghostwatch (1992), a BBC television special in which a fictitious "live" paranormal investigation goes awry.
• Babylon 5
  • "And Now For a Word", an episode constructed as an ISN current affairs show.

Found footage

Some films and shows take on the form of (fake) raw footage.

• Cloverfield (US, 2008), a 2008 movie which revolves around a skyscraper-sized monster that attacks New York. It is told from the point of view of a small group of people using a handheld camera. It is portrayed as footage classified by the US military.
• Quarantine, a 2008 horror movie about an apartment complex that is quarantined after a mysterious rabies virus takes over its residents. It is told by a news correspondent who is taken to the apartment after following a group of firemen for the night.
• The Blair Witch Project, fictional story presented as non-fiction about three filmmaker's disappearances while making a documentary film about a supernatural being described in local folklore.
• Alien Abduction; Incident in Lake County, a 1998 movie that presents an "unedited" camcorder recording of a rural American family's encounter with aliens.
• Lost Tapes, a 2009 series on Animal Planet, consisting of traumatic experiences with creatures that may or may not exist.
• September Tapes, a movie about a man who hunts down Osama Bin Laden.