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Alex Gibney

Alex Gibney

Producer, director and writer, also actor · Born October 23, 1953 (73) · New York City, New York, USA

Oscar winner · 5 Primetime Emmys · BAFTA Award nominee · 7 other major award bodies

Philip Alexander Gibney (/ˈɡɪbni/; born October 23, 1953; New York City) is an American documentary film director and producer. In 2010, Esquire magazine said Gibney "is becoming the most important documentarian of our time." Gibney's works as director include The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (winner of three Emmys in 2015), We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks, Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (the winner of three 2013 primetime Emmy awards), Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (nominated in 2005 for Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature); Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer (short-listed in 2011 for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature), Casino Jack and the United States of Money, and Taxi to the Dark Side (winner of the 2007 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature), focusing on a taxi driver in Afghanistan who was tortured and killed at Bagram Air Force Base in 2002. In 2019, he released his documentary Citizen K, about Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian billionaire exile Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 23, 1953 (73)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Producer, director and writer, also actor
Titles
88 on Motif · 153 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Up 46% in 30 days

What are Alex Gibney's films like?

Across their 76 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Power
31%
Morality
17%
Society
17%
Ideas
15%
Self
10%
Survival
7%
Bonds
2%
Justice21 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption17 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth18 titles, browse their movies with this themePower13 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity15 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression12 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition10 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception11 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 52 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 11 · Serious 7 · Dark 34

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 47 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 7 · Charged 24 · Intense 21

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 30 · Shifting 19 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 48 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 23 · Even-paced 28 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 26 · Full focus 18

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 14 · Affecting 20 · Heavy 18

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 33 · Open-ended 18 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

1 analyzed role

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
49
Contemplative
53
Melancholic
28
Dread
18
Warm
10
Other
47

How their films linger

Thought-provoking55 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating29 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet34
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous34
  • Cyclical1
  • Other1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Alex Gibney's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 70 of their 88 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (19).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Alex Gibney's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

153 credits, 88 with a Motif page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Musk(2026)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Motif score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • A Statement(2026)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie(2026)

    Director · Producer

    Motif score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Edward Said: Between Worlds (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2026)

    Executive Producer

  • Connect with Jacob Soboroff (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2026)

    Show 2 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Speechless (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2026)

    Executive Producer

  • Mr. Scorsese(2025)

    Show 5 episodes · Thanks

    Motif score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Orwell: 2+2=5(2025)

    Producer

    Motif score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Bodyguard of Lies(2025)

    Producer

    Motif score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Furry Detectives: Unmasking a Monster(2025)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 10th percentile of all shows

  • The Dark Money Game(2025)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Creator · Producer · Writer · as Narrator (voice)

    Motif score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Octopus!(2025)

    Show Producer

    Motif score: 52nd percentile of all shows

  • The Bibi Files(2024)

    Producer

    Motif score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Walk with Me (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)

    Executive Producer

  • Between Goodbyes (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)

    Executive Producer

  • Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos(2024)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Producer · as Self

    Motif score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon(2023)

    Director · Producer

    Motif score: 94th percentile of all films

  • In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Producer

  • God Save Texas(2024)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 26th percentile of all shows

  • Painkiller(2023)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 65th percentile of all shows

  • The Ruling Class(2023)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 27th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Boom! Boom! The World vs Boris Becker (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2023)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Producer · Writer

  • Money Shot: The Pornhub Story(2023)

    Executive Producer · Thanks

    Motif score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Unveiled: Surviving La Luz Del Mundo(2022)

    Show 3 episodes · Producer

    Motif score: 58th percentile of all shows

  • How to Change Your Mind(2022)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer · Writer

    Motif score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • 137 Shots(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Citizen Ashe(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Forever Prisoner(2021)

    Director · Producer · as Self- Narrator

    Motif score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The First Wave(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Line(2021)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • The Crime of the Century(2021)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Creator · Producer · Writer

    Motif score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Totally Under Control(2020)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Narrator (voice)

    Motif score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Tiger(2021)

    Show 2 episodes · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Kingdom of Silence(2020)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Agents of Chaos(2020)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Creator · Producer · Writer · as Narrator

    Motif score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Laurel Canyon(2020)

    Show 2 episodes · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • The Innocence Files(2020)

    Show 9 episodes · Director · Creator · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 87th percentile of all shows

  • How to Fix a Drug Scandal(2020)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 50th percentile of all shows

  • Crazy, Not Insane(2020)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Motif score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Citizen K(2019)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Narrator (voice)

    Motif score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Los Últimos Frikis(2019)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 80th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    Show 6 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer

  • Why We Hate(2019)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer · Writer

    Motif score: 54th percentile of all shows

  • The Family(2019)

    Show 5 episodes · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 21st percentile of all shows

  • The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley(2019)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Self - Narrator / Interviewer

    Motif score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Divide and Conquer(2018)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Enemies: The President, Justice & The FBI(2018)

    Show 4 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • The Clinton Affair(2018)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Salt Fat Acid Heat(2018)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Enhanced (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

  • The China Hustle(2017)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Looming Tower(2018)

    Show 10 episodes · Director · Creator · Executive Producer · Story

    Motif score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • Dirty Money(2018)

    Show 12 episodes · Director · Executive Producer · Producer · as Self

    Motif score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind(2018)

    Producer

    Motif score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

  • No Stone Unturned (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • The Last Shot(2017)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 43rd percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Accidental Anarchist (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)

    Executive Producer

  • City of Ghosts(2017)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Elián(2017)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 77th percentile of all films

  • American Jihad(2017)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Parched(2017)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer · as Narrator

    Motif score: 75th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Water & Power: A California Heist(2017)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Zero Days VR (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2017)

    Executive Producer

  • The Killing Season(2016)

    Show 8 episodes · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 66th percentile of all shows

  • Too Hip for the Room: The Righteous Reign of Lord Buckley (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Executive Producer

  • Zero Days(2016)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Motif score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Spring Broke(2016)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The 4%: Film's Gender Problem (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Executive Producer

  • Cooked(2016)

    Show 4 episodes · Director · Creator · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • The New Yorker Presents(2015)

    Show 11 episodes · Director · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer · as Narrator

    Motif score: 41st percentile of all shows

  • Billions(2016)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Every Move You Make (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    Consulting Producer

  • Janis: Little Girl Blue(2015)

    Producer

    Motif score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine(2015)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Narrator (voice)

    Motif score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Sunshine Superman(2014)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Sinatra: All or Nothing at All(2015)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Motif score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief(2015)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Narrator (voice)

    Motif score: 98th percentile of all films

  • What Happened, Miss Simone?(2015)

    Thanks

    Motif score: 97th percentile of all films

  • What's Motivating Hayes (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2015)

    Executive Producer

  • Edge of Eighteen (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 7 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Fields of Fear (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)

    Director

  • Finding Fela(2014)

    Director · Producer

    Motif score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Ceasefire Massacre (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · Producer

  • Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown(2014)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer

    Motif score: 90th percentile of all films

  • 30 for 30: Soccer Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Producer

  • Death Row Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 8 episodes · Executive Producer

  • The Armstrong Lie(2013)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Self - Narrator

    Motif score: 88th percentile of all films

  • We Steal Secrets(2013)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Narrator (voice)

    Motif score: 77th percentile of all films

  • History of the Eagles(2013)

    Show 2 episodes · Producer

    Motif score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God(2012)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Self - Narrator (voice)

    Motif score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Park Avenue: Money, Power & The American Dream (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Writer

  • The Last Gladiators (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)

    Director · Producer

  • Venus and Serena(2012)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Dear Governor Cuomo (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)

    Director

  • Focus Forward: Short Films, Big Ideas (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)

    Director

  • Speaking with Light (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2012)

    Director

  • 30 for 30 Shorts(2012)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 79th percentile of all shows

  • Catching Hell (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2011)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer · as Self

  • Magic Trip: Ken Kesey's Search for a Kool Place(2011)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Motif score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • ESPN Films(2011)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Motif score: 49th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Biba! One Island, 879 Votes (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2011)

    Executive Producer

  • Client 9(2010)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Self - Narrator (voice)

    Motif score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Freakonomics(2010)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay · Writer

    Motif score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Casino Jack and the United States of Money(2010)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Motif score: 81st percentile of all films

  • My Trip to Al-Qaeda(2010)

    Director · Producer

    Motif score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Dirty Business (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2009)

    Producer

  • Money-Driven Medicine (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2009)

    Producer

  • Gonzo(2008)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Motif score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Taxi to the Dark Side(2007)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Narrator (voice)

    Motif score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Mr. Untouchable(2007)

    Producer

    Motif score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Love Comes Lately (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)

    Executive Producer

  • No End in Sight(2007)

    Executive Producer

    Motif score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Time Piece (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)

    Director

  • The House Is Burning(2006)

    Producer

    Motif score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Who Killed the Electric Car?(2006)

    Consulting Producer

    Motif score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Human Behavior Experiments (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Herbie Hancock: Possibilities(2006)

    Producer

    Motif score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • 3 Doors Down: Away from the Sun, Live from Houston, Texas (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2005)

    Director · Producer

  • Behind Those Eyes (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2005)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room(2005)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Motif score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Lightning in a Bottle(2004)

    Producer

    Motif score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Blues (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 1 episode · Producer

  • The Soul of a Man(2003)

    Camera Operator · Producer

    Motif score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Trials of Henry Kissinger (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)

    Producer · Writer

  • Jimi Hendrix and The Blues (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · Producer

  • Brooklyn Babylon (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

    Executive Producer

  • Uppdrag granskning (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Producer · Writer

  • The Kennedy Center Presents: Speak Truth to Power (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

    Producer

  • Soldiers in the Army of God (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

    Producer

  • The Huntress (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)

    Executive Producer

  • The Sexual Century: The Look of Love (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 6 episodes · Director · Creator · Producer · Writer

  • Independent Lens (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Producer · Writer

  • AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies: Love Crazy (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1998)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Producer · Writer

  • The Fifties (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 7 episodes · Director · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

  • Storyville (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Inside Japan, Inc. (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1992)

    Director

  • The Pacific Century (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 10 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

  • Manufacturing Miracles (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1988)

    Director · Producer

  • Collision Course: Labor Management Relations in America (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1988)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • The Golden Seal(1983)

    Associate Editor

    Motif score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Flipper (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1980)

    Director · Writer

  • The Ruling Classroom (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1980)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Sound

  • Kids Don't Know What's Best (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Man Vs. Machine (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Executive Producer

  • Return to Timbuktu (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Producer

  • The Hands That Held the Knives (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Producer

  • The Sound of Philadelphia (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Two Wolves (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Director · Producer

  • Untitled Barbra Streisand Documentary (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Untitled Luigi Mangione Documentary (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Director · Executive Producer

  • Untitled Penny Lane Documentary (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Executive Producer

Career shape

A full career of 152 titles, 143 of them dated from 1980 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

$4.9M worldwide

Highest rated

No End in Sight (2007)

Motif 99th

Most popular right now

Musk (2026)

Film career

MilestoneAward winNomination

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting9 of 152: 0 only acting, 9 with another role · typical Motif score77thDirecting70 of 152: 10 only directing, 60 with another role · typical Motif score87thWriting42 of 152: 0 only writing, 42 with another role · typical Motif score87thProducing137 of 152: 72 only producing, 65 with another role · typical Motif score81stEditing1 of 152: 0 only editing, 1 with another roleOther crew17 of 152: 3 only other crew, 14 with another role · typical Motif score86th

152 titles, 67 with more than one role — producing and directing overlap on 58 of them.

By decade

1980s5 · crew1990s8 · crew2000s25 · 1 acting · 25 crew2010s67 · 5 acting · 67 crew2020s38 · 3 acting · 38 crew

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 20% of 5 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

Awards

an Oscar, 5 Primetime Emmys and 8 other major awards from 44 major nominations, 2004–2021.

WinNomination
  1. 2021
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Documentary Screenplay
    • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television
  2. 2020
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
    • +1 other major body · 1 win and 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, won · Documentary Screenplay
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Documentary Screenplay
  3. 2019
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Long Form Adapted
  4. 2018
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Documentary Screenplay
  5. 2017
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Documentary Screenplay
  6. 2016
    • Berlinale award, nominated ×2
    • Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
    • Writers Guild Award, won · Best Documentary Screenplay
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Music Film
  7. 2015
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
  8. 2014
    • BAFTA Award, nominated ×2 · Best Documentary
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 wins and 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, won
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Documentary Screenplay
      • Producers Guild Award, won · Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
Show 8 earlier years
  1. 2013
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Documentary Screenplay
  2. 2011
    • Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
    • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
  3. 2010
    • Sundance award, nominated · Documentary
  4. 2009
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Documentary Screenplay
  5. 2008
    • Oscar, won · Best Documentary, Features
    • +3 other major bodies · 1 win and 2 nominations
      • Sundance award, nominated · Documentary
      • Directors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
      • Writers Guild Award, won
  6. 2006
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Documentary, Features
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 wins
      • Writers Guild Award, won
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Documentary
  7. 2005
    • Sundance award, nominated · Documentary
    • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Long Form Music Video
  8. 2004
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Nonfiction Series
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Grammy Award, won · Best Historical Album

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Alex Gibney's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 83rd percentile, the median of all 54; across their 52 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 83rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 52

Approval · how many liked their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 52

Reach · how many have seen their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 52

Motif score across 88 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up60
  • 50th to 74th17
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

42 of their 88 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved15
  • Divisive4
  • Cult Classic4
  • Crowd Pleaser42
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed21

Most divisive · director, writer, producer

Musk (2026)

99th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

No End in Sight (2007)

Motif 99th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 69/100 and the pacing 53/100 in their films, across 45 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Alex Gibney's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 Motif titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 63 · intenseMedian of all films: 31

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Alex Gibney work with?

People who share at least 2 of Alex Gibney's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Richard Perello shares the most, 43.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

  • Andy Grieve12 titles    See all 12 shared titles with Andy Grieve
  • Benjamin Bloodwell10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Benjamin Bloodwell
  • Will Bates10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Will Bates
  • Maryse Alberti10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Maryse Alberti

Producers

  • Richard Perello43 titles    See newest 12 of 43 shared titles with Richard Perello
  • Stacey Offman41 titles    See newest 12 of 41 shared titles with Stacey Offman
  • Erin Edeiken24 titles    See newest 12 of 24 shared titles with Erin Edeiken
  • Nancy Abraham10 titles    See all 10 shared titles with Nancy Abraham

Mixed roles