LIST OF FILMS ABOUT PHILOSOPHERS

This is a list of feature films that include philosophers, or in which philosophers play a significant role.

Biographical films

Biographical films based on real-life philosophers:

Adi Shankaracharya (1983) – The life of Adi Shankaracharya, played by Sarvadaman D. Banerjee.
Augustine of Hippo (1972), played by Dary Berkani, a Roberto Rossellini film.
Agora (2009) – The life of Hypatia, played by Rachel Weisz.
Beyond Good and Evil (1977) – About the love triangle between Friedrich Nietzsche, Paul Rée and a young Russian intellectual.
Blaise Pascal [ it] (1972) – The life of Blaise Pascal, played by Pierre Arditi, a Roberto Rossellini film.
Cartesius [ it] (1973) - The life of René Descartes, played by Ugo Cardea [ it], a Roberto Rossellini film.
Confucius (2010) – The life of Confucius, played by Chow Yun-fat.
Days of Nietzsche in Turin (2001) – About Nietzsche's time in Turin.
The Death of Empedocles (1987) – About the pre-Socratic philosopher Empedocles, directed by Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub.
Destiny (1997) – The life of Averroes, played by Nour El-Sherif.
Giordano Bruno (1973) – The life of Giordano Bruno, played by Gian Maria Volonté.
Hannah Arendt (2012) – The life of Hannah Arendt, played by Barbara Sukowa.
Socrates (1971) – The life of Socrates, played by Jean Sylvère [ fr], a Roberto Rossellini film.
The Young Karl Marx (2017) – Karl Marx played by August Diehl.
Trial and Death of Socrates (1939), Socrates played by Ermete Zaccoini, directed by Corrado d'Errico.
Wittgenstein (1993) – The life of Ludwig Wittgenstein, directed by Derek Jarman.

Feature documentary films about real philosophers:

Derrida (2002) – A documentary about Jacques Derrida.
Examined Life (2008) – Follows several contemporary philosophers as they try to apply their thought in practice.
The Pervert's Guide to Cinema (2006) – A film critique of several well-known works by Slavoj Žižek.
Zizek! (2005) – A film following a speaking tour by Slavoj Žižek.
Badiou (2018) – A film on the life of eminent French philosopher, Alain Badiou.

Films where one or more philosopher play the main role, but that are not otherwise about philosophy:

Irrational Man (2015) – A philosophy professor ( Joaquin Phoenix) finds himself in an existential crisis, but eventually discovers a new purpose in life.
The Life of David Gale (2003) – A philosophy professor ( Kevin Spacey), and longtime activist against capital punishment, is sentenced to death for killing a fellow capital punishment abolitionist.
L'Avenir (2016) – Middle-aged philosophy professor Nathalie Chazeaux's ( Isabelle Huppert) life is going through a series of separations.
Late Marriage (2001) - Zaza ( Lior Ashkenazi) is a 31-year-old Georgian-Israeli PhD student, studying the philosophy of religion at Tel Aviv University, whose family is trying to arrange a marriage for him within the Georgian community against his will.

Films where one or more of the members of the main cast are philosophers:

Alexander (2004) – Based on the life of Alexander the Great, who is mentored by Aristotle ( Christopher Plummer).
The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964) Features Roman emperor and stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius ( Alec Guinness) during the first segment of the film.
Gladiator (2000) – The Roman general Maximus is betrayed when Commodus, the ambitious son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius ( Richard Harris), murders his father and seizes the throne.
The Oxford Murders (2008) – A student ( Elijah Wood) finds out about mysterious killings in Oxford and helped by a philosopher of mathematics ( John Hurt), they reveal the patterns used by the killer.
When Nietzsche Wept (2007) – A Viennese doctor named Josef Breuer ( Ben Cross) meets with Friedrich Nietzsche ( Armand Assante) to help him deal with his despair

Films where philosophy is central to the plot:

I Heart Huckabees (2004) – A comedy with existential themes.
Mindwalk (1990) – A wide-ranging discussion between three individuals.
My Dinner with Andre (1981) – A film featuring philosophical discussions.
My Night at Maud's (1969) – A film centred around philosophical discussions.
Rope (1948) – A film about a Nietzsche-inspired experiment.
Sophie's World (1999) – The story of a teenage girl ( Silje Storstein) living in Norway, and a middle-aged philosopher ( Tomas von Brömssen), who introduces her to philosophical thinking and the history of philosophy; based on a novel by Jostein Gaarder.
The Fountainhead (1949) – Based on The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
The Ister (2004) – a documentary discussing technology, identity and politics, based on the work of Martin Heidegger.
The Stranger (1967) – Based on The Stranger by Albert Camus.
Waking Life (2001) – The film explores the nature of reality, dreams, consciousness, the meaning of life, free will, and existentialism.

Philosophical Films, a non-profit resource for philosophy teachers who want to incorporate films into their classes
"I watch therefore I am: seven movies that teach us key philosophy lessons" by Julian Baggini, Christine Korsgaard, Ursula Coope, Peter Singer, Susan Haack, Kenneth Taylor and Slavoj Žižek.