Random Influential Movies You Didn't Know Were Based on Short Films (16 items)

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  (#1) Saw

  • Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Shawnee Smith, Dina Meyer, Michael Emerson, Cary Elwes, Tobin Bell, Ken Leung, Leigh Whannell, Makenzie Vega, Benito Martinez, Mike Butters, Paul Gutrecht

  Short Film It's Based On: Saw (2003)

  Australian filmmakers James Wan and Leigh Whannell couldn't get funding for their horror film, Saw, Down Under, so they flew to Los Angeles to make a nine-and-a-half-minute proof-of-concept short centered around the horrific jaw trap. Lionsgate liked the script and short enough to give the pair $1.2 million to make the feature, which basically takes place in a single location with just two actors. The gamble paid off: Saw (2004) made more than $100 million at the box office and spawned six sequels (and counting.)
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  (#2) Office Space

  • Jennifer Aniston, John C. McGinley, Mike Judge, Gary Cole, Ron Livingston, Orlando Jones, Stephen Root, Diedrich Bader, Richard Riehle, Ajay Naidu, David Herman, Alexandra Wentworth, Michael McShane, Greg Pitts, Paul Lee Willson, Joe Bays, Kinna McInroe, Todd Duffey

  Short Film It's Based On: Milton (1991)

  Mike Judge of Beavis and Butthead fame created a series of animated shorts in the early 1990s called Milton, which followed a meek office worker and his daily battles. Judge also wrote, animated, and voiced all the characters. Some of them aired on MTV's Liquid Television, and some even made it onto Saturday Night Live. Judge based his 1999 cult hit Office Space on these animated shorts. Milton (Stephen Root) is the main character in the shorts, but was a peripheral character in the film. 

  Following the monster success of There's Something About Mary, 20th Century Fox wanted to make a "big, broad comedy." They figured a feature based on the Milton shorts was a safe bet. Office Space didn't perform well at the box office, but has become a cult classic.
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  (#3) Boogie Nights

  • Julianne Moore, Mark Wahlberg, Heather Graham, Burt Reynolds, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Don Cheadle, Alfred Molina, William H. Macy, Nina Hartley, John C. Reilly, Thomas Jane, Luis Guzmán, Philip Baker Hall, Nicole Ari Parker, Summer Cummings, Veronica Hart, Tom Lenk, Melora Walters, Ricky Jay, Joanna Gleason, John Doe, Michael Penn, Michael Jace, Robert Ridgely, Jon Brion, Skye Blue, Diane Mizota, Anne Fletcher, Jack Riley, Laurel Holloman, Robert Downey Sr., Tony Tedeschi, Kai Lennox, Stanley DeSantis, Allan Graf, Channon Roe, Rico Bueno, Don Amendolia, Brian Kehew, Greg Lauren, Jack Wallace, Israel Juarbe, Sebastian La Cause, Sharon Ferrol-Young, Eric Winzenried, Eddie Garcia, Theo Mayes, Grace Bustos, Mike Gunther, Darrel W. Wright, Jami Philbrick, Jamielyn Kane, Melanie A. Gage, Jason Andrews, Lil' Cinderella, Coleman McClary, Laura Gronewold, Sean Welch, Nathan Prevost, Jonathan Quint, Dee Dee Weathers, Tom Dorfmeister, Patricia Forte, Lance MacDonald, Samson Barkhordarian, Lisa Ratzin, Melissa Spell, Alexander D. Slanger, Vernon Guichard II, Jose Chaidez, Michael Stein, Scott Fowler, Tyrone D. Dixon, Lexi Leigh, Jason 'Jake' Cross, Tim Soronen, Gregory T. Daniel, Dustin Courtney, Michael S. Stencil, Joe G.M. Chan, Goliath, Lawrence Hudd, Audrey Wiechman, Misty Tamburelli, Brad Braeden, Raymond Laboriel, George Anthony Rae, B. Philly Johnson, Leslie Redden, Selwyn Emerson Miller, Michael Raye Smith, Robin Sharp

  Short Film It's Based On: The Dirk Diggler Story (1987)

  A lot of acclaimed feature film directors got their start making shorts. When Paul Thomas Anderson was just 17-years-old, he shot a Spinal Tap-influenced mockumentary The Dirk Diggler Story, which was inspired by the rise and fall of porn legend John Holmes. Anderson used a standard video camera and VCR editing (he hooked up two VCRs to his TV, showing raw footage on one and recording segments onto the other) to create his 32-minute short film.

  After making his feature debut as a writer/director with Hard Eight in 1996, Anderson revisited Dirk Digger, writing and directing the now classic Boogie Nights (1997). His sophomore effort instantly put him in the discussion of rising film auteurs and launched the career of Mark Wahlberg, who played Diggler. Check out the engrossing oral history of Boogie Nights for a great behind-the-scenes tale of the making of a classic. 
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  (#4) Sin City

  • Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Clive Owen, Carla Gugino, Brittany Murphy, Alexis Bledel, Elijah Wood, Jaime King, Josh Hartnett, Benicio del Toro, Devon Aoki, Michael Clarke Duncan, Nick Offerman, Rutger Hauer, Michael Madsen, Nick Stahl, Robert Rodriguez, Marley Shelton, Powers Boothe, Tommy Flanagan, Frank Miller, Nicky Katt, Penny Drake, Jude Ciccolella, Texas Presley, Makenzie Vega, Patricia Vonne, Rick Gomez, Jason Douglas, Arie Verveen, Randal Reeder, Dara Rolins, Marco Perella, Samantha Inoue-Harte, Clark Middleton, Ethan Rains, Lauren Elaine, Chris Warner, Jason McDonald, Jesse De Luna, Jeffrey J. Dashnaw, Paul T. Taylor, Danny Wynands, David H. Hickey, John McLeod, Tommy Nix, Lisa Marie Newmyer, Kelley Robins, J.D. Young, Ken Thomas, Jessica Hale, Emmy Robbin, Jeff Schwan, Ethan Maniquis, Joe Basquez, Rico Torres, Charissa Allen, Evelyn Hurley, Korey Simeone, Scott Teeters, Greg Ingram, David Alex Ruiz, Michael Lambert, Amanda Phillips, Christina Frankenfield, Shaun Wainwright-Branigan, Helen Kirk, Cara D. Briggs, Sam Ray, Ashley Moore, Ryan Rutledge

  Short Film It's Based On: The Customer Is Always Right

  Famed comic book writer Frank Miller had just about had it with Hollywood after working on RoboCop 2 and 3. In order for director Robert Rodriguez to convince Miller to sell the graphic novel rights for Sin City, he decided to make a three minute proof-of-concept short film called The Customer Is Always Right, to show Miller that he wanted to stay true to the source material, even calling it a "translation, not an adaptation."

  The short film starred Josh Hartnett and Marley Shelton. Miller liked what he saw and agreed to allow Rodriguez to adapt his graphic novel. The short film footage actually opens Sin City, which turned out to be a huge commercial and critical success. Miller received both directing and writing credit for the film.
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  (#5) The Evil Dead

  • Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi, Ted Raimi, Scott Spiegel, Ellen Sandweiss, John Cameron, Ivan Raimi, Robert Tapert, Betsy Baker, Bill Vincent, Teresa Tilly, Philip A. Gillis, Margaret Allison, Richard DeManincor, Stu Smith, Wendall Thomas, David Horton, Dorothy Tapert, Don Long, Bob Dorian, Kurt Rauf, Barbara Carey, Debie Jarczewski, Joanne Kruse, Gwen Cochanski, Mary Beth Tapert

  Short Film It's Based On: Within the Woods (1978)

  Some people are born to make movies. Sam Raimi started at the age of eight, with an 8mm camera. At 19, he made the 32-minute Within the Woods with the specific intention of drawing investors for a feature. Raimi casted a few friends (including Bruce Campbell, who also starred in The Evil Dead), whipped up $1,600, and went out into a remote cabin in the woods to shoot his crude horror short about demonic possession.

  Raimi screened the short at a local theater, alongside The Rocky Horror Picture Show. After a little financial success, the future Spider-Man director earned enough goodwill from investors to turn his short into The Evil Dead (1981), the first of a four-film franchise and the beginning of Raimi's prolific career as a writer, director, and producer.
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  (#6) Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

  • Sting, Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones, Jason Flemyng, Rob Brydon, Steve Collins, Matthew Vaughn, Alan Ford, Nick Moran, Danny John-Jules, Dexter Fletcher, Steven Mackintosh, Stephen Marcus, Andrew Tiernan, Nicholas Rowe, Frank Harper, Victor McGuire, Vas Blackwood, Lenny McLean, P. H. Moriarty, Huggy Leaver, Jimmy Flint, Steve Sweeney, Vera Day, Elwin Chopper David, Richard Vanstone, Tim Maurice-Jones, Mark Mooney, Ronnie Fox, David Reid, Sid Golder, Jake Abraham, Peter McNicholl, Nick Marcq, Bal Jusar, James Tarbuck, Derek Howard, Suzy Ratner, Stephen Callender-Ferrier, Charles Forbes, Graham Stevens, Alex Hall, John Houchin, Tony McMahon

  Short Film It's Based On: The Hard Case (1995)

  Londoner Guy Ritchie earned money directing music promos and commercials in order to fund his 20-minute short The Hard Case, which he wrote and directed. Lucky for Ritchie, Trudie Styler, Sting's wife, saw the short and decided to finance Ritchie's feature adaptation Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Sting took a small role in the film which made Statham an international star, paved the way Snatch, and helped usher in a new wave of post-modern, post-Tarantino crime films. 
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  (#7) 12 Monkeys

  • Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis, Christopher Plummer, Madeleine Stowe, Christopher Meloni, David Morse, Frank Gorshin, Jon Seda, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Annie Golden, Chuck Jeffreys, Matt Ross, Simon Jones, Aaron Michael Lacey, Bill Raymond, Richard Stanley, Phillip V. Caruso, Irma St. Paule, Michael Chance, Stephen Bridgewater, Rick Warner, Vernon Campbell, Sal Mazzotta, Roger Pratt, Joey Perillo, Charles Techman, Thomas Roy, Joseph McKenna, Felix Pire, Joe Gerety, Drucie McDaniel, Ernest Abuba, Nell Johnson, Frederick Strother, Allelon Ruggiero, Carol Florence, Raymond Mamrak, Johnnie Hobbs Jr., Janet Zappala, Julie Mabry, Adam Hatley, Stan Kang, Charley Scalies, Korchenko, Bruce Kirkpatrick, C.J. Byrnes, Kevin Thigpen, Bonnie Loev, Robert O'Neill, Tiffany Baldwin, Rozwill Young, Faith Potts, Jann Ellis, Jeff Tanner, John Hagy, Lee Golden, Louis Lippa, Lenny Daniels, Joilet Harris, Lisa Talerico, Ray Huffman, Karl Warren, John Blaisse, Thang, Pat Dias, Joseph Melito, Jodi Dawson, Larry Daly, Barry Price, John Panzarella, Carolyn Walker, H. Michael Walls, Paul Meshejian, Bob Adrian, Wilfred Williams, Herbert C. Hauls Jr., Arthur Fennell, Harry O'Toole, Laura Glas, Michael Ryan Segal, Tom Detrik, Anthony 'Chip' Brienza, Jack Dougherty

  Short Film It's Based On: La Jetée (1962)

  French New Wave director Chris Marker's 28-minute, black and white short, which consists of still shots and voice over, is a film school staple. La Jetée takes place in post-apocalyptic Paris following WWIII, where everyone is forced to live underground. A POW is selected to travel back in time in order to try to prevent the war.

  Director Terry Gilliam has admitted his 1995 sci-fi feature Twelve Monkeys, starring Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, was heavily influenced by Marker's short. You could less kindly say it's a blatant rip off. In Gilliam's film, the protagonist must stop a deadly virus unleashed by terrorist organization The Army of the Twelve Monkeys, not World War III, in order to save the world. Otherwise, it's more or less exactly the same. 
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  (#8) District 9

  • Sharlto Copley, Jed Brophy, Vanessa Haywood, John Sumner, William Allen Young, David Dukas, Nick Boraine, Robert Hobbs, Nick Blake, Trevor Coppola, Jason Cope, Kenneth Nkosi, Nathalie Boltt, Matt Stern, Sylvaine Strike, Vittorio Leonardi, Norman Anstey, Sonni Chidiebere, Eugene Khumbanyiwa, Jacques Gombault, Siyabonga Radebe, Greg Melvill-Smith, Louise Saint-Claire, Brandon Auret, Simo Mogwaza, Marian Hooman, Elizabeth Mkandawie, Craig Jackson, Louis Minnaar, Anthony Bishop, David James, David Clatworthy, Melt Sieberhagen, Bongo Mbutuma, Mampho Brescia, Daniel Hadebe, Tim Gordon, Justin Strydom, Mandla Gaduka, Alan Glauber, Norman Thabalala, Billy Somagaca, Kuda Rusike, Donalson Rabisi, Monthandazo Thomo, Theunis Nel, Themba Nkosi, Mashabela Galane, Wendy Mbatha, Claudine Bennent, Barry Strydom, Morne Erasmus, Mzwandile Nqoba, Morena Setatsa, Nicholas Ratlou, Mfazwe Sekobane, Zephania Sibanda, Jeffries Simelane, Mahendra Raghunath, Den Antonakas, Saint Gregory Nwokedi, Beauty Setai, Nicolas Herbstein, John Ellis, Mpho Molao, Wisani Mbokota, Johan van Schoor, Shiela Nene, Fernando Saraiva, Stella Steenkamp, Ryan Whittal, Rodney Downey, Nkiyase Mondlana, Johnny Selema, Antony Sarak, Mike Huff, Morena Busa Sesatsa, Absalom Dikane, Hlengiwe Madlala, Leigh Mashupye, John Jacob, Shafique Allan, David Mikhethi, Ntombi Nkuua, Mdu Mthabela, Michelle Ayden, Andre Odendaal, Justin Duplessis, Danny Datnow, Gideon Thodane, Sharon Waugh, Sibulele Gcilitshana, Siphiwe Mbuko, Yashik Maharaj, Phillip Mathebula

  Short Film It's Based On: Alive in Joburg (2005)

  South African writer/director Neill Blomkamp's documentary style short Alive in Joburg may only be about six minutes long, but it's loaded with exemplary visual effects and explores themes of apartheid.

  After success as a commercial and shorts director, Blomkamp was set to make his feature debut with an adaptation of the Halo video game. When that project fell through, he opted to expand his short into District 9 (2009). The science fiction thriller turned out to be a box office success and was nominated for four Academy Awards, including a nod for Best Picture and Best Visual Effects.
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  (#9) This Is the End

  • James Franco, Jonah Hill, Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, Michael Cera

  Short Film It's Based On: Jay and Seth versus the Apocalypse (2007)

  The nine minute short written by Evan Goldberg and actor Jason Stone, starring Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel, centered on two Hollywood actor friends trapped in an apartment, arguing during the end of the world. The filmmakers planned for the short to exclusively screened at festivals, but when it appeared on YouTube, several production companies fought for rights to the comedy.

  The short was adapted into This Is the End (2013) and starred several of Rogen and Goldberg's real-life friends (James Franco, Jonah Hill, Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera) playing exaggerated versions of themselves. The fourth-wall-destroying apocalypse comedy mostly takes place at James Franco's house, where a slew of celebrities are partying when doomsday comes knocking on the door.
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  (#10) THX 1138

  • Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, Sid Haig, Ian Wolfe, Don Pedro Colley, Irene Forrest, Marshall Efron, Jack Walsh, John Pearce, Robert Feero, Mark Lawhead, Maggie McOmie, Eugene I. Stillman, John Seaton, Gary Alan Marsh

  Short Film It's Based On: Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB (1967)

  George Lucas was a film student at the University of Southern California when he made a 15-minute short Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB, about an underground city in a dystopian future. The US Navy funded the short. In return, Lucas taught a film class for Navy students. The short won first prize at the National Student Film Festival in New York City, and caught the eye of Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola.

  Lucas turned his short into THX 1138 (1971), produced by Coppola and starring Robert Duvall. And while most people probably haven't heard of THX 1138, it gave Lucas the cred neededto make American Graffiti (1973). The success of that film ultimately paved the way for him to make a double trilogy of movies about a galaxy far, far away.
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  (#11) Frankenweenie

  • Winona Ryder, Elle Fanning, Christopher Lee, Michael Keaton, Jeffrey Jones, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Landau, Frank Welker, Tom Kenny, Conchata Ferrell, Dee Bradley Baker, Jeff Bennett, Glenn Shadix, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, Charlie Tahan, James Hiroyuki Liao, Melissa Stribling

  Short Film It's Based On: Frankenweenie (1984)

  While working at Disney, before he made his first feature, Tim Burton made a $1 million, 30 minute live action short about a boy who uses science to bring his beloved dog back from the dead. His reward? The company fired him for spending too much money on a kid's movie that was too scary for kids.

  Of course, Burton turned out to be the visionary director behind box office and cult hits like Edward Scissorhands, Batman, and Beetlejuice. In 2012, he turned his short into a stop-motion feature also called Frankenweenie. It has the same story, and pays homage to Burton's love of horror and science fi. Frankenweenie, which, ironically, was produced by Disney, earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.
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  (#12) Whiplash

  • J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Miles Teller, Paul Reiser, Chris Mulkey, Jayson Blair, Damon Gupton, Michael Cohen, Austin Stowell, Kofi Siriboe, Tarik Lowe, Suanne Spoke, Marcus Henderson, Kavita Patil, Adrian Burks, Dakota Lupo, C.J. Vana, Tian Wang, Keenan Henson

  Short Film It's Based On: Whiplash (2013)

  Sometimes going through hell is worth the trip. Writer/director Damien Chazelle describes what it was like to be a drummer for an oppressive conductor at a very competitive jazz band in high school. 

  "I remembered being very terrified. That was my overall emotion during those years. Just dread. And not being able to eat meals before rehearsals and losing sleep and sweating my ass off. I wanted to pour that into the movie."

  Chazelle was able to channel the dread in a screenplay based his experiences. From there, he secured financing to make an 18-minute short based on 15 pages of his script. The short, like the feature, starred J.K. Simmons as the authoritarian conductor, and screened at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival, where it drew interest from investors. The feature version, Whiplash (2014), earned three Academy Awards, including a Best Supporting Actor trophy for Simmons.
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  (#13) Bottle Rocket

  • Owen Wilson, James Caan, Leslie Mann, Luke Wilson, Andrew Wilson, Dipak Pallana, Stephen Dignan, Ned Dowd, Lumi Cavazos, Robert Musgrave, Haley Miller, Jenni Tooley, Brian Tenenbaum, Shea Fowler, Temple Nash

  Short Film It's Based On: Bottle Rocket (1992)

  Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson were students at the University of Texas in Austin when they met and co-wrote the 13-minute black and white Bottle Rocket. The short, about dimwitted thieves, screened in 1994 at the Sundance Film Festival, where James L. Brooks liked it enough to fund a feature version. In an essay written for The Criterion Collection, Brooks describes exactly what he admired about the short:

  When I first saw the thirteen-minute video I was dazzled—the language and rhythms of the piece made it clear Wes and Owen were genuine voices. The possession of a real voice is always a marvel, an almost religious thing. When you have one, it not only means you see things from a slightly different perspective than the billions of other ants on the hill, but that you also necessarily possess such equally rare qualities as integrity and humility. It’s part of the package of being a real voice, ’cause when your voice is real, you can’t screw around. The voice must be served; all other exit doors, marked 'expediency' or 'solid career move,' are sealed over, and the only way out of your inner torment is genuine self-expression.

  The feature length movie starred both Luke and Owen Wilson, and was directed by Anderson. It may not have lit the box office on fire, but has become a cult classic. 
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  (#14) Fatal Attraction

  • Glenn Close, Michael Douglas, Jane Krakowski, Anne Archer, Fred Gwynne, Jonathan Brandis, Lois Smith, Ellen Foley, Stuart Pankin, Sam Coppola, Anna Thomson, James Eckhouse, Mike Nussbaum, Meg Mundy, J. J. Johnston, Jan Rabson, Tom Brennan, Marilyn Schreffler, Lynnanne Zager, Mary Joy, J. D. Hall, Larry Moss, Justine Johnston, Lillian Garrett-Groag, Barbara Harris, Michael Arkin, David McCharen, Dennis Tufano, Ellen Hamilton Latzen, Thomas Saccio, Judi M. Durand, Vladimir Skomarovsky, Eunice Prewitt, Marc McQue, Faith Geer, Carol Schneider, Christopher Rubin, Greg Scott, Christine Farrell, Alicia Perusse, Chris Manor, Angelo Bruno Krakoff, James 'Packy' Dolan, Mio Polo, David Bates, Reese Golchin, Joe Chapman, Carlo Steven Krakoff, Amy Lyne

  Short Film It's Based On: Diversion (1980)

  Screenwriter James Dearden describes how he thought of the idea for the short film Diversion, which beaome Fatal Attraction (1987) in an interview with The New York Times.  

  I was sitting at home thinking, ‘What is a minimalist story that I can do?’ My wife was out of town for the weekend, and I thought what would happen if a man who has just dropped his wife at the railroad station rings this girl who he's met at a party and says, ‘Would you like to have dinner?’

  It’s a little fable about the perils of adultery. It is something that men and women get away with 99 percent of the time, and I just thought, ‘Why not explore the one time out of 100 when it goes wrong?'

  Sherry Lansing and Stanley Jaffe, who produced Fatal Attraction, saw Dearden's short and asked him to turn it into a feature length screenplay. The psychological thriller, starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close, earned six Academy Award nominations and made spouses think twice about the ramifications of a one-night stand. 
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  (#15) Napoleon Dynamite

  • Haylie Duff, Jon Heder, Diedrich Bader, Tina Majorino, Efren Ramirez, Aaron Ruell, Jon Gries, Emily Tyndall, Sandy Martin, Ellen Dubin, Shondrella Avery, Trevor Snarr, Brian Petersen, Carmen Brady, Sarah Owen, Walter Platz, Pat Donahue, Bracken Johnson, Yuka Ruell, Lisa Rodríguez, Kyle Hansen, Samantha Marsden, James Stevens, William Fetzer, J.C. Cunningham, Thomas Lefler, Sara Phillips, Brady Stokes, Sami Dalley, Adam Higley, Cody Abrams, Shelbee Call, Jenny Seamons, Tyler Waters, Lynette Phillips, Vanessa Stratton, Eden Hamblin, Lacey Johnson, Jake Visser, Jenna Packer, Mary Heers, Roy Esplin, Rachel Talbot, Brianne Richardson, Amy Christiansen, Radine Harris, Dakotah Gordon, Mary Downs, Stephen Rallison, Josh North, Kelsey Stockdale, Frederick Atkins, Brooke Beckstead, Charles Sparrow, Hayley Bowen, Braden Hablin, Derik Atkinson, Christina Child, Chantel Talbot, Preston Slaughter, Debbie Hugie, Taylor Bosen, Daniel Brewer, Connie Owen, Jessica Koller, Sabrena Smart, Nano De Silva, Shonee Alder, Colton Hirschi, Jacob Linderman, Marlene Prouse, Nanetter Neilson, Kristen Gibby, Patrick Zook, Keri Kelley, Kim Demke, Brett Taylor, Marla Jensen, O'Leah Corcorran, Kimberley Nicholas, Arianna Crosland, Shantell Parsons, Aaron Demke, Parker Rawlings, Kevin Jensen, Laura Oliverson, Sean Hobie, Cory Waters, Gloria Talbot, Megan Haslam, Arlando Larsen, Jamen Gunnell, Kate Keller, Amber Larsen, Tyler Drury, Trevor Mendenhall, Isaac Demke, Tiffany Cole, Sean Richmond, Madison Beckstead, Paula Yeates, Kayla Hirschi, Skyler Ostler, Allison Gamble, Cody Hobbs, Becky Demke, Cherone Call, Jon Bliss, Elisabeth North, Mandi Dalley, Ashley Jackson, Matt Porter, Justin Mason, Evan Harris, Levi Morrison, Elizabeth Miklavcic, Jane Christiansen, Alyssa Harrison, Summer Coburn, Crystal Wright, Karenina Jones, Brandon Ostler, Shontae Alder, Matt Hinrichs, Marc Roberts, Tyler Martin, Cierra Talbot, Dale Critchlow, Leatrice Esplin, McKell Peterson, Shane Pulsipher, Amanda Austin, Shawnee Call, Jenna Griffeth, Thedora Peeterborg, Tara Nicole Jackson, Tony Adams, Justin Poppleton, Lindsey Saxton, Annette Jensen, Scott Thomas, Mario Mainini, Ashely Buck, Megan Earley, Tyler Hansen, Rosie Thomas, Randi Roberts, Jade Christiansen, Jake King, Heather Benson, Cassie Galloway, Paige Christensen, Katrina Stocks, Hannah Gibby, Jessica North, Becki Yeates, Katie Seamons, David Sharp, Cindy Biggs, Skylar Carver, Paul Adams, Brigham Wilcox, Brian Davis, Shawn Oliverson, Michael Brewer, Kolton Bosen, Alison Downs, Audrey Hinricks, Kayleen Jones, Emily Gamer, Jaclyn Olsen, Tyler Dodge, Perrie Sagers, Damon Hull, Nate McBride, Lacey Saxton, Lindsay Wilson, Lauren Womack, Marie Nelson, Alisha Wakley, Jesse Stocks, Lacey Smith, Jason Linderman, Shanda Call, Christina Nicholas, Ryan Jensen, Eli Wheeler, Cara Alder, Elaina Horne, Christina McBride, Nanette Young, Telecia Stockdale, Katherine Gibby, Cheryl Hobbs, Kylie Larsen, Jeremy Burns, Brittany Foster, T.J. Adams, Brittney Cole, Kolby Talbot, Loria Badali, Rionnie Love, Shane Christiansen, Christy Checketts, Timothy Colvin, Eldean Holliday, Jake Higley, Dayne Keller, Michael Kelley, Landon Bell, Kai Fetzer, Arturo De Silva, Charles Fetzer, Kelsey Roach, Jake Adams, Kacie Thompson, Tami Auger

  Short Film It's Based On: Peluca (2003)

  Jared Hess made the nine minute black-and-white 16mm short Peluca for an assignment while attending Brigham Young University. It starred Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder), though the character's name in Peluca (which means wig in Spanish; buying a wig is an essential part of the narrative) is named Seth.

  Peluca was good enough to screen at the 2003 Slamdance Film Festival, where got encouraging reviews. Hess decided to turn the short into an indie feature, Napoleon Dynamite (2004), and feature Heder as the titular character and embodiment of a socially awkward nerdy teenager. It earned nearly $50 million at the box office on a $400,000 budget, and received instant cult classic status.
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  (#16) Sling Blade

  • Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton, John Ritter, Dwight Yoakam, J. T. Walsh, Lucas Black, Jim Jarmusch, Vic Chesnutt, Mickey Jones, James Hampton, Brent Briscoe, Rick Dial, Col. Bruce Hampton (Ret.), Natalie Canerday, Sarah Boss, Kathy Sue Brown, Jamie Stewart, Jackie Stewart, Christine Renee Ward, Judy Pryor Trice, Wendell Rafferty, Scott Stewart, Bill Glasscock, Lacy Bailey, Betty Lynn Hall, Stacy Barrow, Ian Moore, D.J. Royston, Raymond Lewallen, Tim Holder, Tom Kagy, Gary Don Fletcher

  Short Film It's Based On: Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade (1994)

  Billy Bob Thorton has emjoyed such a storied career as an actor it's easy to forget he wrote and directed Sling Blade, earning an Academy Award for his script. The movie was adapted from Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade, a 29-minute short Thorton starred in and wrote. George Hickenlooper, known for Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, the famous making-of Apocalypse Now, directed the short, about a mentally challenged man released from a care facility after serving 25 years for murdering his mother and her lover. The short also starred Molly Ringwald and JT Walsh.

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