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Peter Watkins
Director 1935 - 2025

Peter Watkins

Norbiton, Surrey, England, UK

Peter Watkins (29 October 1935 – 30 October 2025) was an English filmmaker, documentarian, writer and film theorist. He is known as a pioneer of the docudrama and the mockumentary genres, typically with heavy political content. His films present pacifist and radical ideas in a... Read full bio →

Filmography

Every title this person appears in

7 titles
Fritänkaren

Fritänkaren

Peter Watkins, Göran Bäuerle 1994 4h 36m

The film portrays the Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter August Strindberg's life 1849-1912. Through his extensive correspondence and literary production, from the supposed first work, the drama "The Free Thinker" (1869), to the posthumously published "The Occult Diary" (published 1977 ).

Resan

Resan

Peter Watkins 1987 14h 33m

Peter Watkins' global look at the impact of military use of nuclear technology and people's perception of it, as well as a meditation on the inherent bias of the media, and documentaries themselves.

Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch

Peter Watkins 1974 2h 54m 7.7

Edvard Munch's childhood is overshadowed by death: he suffers the loss of his sister and mother, while enduring serious illness himself, almost dying. At university, Munch discovers his talent as a painter. As he immerses himself in the art world, he becomes part of a cultural revolution lead by the likes of nihilist Hans Jæger.

Punishment Park

Punishment Park

Peter Watkins 1971 1h 28m 9.1

"Punishment Park" is a pseudo-documentary purporting to be a film crews's news coverage of the team of soldiers escorting a group of hippies, draft dodgers, and anti-establishment types across the desert in a type of capture the flag game.

The War Game

The War Game

Peter Watkins 1965 48m 8.5

The War Game is a fictional, worst-case-scenario docu-drama about nuclear war and its aftermath in and around a typical English city.

Culloden

Culloden

Peter Watkins 1964 1h 9m 8.0

Portrays the 1746 Battle of Culloden that resulted in the British Army's destruction of the Jacobite uprising and, in the words of the narrator, "tore apart forever the clan system of the Scottish Highlands".

The Diary of an Unknown Soldier

The Diary of an Unknown Soldier

Peter Watkins 1959 17m

A short story narrated by an unknown British soldier who reveals his hopes, fears, and disillusionment while heading into battle against the German army.

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