Lights, Camera, Action! NYU Alumni Movies to Add to Your Watchlist
Get ready to break out the popcorn and round out your home entertainment with these must-see motion pictures. Whether you’re a film buff or an occasional moviegoer, start with these Oscar-winning and nominated films—all of which feature NYU alumni as cast members, directors, producers, writers, and more—to get you through the week.
Quicklist: Action/Thriller | Animation | Comedy | Documentary | Drama | Romance
Please note this is not an exhaustive list and only includes a small number of the many talented NYU alumni who work in the field of film.
Lora Hirschberg (TSOA ’85), Sound Engineer
Film(s): Inception (2010)
Genre(s): Thriller/Sci-Fi
Rooney Mara (GAL ’10), Actress
Film(s): Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Genre(s): Thriller/Mystery
Mark G. Mikutowicz (TSOA ’05), Producer
Film(s): Hell or High Water (2016)
Genre(s): Western/Thriller
Alan I. Menken (HEIGHTS ’72), Composer
Film(s): Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), Pocahontas (1995), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Enchanted (2007), Tangled (2010)
Genre(s): Animation/Family, Musical/Comedy
Jason Lust (GASA ’98), Executive Producer
Film(s): Guillermo Del Tor's Pinocchio (2022)
Genre(s): Animation/Family
Michael D. Arndt (TSOA ’87), Screenwriter
Film(s): Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Genre(s): Comedy/Drama
Robbie Brenner (TSOA '93), Producer
Film(s): Barbie (2023)
Genre(s): Comedy
Patricia Field (WSC ’63), Costume Designer
Film(s): The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre(s): Comedy/Drama
Lucas D. Matheny (TSOA ’10), Actor and Director
Film(s): God of Love (2010)
Genre(s): Comedy/Short
David Minkowski (TSOA '89), Producer
Film(s): Poor Things (2023)
Genre(s): Comedy
Carole Bayer Sager (STEINHARDT ’65), Composer
Film(s): Arthur (1981)
Genre(s): Comedy
Mahershala Ali (TSOA '00), Supporting Actor
Film(s): Green Book (2018)
Genre(s): Comedy/Drama, Biography
Spike Lee (TSOA ’82, HON '98), Director
Film(s): Four Little Girls (1997), Blackkklansman (2018)
Genre(s): Documentary/History, Crime/Drama
Brett Morgen (TSOA '99), Music Editor
Film(s): Moonage Daydream (2022)
Genre(s): Documentary
Carol Dysinger (TSOA '77), Director
Film(s): Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) (2019)
Genre(s): Documentary, Short Film
Justin L. Wilkes (TSOA ’99), Producer
Film(s): What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
Genre(s): Documentary
Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson (Faculty, Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music), Director
Film(s): Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)
Genre(s): Documentary
Mahershala Ali (TSOA ’00), Actor
Film(s): Moonlight (2016)
Genre(s): Drama/LGBTQ+
Edward Berger (TSOA ’94), Director/Writer
Film(s): All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Genre(s): Drama/War/Action
Leo Birenberg (STEINHARDT '10), Composer
Film(s): Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)
Genre(s): Comedy
Martin B. Brest (TSOA ’73), Director
Film(s): Scent of a Woman (1992)
Genre(s): Drama/Coming-of-Age
Joel D. Coen (TSOA ’78), Director and Producer
Film(s): No Country for Old Men (2007), A Serious Man (2009), True Grit (2010), Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
Genre(s): Thriller/Crime, Comedy/Drama, Western/Drama
Marcia G. Harden (TSOA ’88), Actress
Film(s): Pollock (2000)
Genre(s): Drama/Indie
Philip Seymour Hoffman (TSOA ’89), Actor
Film(s): Capote (2005)
Genre(s): Crime/Drama
Tony Kushner (TSOA ’84), Writer
Film(s): The Fabelmans (2022)
Genre(s): Crime/Drama
Martin Scorsese (WSC ’64), Director, Screenwriter, and Producer
Film(s): Raging Bull (1984), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990), Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), Hugo (2011), Wolf of Wall Street (2013), The Irishman (2019)
Genre(s): Sport/Drama, Drama/Epic, Crime/Drama, Thriller/Crime, Adventure/Fantasy, Comedy/Drama
Oliver Stone (TSOA ’71), Director
Film(s): Platoon (1986), Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Genre(s): War/Drama
Mollye Asher (TSOA ’99, ’14), Producer
Film(s): Nomadland (2020)
Genre(s): Drama
Chloé Zhao (TSOA), Director and Producer
Film(s): Nomadland (2020)
Genre(s): Drama
Alec Baldwin (TSOA ’94), Actor and Comedian
Film(s): The Cooler (2003)
Genre(s): Romance/Drama
Lou Gossett, Jr. (STEINHARDT ’56), Actor
Film(s): An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
Genre(s): Romance/Drama
Ang Lee (TSOA ’84), Director, Screenwriter, and Producer
Film(s): Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000), Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Genre(s): Action/Adventure, Romance/Drama
James A. Taylor (TSOA ’96), Screenwriter
Film(s): Sideways (2004)
Genre(s): Romance/Comedy
Victor J. Zolfo (TSOA ’85), Set Director
Film(s): The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Genre(s): Romance/Fantasy
Lady Gaga (TSOA), Songwriter and Lyricist
Film(s): A Star is Born (2018)
Genre(s): Romance/Drama, Musical