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

• A Film About Nothing (2011) - A Canadian Film that portrays a murderous cat and one mans revenge. Filmed, directed, produced and co-writen by Shelby Intile.
• 2gether (2000), A movie that spoofs boy bands like N*Sync, New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, etc.
• A Day Without a Mexican is a 2004 film directed by Sergio Arau. A fantasy in which all Mexicans in the U.S. state of California suddenly disappear.
• 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.
• Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down the film aims to teach young inexperienced youth about all things involved with "getting down", while also pointing out some of the pitfalls associated with the party lifestyle.directed by Paul Sapiano
• Brüno (US/UK 2009), pseudosequel to Borat about a gay Austrian reporter's journey through the United States.
• The Calcium Kid (UK 2004), boxing documentary charting the unexpected rise to fame of a milkman who is also an amateur boxer.
• The Canadian Conspiracy (US, 1985), about a supposed Canadian plan to subvert the United States by taking over its media.
• 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.
• Chalk, 2007 movie based on two teachers' real life experiences. LA Weekly said to think of it as "To Sir, with Sarcasm".
• Come Fly with Me (2010 TV series), a TV series mockumentary about an airline.
• 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.
• Confetti (UK, 2006), 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 This Is Spinal Tap.
• 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), a parody of documentaries by Louis Theroux, a fictitious 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, "Niggaz with Hats" (N.W.H. for short), 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".
• The Flying Scissors, a mockumentary that follows a handful of individuals preparing for a Rock-Paper-Scissors competition.
• 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.
• FUBAR 2 (Canada, 2010), Sequel to the 2002 mockumentary.
• 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.
• G-SALE (US, 2003), A film by Randy Nargi, scripted mockumentary about garage sale fanatics.
• Gamers: The Movie (US, 2006), about players trying to set a record for playing a Dungeons and Dragons-like game.
• Gangsta Rap: The Glockumentary (2007), about a group of aging rappers who are trying to make a comeback.
• Get Ready to be Boyzvoiced (Norway, 2000), a film following fictional Norwegian boy band Boyzvoice.
• Good Arrows (UK, 2009), a mockumentary about Welsh darts player.
• 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.
• I'm Still Here, a 2010 satirical film parodying America's fascination with the reality television phenomenon of the 2000s that revolves around the life of Academy Award-nominated actor Joaquin Phoenix. Phoenix, disheveled and perpetually clothed in dark suits and sunglasses, announces his retirement from acting in favor of a career as a professional hip hop artist.
• Incident at Loch Ness (US, 2004), about a filmmaker attempting to make a documentary about the mythological Loch Ness Monster while a documentary about his life is, in turn, being filmed.
• 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 Wilde'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.
• Mayhem Behind Movies (UK, 2011), a comedy mockumentary that follows a struggling film maker "Kevin Knight".
• 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 Notorious Newman Brothers (Canada 2009) "The film the mafia wish never got made!" - A dark comedy that follows Max Chaplin, one of films most inexperienced directors, as he struggles to document Paulie and Thunderclap Newman on their ascension to mobster mediocrity.
• 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".
• 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.
• Tanner '88 (US, 1988) The campaign of (fictional) former Michigan US representative Jack Tanner's bid to secure the Democratic party's nomination for President. Written by Garry Trudeau, directed by Robert Altman.
• Tanner on Tanner (US, 2004) Follow up to Tanner '88, interviewing old campaign staffers and Tanner before going to the 2004 Democratic Convention in Boston. Written by Garry Trudeau, directed by Robert Altman.
• This Is Spinal Tap (US, 1984), follows a British rock band attempting to revive their popularity.
• Waiting for Guffman (US, 1996), a small Missouri town's celebration of its sesquicentennial.
• Yacht Rock, a mockumentary series on adult contemporary 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.

Television

Series

• A Sense of History (UK, 1992), Mike Leigh's increasingly sinister biography of the 23rd Earl of Leete, played by Jim Broadbent.
• Arrested Development (2005 TV Series), follows the Bluth family, most notably Michael Bluth, after the events of the father's arrest for corporate fraud. It's narrated by Ron Howard, who produced the show, as well as played himself in the series finale as a possible producer for a show about the Bluths.
• Brass Eye (UK, 1997), a series of mockumentaries by Chris Morris.
• Come Fly with Me (UK, 2010–Present), a fly-on-the-wall comedy TV show which follows the antics of many characters on a normal day at a UK airport. Most characters are played by comedian duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas.
• 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'
• 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.
• Dorm Life (US, 2008–2009), a webseries following the fictional lives of the inhabitants of the college dorm floor 5 South.
• 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.
• 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.
• Human Remains (UK, 2000), a bleak series of fly-on-the-wall insights into dysfunctional couples.
• 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.
• 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.
• Marion and Geoff (UK series, 2000–2003), stars Rob Brydon as a cab/taxi driver.
• Modern Family (US, 2009–Present), a series about three families living modern American family lives.
• My Life as Liz (US, 2010–Present), a series about a seventeen-year old girl and her senior year in high school.
• 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).
• Operation Repo, a fictional series depicting an automobile repossession team.
• Parks and Recreation (US, 2009–Present), a series following Leslie Knope who is head of the Parks and Recreation department in a small town in Indiana.
• 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.
• 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.
• Pure Pwnage, an Internet-distributed show about a gamer followed around by his brother created by Geoff Lapaire, and Jarett Cale.
• Reno 911! (US, 2003–2009), Comedy Central parody of COPS about an inept police force in Reno, Nevada.
• Southern Fried Stings a series depicting a fictional group of mercenaries/private detectives operating in southern United States.
• We Can Be Heroes: Finding The Australian of the Year (Australia, 2005), an Australian TV mockumentary about five fictitious candidates nominated for the prestigious Australian of the Year Award.
• Summer Heights High (Australia, 2007), an Australian mockumentary about three fictitious characters at a public high school.
• Angry Boys (Australia, 2011), an Australian mockumentary created by Lilley.
• Total Drama Island (Canada, 2007–Present), a Canadian TV mockumentary of reality shows about a group of teens competing for $100,000.
• 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.
• 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.
• Wildboyz (US, 2003–2006), Jackass spin-off starring Steve-O and Chris Pontius that mocks nature style documentaries.

Specials and 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, who also created the series.
• 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 fictitious creatures that live in underground mines and feed on oil, plastic, and rubbish.

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.) This film may be better described as an example of the found footage genre.
• Cloverfield, a monster movie about the apocalypse of Manhattan Island.
• C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, an alternate history in which the Confederates won the American Civil War.
• 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.
• 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.
• The Fourth Kind (2009) The film purports to be based on actual events occurring in Nome, Alaska in 2000, in which psychologist Dr. Abigail "Abbey" Tyler uses hypnosis to uncover memories from her patients of alien abduction, and finds evidence suggesting that she may have been abducted as well.
• Husbands and Wives (1992), a Woody Allen film with dramatic action interleaved with interviews with the main characters and brief bits of narration.
• I'm Still Here, a fictional documentary about actor Joaquin Phoenix's supposed retirement from the acting profession, and his subsequent attempts to start a hip-hop career and pursuing a path of self-discovery.
• 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 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 serial killer who chooses his victims by recording a snuff movie over a horror video rental and waits for the next person to rent it.
• The Magician (2005), an Australian mockumentary following the works of a hit man in Melbourne.
• Nothing So Strange, a fictional documentary about Citizens for Truth, an organization seeking further investigation into the 1999 assassination of Bill Gates.
• 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, followed by two sequels.
• The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2009) a serial killer obsessively documents his career in carnage in this pseudo-documentary thriller.
• Punishment Park (1971) a British and West German film crew follow National Guard soldiers and police as they pursue a group of members of the counterculture across the desert.
• Quarantine (2008) a remake of the Spanish horror film REC and is almost an entire shot-for-shot remake with a few exceptions such as added scenes and dialogue.
• 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.
• ...Va man dar khoshbakhti-e shirin be donya amadam! ("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. It tells the story of a lonely man who films his daily life with an 8mm camera, and his lonely neighbour who talks about his daily life.
• 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 Norwegian 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.
• Zero Day (2003), a film, told almost exclusively through the protagonist's video camera, about a school shooting much along the lines of the Columbine High School massacre.

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.
• Space Oddyssey: Voyage to the Planets, about a fictional manned voyage through the Solar System presented in documentary style.
• Tout ça (ne nous rendra pas la Belgique), a hoax news bulletin on a French-medium Belgian television network that claimed the Flemish parliament had unilaterally declared independence from Belgium. Also known in English as the Flemish Secession hoax.
• Forgotten Silver, a 1995 film by Peter Jackson which purports to tell the story of a (hitherto unknown) pioneering New Zealand filmmaker.

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.
• Community
  • Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking, Pierce tells the study group he's dying and asks Abed to film his last wishes.
• 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, a 1990 episode 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.
• ER
  • Its 1997 live episode Ambush was portrayed as a documentary.
• 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 (2000), an episode made to look like an episode of the actual show COPS.

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, a movie is presented as a marathon of the seventh series of an American reality television show where six people, picked at random from a national lottery, are each given a gun and forced to hunt and kill each other for the camera.

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

Main article: Found footage (genre)

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

• September Tapes, a movie about a man who hunts down Osama Bin Laden.
• The Last Exorcism, a 2010 horror film about a fictional evangelical minister who participates in a documentary that films his exorcism.
• The Troll Hunter, a 2010 Norwegian comedy-drama film made by a team of film students, documenting the work of a troll hunter with the secret Norwegian Troll Service.
• The Devil Inside (film), a 2012 horror movie tracing the purported exorcism of a possessed woman convicted of a mass murder.
• The Amityville Horror: The Lost Tapes, a 2012 film that tells the story of a team of investigators in the 1970s who investigated the haunted goings-on inside the notorious murder house that later became the cult phenomenon known as The Amityville Horror.