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Frederick Wiseman

American documentary filmmaker (1930-2026)

4.45body-of-work score · ranked #246 of 2631 directors · 13 films in our library

A director's score is the sum of their films' composite canon scores — methodology.

Born
January 1, 1930 · Boston
Died
February 16, 2026 · Cambridge
Nationality
United States
Work
film director, film producer, screenwriter, university teacher
Reference
Wikipedia · Wikidata
Portrait of Frederick Wiseman
Charlotte Henard · CC BY-SA 2.0

Films in our library, ranked

Ranked by composite canon score across 20+ authoritative lists, awards and polls — our ordering, with every placement citing its evidence on the film's page.

  1. 1
    City Hall

    2020 · United States · documentary

    Cahiers du Cinéma annual top 10 2020 #1 · Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2021 #2

    1.502 citations
  2. 2
    In Jackson Heights

    2015 · United States · documentary

    Kinema Junpo Best Ten (International) 2018 #9 · Film Comment year-end poll 2015 #13

    0.562 citations
  3. 3
    Ex Libris: The New York Public Library

    2018 · United States · documentary

    Film Comment year-end poll 2017 #6

    0.361 citation
  4. 4
    Menus-Plaisirs - Les Troisgros

    2023 · France · documentary

    Film Comment year-end poll 2023 #16

    0.241 citation
  5. 5
    Monrovia, Indiana

    2018 · United States · documentary

    Film Comment year-end poll 2018 #17

    0.241 citation
  6. 6
    National Gallery

    2014 · France / United States / United Kingdom · documentary

    Film Comment year-end poll 2014 #18

    0.241 citation
  7. 7
    Titicut Follies

    1967 · United States · documentary

    National Film Registry (inducted 2022)

    0.231 citation
  8. 8
    High School

    1968 · United States · documentary

    National Film Registry (inducted 1991)

    0.231 citation
  9. 9
    Hospital

    1970 · United States · documentary

    National Film Registry (inducted 1994)

    0.231 citation
  10. 10
    At Berkeley

    2013 · United States · documentary

    Film Comment year-end poll 2013 #21

    0.221 citation
  11. 11
    La DanseLa Danse, le ballet de l'Opéra de Paris

    2009 · France · documentary

    Film Comment year-end poll 2009 #37

    0.191 citation
  12. 12
    Welfare

    1975 · United States

    Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema

    0.111 citation
  13. 13
    Public Housing

    1997 · United States · documentary

    Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema

    0.111 citation

Complete filmography

All 32 directorial credits recorded on Wikidata, in chronological order; films in our library link to their canon-score page.