Erik Nelson
Erik Nelson is a director and producer known for his frequent collaborations with Werner Herzog.
Works
Into the Cold Blue: Restoration and Reinvention
In 1943, legendary Hollywood director William Wyler and his film crew flew combat missions on B-17 bombers to document the fierce air battles of World War II. Over 70 years later, the footage was discovered in the vaults of the National Archives. After painstaking, shot-by-shot sound and picture restoration, director Erik Nelson has constructed a new film out of the material. Inside the making of The Cold Blue.
Release Date2019-07-05
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Charactersd Himself
Secrets of the Unknown: Witches
Witches explores the long and clandestine history of this misunderstood group of people. It provides a close look at the black art, and features factual information presented by practitioners.
Release Date1988-01-01
DepartmentWriting
JobWriter
Secrets of the Unknown: Tornadoes
Tornadoes explores nature's deadly spirals. Highlights include actual footage of the violent force and the mass destruction that tornadoes create.
Release Date1987-01-01
DepartmentWriting
JobWriter
Secrets of the Unknown: Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor reveals information indicating that the United States Navy could have prevented the December 7, 1941 attack. Explore the supposition that the Navy discovered two Japanese carriers near Pearl Harbor several days prior to the assault and why this information was ignored.
Release Date1987-01-01
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Secrets of the Unknown: Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart explores the mysterious disappearance of America's beloved aviator during a highly publicized around-the-world flight in 1937. Since she vanished, speculation on the flight pioneer's demise has been an ongoing source of controversy.
Release Date1987-01-01
DepartmentWriting
JobWriter
Dreams with Sharp Teeth
The documentary story of Harlan Ellison
Release Date2008-06-04
DepartmentWriting
JobWriter
Vote Count18
Secrets of the Unknown: Tornadoes & UFOs
Secrets of the Unknown daringly showcases the bizarre, the terrifying, and the unmistakably real. First, explore the scientific cause behind the unnatural disasters of twisters with testimony from survivors and "storm chasers." Then, speak with people who believe they've spotted UFOs - as well as those who claim to have been abducted by aliens and subjected to painful tests, before being safely returned to their homes.
Release Date1989-08-30
DepartmentWriting
JobWriter
Vote Count1
Secrets of the Unknown: Bigfoot & Witches
Secrets of the Unknown daringly showcases the bizarre, the terrifying, and the unmistakably real. First, Bigfoot brings together eyewitnesses who relate their encounters with the legendary and mysterious 800-pound creature. Then, Witches explores the long and clandestine history of this misunderstood group of people and provides a close look at the black art with factual information presented by practitioners.
Release Date1989-08-30
DepartmentWriting
JobWriter
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
Poet, singer / songwriter and ladies man Leonard Cohen is interviewed in his home about his life and times. The interview is interspersed with archive photos and exuberant praise and live perfomances from an eclectic mix of musicians, including: Jarvis Cocker, Rufus & Martha Wainwright, Teddy Thompson, ANOHNI, The Handsome Family and U2's Bono and The Edge.
Release Date2006-11-24
DepartmentProduction
JobExecutive Producer
Vote Count30
Secrets of the Unknown: Curses
Curses examines historical hexes. Learn the fate of those who had contact with the Hope diamond after it was stolen from an idol in India. In ancient Egypt, people protected the deceased from thieves by placing curses on tombs. Discover the events and peculiar deaths which occurred following the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb. See how voodoo worshipers cast spells of harm.
Release Date1987-01-01
DepartmentWriting
JobWriter
Grizzly Man
Follows the story of "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in his attempt to protect the grizzly bears. The film is full of unique images and a look into the spirit of a man who sacrificed himself for nature.
Release Date2005-08-12
DepartmentProduction
JobProducer
Vote Count916
JFK: The Final Hours
A look at the final day in the life of President John F. Kennedy.
Release Date2013-11-08
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Vote Count6
Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal
On May 19, 1984, an out of work ice cream truck driver from Southwestern Ohio broke the bank on CBS' hit game show of the mid-1980's "Press Your Luck" and made TV history by setting a record for the most money won by a contestant in one appearance on a daytime game show; A record which may have been long been surpassed with the Big-Jackpot game shows of today, but still stands strong as the biggest win in "Press Your Luck's" history. Was it brilliance? Was it cheating? And how did he do it? "Press Your Luck's" host and crew, the family of Michael Larson - the man who walked away with $110,237 in cash and prizes - and Michael's opponents from that fateful day gathered in Hollywood 19 years later to relive the events of that remarkable event in TV history.
Release Date2003-03-16
DepartmentProduction
JobExecutive Producer
Vote Count12
Origins: The Journey of Humankind
Hosted by Jason Silva, Origins: The Journey of Humankind rewinds all the way back to the beginning and traces the innovations that made us modern.
Release Date2017-03-06
DepartmentCreator
JobCreator
Vote Count12
Secrets of the Unknown: Dreams and Nightmares
Dreams and Nightmares journeys into the human subconscious. Peering under the brain's mysterious veil, the idea that dreams send clues and warnings from another dimension is examined in detail.
Release Date1988-01-01
DepartmentProduction
JobProducer
UFO Over Illinois
An investigation into a UFO sighting by a miniature-golf course owner and several police officers in January 2000.
Release Date2000-11-30
DepartmentProduction
JobExecutive Producer
The Final Days of Anne Frank
Release Date2015-08-01
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
The Bloody Hundredth
Meet the real-life airmen who inspired Masters of the Air as they share the harrowing and transformative events of the 100th Bomb Group.
Release Date2024-03-14
DepartmentCrew
JobThanks
Vote Count43
On Death Row
A two part series on an inside look at a maximum security prison in Texas featuring interviews with death row inmates.
Release Date2012-03-09
DepartmentProduction
JobProducer
Episode Count8
Vote Count10
Apocalypse '45
Recounts the harrowing end of World War II through the eyes of 24 men who lived through the events and using never-before-seen footage.
Release Date2020-08-14
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Vote Count32
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France, capturing the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind in their astonishing natural setting.
Release Date2010-11-03
DepartmentProduction
JobProducer
Vote Count351
9/11: The Longest War
In honour of the 15th Anniversary of 9/11, National Geographic Channel is looking back at the very best reporting we have done since this world-changing tragedy first happened using extended excerpts from past specials that relate directly to events leading up to and following the attacks on New York City and Washington DC.
Release Date2016-09-10
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Into the Abyss
We do not know when and how we will die. Death Row inmates do. Werner Herzog embarks on a dialogue with Death Row inmates, asks questions about life and death and looks deep into these individuals, their stories, their crimes.
Release Date2011-11-11
DepartmentProduction
JobProducer
Vote Count276
Dinotasia
Computer-generated animation about the daily lives of dinosaurs, narrated by Werner Herzog.
Release Date2012-05-04
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Vote Count16
A Gray State
In 2010 David Crowley, an Iraq veteran, aspiring filmmaker and charismatic up-and-coming voice in fringe politics, began production on his film Gray State. Set in a dystopian near-future where civil liberties are trampled by an unrestrained federal government, the film’s crowd funded trailer was enthusiastically received by the burgeoning online community of libertarians, Tea Party activists and members of the nascent alt-right. In January of 2015, Crowley was found dead with his family in their suburban Minnesota home. Their shocking deaths quickly become a cause célèbre for conspiracy theorists who speculate that Crowley was assassinated by a shadowy government concerned about a film and filmmaker that was getting too close to the truth about their aims.
Release Date2017-08-07
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Vote Count45
The U.S. vs. John Lennon
A documentary on the life of John Lennon, with a focus on the time in his life when he transformed from a musician into an antiwar activist.
Release Date2006-09-15
DepartmentProduction
JobExecutive Producer
Vote Count67
Daytime Revolution
For one extraordinary week in February 1972, the Revolution WAS televised. DAYTIME REVOLUTION takes us back in time to the week that John Lennon and Yoko Ono descended upon a Philadelphia broadcasting studio to co-host the iconic Mike Douglas Show, at that time the most popular show on daytime television, with a national audience of 40 million viewers each week. What followed was five unforgettable episodes of television, with Lennon and Ono at the helm and Douglas gamely keeping the show on track.
Release Date2024-10-09
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Vote Count1
The Cold Blue
A meditation on youth, war and stunning bravery, featuring footage, taken from the National Archives, from the documentary filmed in 1943 by legendary Hollywood director William Wyler about the famous Memphis Belle flying fortress and the gripping narration from some of the last surviving B-17 pilots.
Release Date2018-05-23
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Vote Count32
Secrets of the Unknown: Poltergeists
Poltergeists examines just what it is that goes bump in the night. Hear eyewitness tales of the mischievous, malevolent spirits, which are believed to make strange noises, move objects, and produce abnormal odors. Video highlights include actual footage of a haunting in progress.
Release Date1988-01-01
DepartmentWriting
JobWriter
Secrets of the Unknown: Life After Death
Life After Death explores the ultimate unknown through the beliefs of various cultures. Hear what people have to say who have had near-death experiences. Peer into the next life for answers to this age-old mystery.
Release Date1987-01-01
DepartmentWriting
JobWriter
Backstage Pass
Television movie
Release Date1982-07-01
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Secrets of the Unknown: The Titanic
Hosted by Edward Mulhare, Secrets of the Unknown: The Titanic unravels the mysteries surrounding the 1912 sea disaster which sent 1,500 people to a watery grave in the mid-Atlantic after colliding with an iceberg. Did the luxury liner's crew have fair warning, but fail to react appropriately? The program presents new evidence and insights into the calamity which still baffles historians.
Release Date1987-01-01
DepartmentWriting
JobWriter
Secrets of the Unknown: Big Foot
Big Foot brings together eyewitnesses who relate their encounters with the legendary and mysterious creature. The film probes the intriguing question of whether Big Foot, Sasquatch, and Yeti are myth or reality. Film highlights include possible authentic footage of the beasts.
Release Date1987-01-01
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Nazi Scrapbooks from Hell: The Auschwitz Albums
The film uncovers a part of the Holocaust that was once thought to be unrecorded, but thanks to Washington D.C. Holocaust Museum's work there is now documentation and photographic evidence of what life was like behind the fences of the death camp at Auschwitz. This film profiles a series of contrasting photos - one series portrays the banality of evil, while the other profiles the horror of life behind the wire.
Release Date2008-04-27
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Vote Count1
Secrets of the Unknown: Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper explores theories surrounding one of the most notorious unsolved crimes of modern times. Between August 7 and November 10, 1888, Jack the Ripper terrorized London, killing at least seven women. Was the murderer one man or three?
Release Date1987-01-01
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Secrets of the Unknown: Hollywood Hauntings
Hollywood Haunting explores the mysteries surrounding Hollywood stars and their ghostly comebacks. Viewers decide for themselves whether sightings of legends such as Jean Harlow, Lionel Barrymore, and Harry Houdini are truth or fiction. Highlights include an investigation of John Wayne's haunted yacht.
Release Date1987-01-01
DepartmentWriting
JobWriter
Secrets of the Unknown: Nostradamus
Nostradamus examines the medieval French physician's famous predictions. One of the world's most widely known and read prophets, Nostradamus is acknowledged for the remarkable accuracy with which he has foretold future events. Learn which of his predictions have already come true and what may lie ahead for mankind.
Release Date1987-01-01
DepartmentWriting
JobWriter
9/10: The Final Hours
The eve of 9/11 is recalled. Eyewitnesses recall the day before the 9/11 terror attacks and the collapse of the Twin Towers.
Release Date2014-09-11
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Vote Count1
Bullets And Blueberries
The Holocaust began with the indiscriminate mass shootings by the Einsatzgruppen in the bloodlands of Eastern Europe and was perfected in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. “Bullets And Blueberries” explores the motives, methods and madness of the perpetrators, using never-before-seen images captured by the killers themselves — images that fully capture the banality of evil.
Release Date2025-09-23
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
Secrets of the Unknown: Lake Monsters
Lake Monsters examines in depth the myths and legends surrounding seafaring monsters. Learn the stories of "Nessie," the Loch Ness monster, first sighted during the sixth century. Film highlights include actual footage of "Chessie," the water creature spotted in the Chesapeake Bay since the 1930s.
Release Date1987-01-01
DepartmentWriting
JobWriter
History Specials: Engineering Evil
Release Date2011-01-01
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector
In the Edges: The 'Grizzly Man' Session
With Herzog's direction, Richard Thompson leads a small group of musicians into creating Grizzly Man's evocative soundtrack.
Release Date2005-12-26
DepartmentDirecting
JobDirector