Sometimes the stunning truth that a story in a book, TV show, or movie is based on actual experiences and events comes as a shock since the story seems so amazing, unbelievable, and/or inspirational. A lot of the movies we watch offer us the chance to broaden our horizons and develop our empathy; this is especially true of the cases where the films are based on true accounts.

1. Pain Hustlers (2023)

Based on the 2022 novel of the same name by Evan Hughes, Pain Hustlers is an American criminal drama film released in 2023 that was co-produced and directed by David Yates from a script by Wells Tower. Starring in the movie with Emily Blunt are Brian d’Arcy James, Chris Evans, Andy García, Catherine O’Hara, Jay Duplass, and Chloe Coleman. The story revolves around a Central Florida pharmaceutical company where a recent high school graduate finds herself employed, and before long, she becomes embroiled in a criminal conspiracy.

Pain Hustlers debuted on September 11, 2023, at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was then shown in a few US theaters on October 20, and on October 27 it was made available for streaming on Netflix. Critics gave the movie mostly unfavorable reviews.

2. Society of the Snow (2023)

A 2023 survival drama film, Society of the Snow (Spanish: La sociedad de la nieve), is based on Pablo Vierci’s 2009 book of the same name, which describes the October 13, 1972, crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 into the Andes highlands, which claimed the lives of a rugby team from Uruguay. The majority of the actors in the cast are newbies from Argentina and Uruguay.

In an Out of Competition slot, the movie concluded the 80th Venice International Film Festival. Prior to being made available for streaming on Netflix on January 4, 2024, it had its theatrical debuts in Uruguay on December 13, 2023, Spain on December 15, 2023, and the US on December 22, 2023.

Reviews of Society of the Snow were favorable. At the 38th Goya honors, it took home 12 honors, including Best Picture and Best Director. It was nominated for two awards at the 96th Academy Awards: Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best International Feature Film, where Spain was represented.

3. King Richard (2021)

The 2021 American biographical sports drama film King Richard was written and directed by Zach Baylin and Reinaldo Marcus Green. Will Smith plays tennis players Venus and Serena Williams’ father and coach in the movie; both women executive produced it. Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, and Jon Bernthal play supporting roles.

On September 2, 2021, it made its world premiere at the 48th Telluride Film Festival. On November 19, 2021, Warner Bros. Pictures released it in theaters and on HBO Max. Despite having a $50 million budget, it made $39 million at the box office and garnered favorable reviews from critics who praised the screenplay and Smith, Ellis, and Sidney’s performances.

Both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute ranked it among the top 10 films of the year. At the 94th Academy Awards, it received six nominations, including Best Picture, and Smith took home the Best Actor trophy.

4. Gran Turismo (2023)

Neill Blomkamp is the director of the 2023 American biographical sports drama film Gran Turismo, which is based on a script by Jason Hall and Zach Baylin. Produced by 2.0 Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, and PlayStation Productions, it is based on the racing simulation computer game series of the same name that Polyphony Digital created. It narrates the real-life tale of British adolescent Jann Mardenborough, who started driving race cars professionally at the age of fifteen while playing Gran Turismo. Archie Madekwe plays Mardenborough in the movie, costarring with Djimon Hounsou, Orlando Bloom, Darren Barnet, Geri Halliwell Horner, and David Harbour.

In July 2013, it was announced that a Gran Turismo movie was in development. Alex Tse wrote the screenplay, and producers Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti were involved. June 2015 saw Joseph Kosinski take the helm of the movie, which was based on a rewritten screenplay by Jon and Erich Hoeber. But as of February 2018, the Kosinski version was no longer being developed. The movie was reportedly back in development in May 2022, with Blomkamp slated to helm the June release. September 2022 saw the announcement of the primary cast, with additional cast members signing in November. In Hungary, filming got underway the same month and ended in December. Lorne Balfe and Andrew Kawczynski composed the soundtrack for the movie.

On July 30, 2023, Gran Turismo made its world premiere at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. On August 25, 2023, Sony Pictures Releasing released the film in theaters around the country. Despite having a $60 million budget, it has made $122 million worldwide. Critics have given it mixed reviews, praising Blomkamp’s directing and the racing scenes, but criticizing the script and the way Mardenborough’s disaster at the Nürburgring Nordschleife is used as a plot device.

5. American Made (2017)

In 2017, Doug Liman and Gary Spinelli created the action comedy picture American Made, which starred Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Alejandro Edda, Mauricio Mejía, Caleb Landry Jones, and Jesse Plemons. It draws inspiration from the story of Barry Seal, a former TWA pilot who performed CIA missions before joining the Medellín Cartel in the 1980s as a cocaine smuggler. Seal joined the DEA as an informant to stay out of jail time.

On August 18, 2017, the movie debuted in Taiwan. On September 29, 2017, it was released in the United States. Playing in select cinemas in 2D and IMAX formats, it is the first Liman-directed picture to be released by Universal Pictures since The Bourne Identity in 2002. It brought in $134 million worldwide and was largely well-received by critics, who complimented Cruise on his performance.

6. Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Steven Spielberg is the director and producer of the 2002 American biographical criminal comedy-drama film Catch Me If You Can, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Amy Adams, Nathalie Baye, and James Brolin have supporting roles. The semi-autobiographical book of the same name by Frank Abagnale Jr., who states that he successfully carried out scams worth millions of dollars before turning 19 by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor, is the basis for Jeff Nathanson’s screenplay. His story’s veracity is hotly debated.

Abagnale’s 1980 book of the same name was considered for cinema early on, but production didn’t really get underway until 1997 when Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks acquired the film rights. Before Spielberg made the decision to direct it himself, David Fincher, Gore Verbinski, Lasse Hallström, Miloš Forman, and Cameron Crowe were all considered. The period of filming in 2002 was February through May.

After receiving favorable reviews from critics when it debuted on December 25, 2002, the movie went on to become a commercial triumph, earning $352 million worldwide. John Williams and Christopher Walken were the nominees for Best Original Score and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, at the 75th Academy Awards.

7. The Pursuit of Happiness (2006)

Will Smith plays homeless salesperson Chris Gardner in the 2006 American biographical drama film The Pursuit of Happyness, which was directed by Gabriele Muccino. Jaden Smith, the son of Smith, co-stars and plays Christopher Jr., Gardner’s son, in his feature debut. Based on Gardner’s best-selling 2006 memoir of the same name co-written with Quincy Troupe, Steven Conrad wrote the script. It is based on Gardner’s battle with homelessness for almost a year. The title of the movie is spelled differently than normal because of a mural that Gardner noticed on the wall outside the daycare center his son frequented. The film is set in 1981 in San Francisco.

Columbia Pictures released the movie on December 15, 2006, and it got generally positive reviews. Smith’s acting and the story’s emotional impact won praise from critics around. Smith received nominations for Best Actor at the Golden Globes and Oscars.

8. Nyad (2023)

The 2023 American biographical sports drama film Nyad tells the story of swimmer Diana Nyad’s several unsuccessful attempts to cross the Straits of Florida in the early 2010s, interspersed with memories of her early years. Based on Nyad’s 2015 memoir Find a Way, it is written by Julia Cox and directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (in their feature narrative film directorial debut). Annette Bening plays Nyad, and Rhys Ifans and Jodie Foster play supporting parts.

On September 1, 2023, Nyad made its global premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival. On October 20, 2023, it was released in a few theaters. On November 3, Netflix started streaming it. Critics gave the movie favorable reviews, praising Bening and Foster’s performances in particular. Bening and Foster were nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, at the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards, the 81st Golden Globe Awards, and the 96th Academy Awards for their performances.

9. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2019)

Chiwetel Ejiofor, making his feature directing debut, is the writer, director, and star of the 2019 African drama film The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. The same-titled memoir by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer served as the basis for the movie. On March 1, 2019, it debuted in the Sundance Film Festival’s Premieres section and became available for viewing on Netflix in the majority of regions. Although it was chosen to represent Britain in the 92nd Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film category, it did not receive a nomination. Reviews were overwhelmingly good, praising both the acting and Ejiofor’s direction.

10. The Social Network (2010)

Based on Ben Mezrich’s 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin’s 2010 American biographical drama film The Social Network is a film. It depicts the creation of Facebook, a social networking platform. Max Minghella plays Divya Narendra, Justin Timberlake plays Sean Parker, Armie Hammer plays Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and Jesse Eisenberg plays Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Saverin served as a consultant for Mezrich’s book, but neither Zuckerberg nor any other Facebook employees were involved in the project.

Sorkin went on to write it, and production got underway. October of the same year saw the start of principal photography in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it continued through November. Additional sequences were recorded in Pasadena and Los Angeles, two cities in California. The film’s award-winning soundtrack was written by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails, and it was released on September 28, 2010.

Since its debut, The Social Network has garnered positive reviews and is frequently listed by reviewers as one of the greatest movies of the 2010s and 21st century. Sorkin’s script was recognized as the third best of the twenty-first century by the Writers Guild of America. Although there hasn’t been an official announcement of a sequel, Sorkin has made it known that he would be willing to write a screenplay if Fincher decided to return to directing.

11. The Swimmer (2022)

Sally El Hosaini is the director of the 2022 biographical sports drama film The Swimmers, which is based on a script she co-wrote with Jack Thorne. The movie features real-life sisters Nathalie and Manal Issa, Elmi Rashid Elmi, James Krishna Floyd, Kinda Alloush, Ahmed Malek, Matthias Schweighöfer, and Ali Suliman.

On September 8, 2022, The Swimmers made its global premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. On November 11, 2022, it was released in a few select theaters. Prior to its November 23, 2022, Netflix streaming premiere, it was screened at the Marrakesh International Film Festival’s evening gala on November 18, 2022.

12. Everest (2015)

Baltasar Kormákur is the director and producer of the 2015 biographical survival adventure film Everest, which was written by William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy. The ensemble cast, which includes Keira Knightley, Martin Henderson, Emily Watson, Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, and Sam Worthington, stars. Based on the actual events of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, it centers on the survival attempts of two expedition groups, one under the leadership of Scott Fischer (Gyllenhaal) and the other under Rob Hall (Clarke). Working Title, Walden Media, Kormákur, and Cross Creek all paid tribute to the late British actress Natasha Richardson with this picture.

On September 2, 2015, the movie debuted at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. On September 18, 2015, it was theatrically released. On September 11, 2015, it was first released in IMAX 3D in the UK and in IMAX 3D, RealD 3D, and 2D internationally. On September 19, 2015, it was only available in IMAX 3D and had a limited release in the US, Canada, and 36 other countries. On September 25, 2015, it was widely released in the United States. The movie was a commercial success, making $203 million worldwide in revenue on a $55 million budget. Critics gave it favorable reviews.