James Bluemel (Director)

Dispatches

An in-depth look at news stories. Documentaries that take you behind the scenes giving an insight into people's lives or institutions.

Release Date1987-10-30

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Episode Count1

Vote Count13

Once Upon a Time in Iraq

With unique personal archive from civilians and soldiers from both sides of the conflict, this series takes viewers closer to the realities of war and life under Isis than they have ever been before.

Release Date2020-07-13

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Episode Count5

Vote Count14

Once Upon a Time in Space

The human story of space exploration using unique, unexpected archive, present-day footage and first-hand testimony from around the world. This series will connect the past with the present and examine what the consequences are for the future of humankind as we once again head into space.

Release Date2025-10-27

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Episode Count4

Vote Count5

Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland

Twenty-five years on from a peace agreement being reached, Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland shares intimate, unheard testimonies from all sides of the conflict.

Release Date2023-05-22

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Episode Count5

Vote Count13

66 Months

Over a period of six years, director James Bluemel and producer Gordon Wilson followed epileptic alcoholic Nigel (37) from Oxford, England, who managed to slip through the net of the welfare system for 66 months. Self-mutilation, alcohol, and childlike delusions mean Nigel is a vulnerable man. In the words of his social worker, "Nigel has been abused financially, sexually, and emotionally for years." She's referring to the days when, while out "in the wild," a man named Robbie took Nigel under his wings. He was like a father to Nigel, while at the same time absolutely unfit for the role of caregiver, especially because he couldn't keep his hands to himself.

Release Date2011-01-12

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count3

Pandemic 2020

As the news of Covid-19 broke, no one knew what to expect. Shot in 21 countries, personal stories from the extraordinary first year of the virus that is changing our world.

Release Date2021-04-01

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Episode Count3

Vote Count4

One in a Million

Filmed over 10 years, one girl's epic journey from Syria to Germany and back again. She and her family navigate war, exile, and heartbreak in a foreign land, illuminating the complexities of the refugee experience.

Release Date2026-01-23

DepartmentProduction

JobProducer

Vote Count2

The 9/11 Faker

Tania Head, a survivor from the 9/11 attacks, made it her job to help other survivors toward emotional recovery. That is, until the facts of her story fell through, and she was uncovered as a fraud. Find out the facts behind this story of betrayal.

Release Date2008-01-01

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count2

The Mighty Boosh: Journey of the Childmen

Shot during the mammoth Future Sailors tour, this intimate film observes the comic genius of the Mighty Boosh as they navigate a nation hooked on its cult.

Release Date2010-11-15

DepartmentEditing

JobEditor

Vote Count2

Once Upon a Time in Iraq: Fallujah

In this documentary from filmmaker James Bluemel (“Once Upon a Time in Iraq,” “Exodus”), U.S. Marines, journalists and ordinary Iraqis share their experiences of what would become the bloodiest battle of the Iraq War, and how its consequences have reverberated for two decades.

Release Date2020-07-15

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count1

Exodus: Our Journey

A terrifying, intimate, epic portrait of the biggest movement of people that Europe has seen since World War II.

Release Date2016-07-11

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Episode Count5

Vote Count2

Paradise Found

We imagine many things when we think of this word. However, we do not think about Islamic Architecture, which influenced the art of Europe so profoundly. This documentary tours through the Muslim world, in search of that "atmosphere of Paradise," hidden away in mosques and palaces.

Release Date2005-10-29

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count1

Loaded: Lads, Mags & Mayhem

Launched 30 years ago, Loaded magazine epitomised the 90s in its irreverence and appetite for hedonism. But how did it stand up to pressure to put more 'sexy babes' on the cover?

Release Date2024-11-22

DepartmentProduction

JobExecutive Producer

Once Upon a Time in Iraq

Civilians, journalists and soldiers from both sides of the conflict explain their experience during the Iraq War, from the 2003 invasion through the 17 years that followed. Edited version from "Once Upon a Time in Iraq" (2020)

Release Date2020-07-14

DepartmentCrew

JobCinematography

Vote Count1

Exode

Release Date2016-10-05

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector

Vote Count1

Exode, l'odyssée continue

Release Date2018-06-24

DepartmentCrew

JobCreator

The Virus That Shook the World

The epic story of how people around the world lived through the first year of the coronavirus pandemic, from lockdowns to funerals to protests. Filming across the globe and using extensive personal video and local footage, FRONTLINE documented how people and countries responded to COVID-19 across cultures, races, faiths and privilege.

Release Date2021-04-26

DepartmentProduction

JobProducer

Boy Bitten by a Lizard by Caravaggio

Caravaggio documentary about Waldemar Januszczak

Release Date2022-07-12

DepartmentDirecting

JobDirector