Brett Morgen: Movies, Awards & Box Office

Brett D. Morgen, born on October 11, 1968, is a renowned American documentary filmmaker with an array of notable directorial credits. Morgen is best recognized for directing The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002), Crossfire Hurricane (2012), Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015), Jane (2017), and Moonage Daydream (2022). Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Morgen's passion for filmmaking was ignited at an early age. His educational journey covers a B.A. in history from Hampshire College and an MFA in filmmaking from New York University. Morgen first entered the limelight with Ollie's Army, a film he created as a student at New York University focusing on the James Madison University College Republicans during Oliver North's senatorial campaign of 1994. His documentary, On the Ropes, got nominated for an Academy Award in 2000.

In his illustrious career, Morgen has directed various acclaimed documentaries including The Kid Stays in the Picture, a documentary biopic about film producer Robert Evans, and Chicago 10, a film about the infamous Chicago Eight. His documentary Crossfire Hurricane focused on The Rolling Stones, and was followed by his heartfelt Kurt Cobain documentary film Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck. Morgen's passion for storytelling also resulted in Jane, a film that follows the life of primatologist Jane Goodall and was produced by National Geographic. In 2017, Morgen began working on the David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream, which was released in 2022 after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival. His personal life saw a shudder in 2017 as he suffered a near-fatal heart attack while working on Moonage Daydream, momentarily receiving medical care and surviving after a week-long coma.