This is a list of films and miniseries that are based on actual events. All films on this list are from American production unless indicated otherwise.
2002 8 Mile (2002) – biographical drama film inspired by the life of American rapper Eminem 11′09″01 September 11 (2002) – international anthology film composed of 11 contributions from 11 filmmakers, each from a different country - each gave their own vision of the events in New York City during the September 11 attacks, in a short film of 11 minutes, 9 seconds, and one frame 23rd March 1931: Shaheed (Hindi: शहीद) (2002) – Indian Hindi-language historical biographical film about Bhagat Singh, depicting the events leading up to the hanging of Singh and his companions Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar on 23 March 1931 24 Hour Party People (2002) – British biographical comedy drama film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records 10,000 Black Men Named George (2002) – biographical drama television film following union activist A. Philip Randolph's efforts to organize the black porters of the Pullman Company in 1920s America, known as the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters A Is for Acid (2002) – British crime television film based on the life of the serial killer John Haigh, known as the Acid Bath Murderer, because he dissolved the bodies of six people in sulphuric acid A Journey Called Love (Italian: Un viaggio chiamato amore) (2002) – Italian romantic drama film telling the tormented relationship between the writer Sibilla Aleramo and the poet Dino Campana Adaptation (2002) – comedy drama film based on Charlie Kaufman's struggles to adapt Susan Orlean's 1998 nonfiction book The Orchid Thief while suffering from writer's block The Adversary (French: L'Adversaire) (2002) – French drama film inspired by the real-life story of Jean-Claude Romand AKA (2002) – British drama film telling the story of a disaffected youth's search for love, status, and identity in late 1970s Britain, largely based on Duncan Roy's early life Amen. (2002) – historical war drama film examining the political and diplomatic relationship between the Vatican and Nazi Germany during World War II Anita and Me (2002) – British comedy drama film depicting a semi-autobiographical account of Meera Syal's childhood Antwone Fisher (2002) – biographical drama film based on the life of Antwone Fisher Auto Focus (2002) – biographical drama film telling a dramatized story of the actor Bob Crane, an affable radio show host and amateur drummer who found success on Hogan's Heroes, a popular television sitcom, and his dramatic descent into the underbelly of Hollywood after the series was cancelled and he formed a friendship with John Henry Carpenter Baader (2002) – German biographical drama film about revolutionary Andreas Baader of the notorious Red Army Faction ("the Baader-Meinhof Gang") which operated mainly in West Germany during the 1970s Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Mandarin: 巴爾扎克與小裁縫; French: Balzac et la Petite Tailleuse Chinoise) (2002) – Chinese-French romantic drama film revolving around two young Chinese boys of bourgeois background who were sent to a remote village in Sichuan for three years of re-education during the Cultural Revolution, based on the 2000 semi-autobiographical novel of the same title by Dai The Bankers of God: The Calvi Affair (Italian: I banchieri di Dio) (2002) – Italian drama film telling the story of the scandal of Banco Ambrosiano, mainly related to the figure of Roberto Calvi Benjamin Franklin (2002) – biographical drama miniseries about American polymath Benjamin Franklin Bertie and Elizabeth (2002) – British biographical drama television film exploring the relationship between King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth from their first meeting to the King's death in the winter of 1952 Better Luck Tomorrow (2002) – crime drama film drawing inspiration from several sources, including the Columbine shootings and the murder of Stuart Tay, a teenager from Orange County, California Black and White (2002) – Australian biographical drama film telling the story of Max Stuart, a young aboriginal man who was sentenced to death after being found guilty of the murder of a nine-year-old girl on what was considered questionable evidence Bloody Sunday (2002) – British-Irish historical war drama film based around the 1972 "Bloody Sunday" shootings in Derry, Northern Ireland Bolívar, That's Me! (Spanish: Bolívar soy yo) (2002) – Colombian-French historical film detailing the story of an actor who is known for his interpretation of "El Libertador", Simón Bolívar Callas Forever (2002) – biographical drama film centring on the making of a movie of Georges Bizet's CarmenThe New York Times review Catch Me If You Can (2002) – biographical crime drama film about Frank Abagnale Jr. who successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor Champion (Korean: 챔피언) (2002) – South Korean sport drama film about South Korean boxer Duk Koo Kim"Champion" . Boxofficemojo. Retrieved March 04, 2012. Chicago (2002) – musical black comedy crime film loosely based on two unrelated 1924 court cases involving two women, Beulah Annan (the inspiration for Roxie Hart) and Belva Gaertner (the inspiration for Velma), who were both suspected and later acquitted of murder, whom Maurine Dallas Watkins had covered for the Chicago Tribune as a reporter Chopin: Desire for Love (Polish: Chopin. Pragnienie miłości) (2002) – Polish biographical film based on the life story of the Polish pianist and composer Frédéric ChopinChopin site accessed 20 July 2018 City by the Sea (2002) – crime drama film based on the story of Vincent LaMarca City of God (Portuguese: Cidade de Deus) (2002) – Brazilian epic crime film depicting the growth of organized crime in the Cidade de Deus suburb of Rio de Janeiro, between the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1980s, loosely based on real events The Clay Bird (Bengali: মাটির ময়না) (2002) – Bangladeshi war drama film about Tareque Masud's childhood experiences against the backdrop of 1969 Mass uprising in East Pakistan on the eve of Bangladesh Liberation War Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) – biographical spy film depicting the fictional life of game show host and producer Chuck BarrisStein, Joel (January 13, 2003). "Lying to Tell the Truth" . Time. Accessed September 2, 2008. Conviction (2002) – American-Canadian biographical television film about Carl Upchurch, a hardcore felon who managed to educate himself and developed a spiritual awakening during one of his numerous stints inside prison Copenhagen (2002) – British drama television film concerning a meeting between the physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg in Copenhagen in 1941 to discuss their work and past friendship, and also revolving around Heisenberg's role in the German atomic bomb program during World War IICopenhagen | PBS: Copenhagen – Playwright Michael Frayn PBS. Crossed Over (2002) – Canadian drama television film telling the true story of the deep and healing friendship between a grieving mother, Beverly Lowry, and death row inmate, Karla Faye Tucker Dahmer (2002) – crime drama film based on the crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial killer, who killed seventeen young men and boys in Bath, Ohio and Milwaukee, Wisconsin between 1978 and 1991 Dickens (2002) – British biographical drama miniseries depicting the life of the author Charles Dickens Door to Door (2002) – drama television film about Bill Porter, an inspiring and successful door-to-door salesman with cerebral palsy62nd Annual Peabody Awards, May 2003. Double Teamed (2002) – family sport drama television film based on the life stories of identical twin professional basketball players Heather and Heidi Burge Drunk on Women and Poetry (Korean: 치화선) (2002) – South Korean biographical drama film about Jang Seung-eop (commonly known by his pen name, Owon), a nineteenth-century Korean painter who changed the direction of Korean art The Embalmer (Italian: L'imbalsamatore) (2002) – Italian film noir drama film about a solitary embalmer meets a charming and unemployed waiter who becomes his assistant, based on real events The Enclave (Dutch: De Enclave) (2002) – Dutch biographical miniseries about the fall of Srebrenica and the Dutch government's failure to protect the town from attackers Evelyn (2002) – Irish drama film based on the true story of Desmond Doyle and his fight in the Irish courts to be reunited with his children Facing the Truth (Danish: At kende sandheden) (2002) – Danish drama film based on the real life of Nils Malmros' father The Falklands Play (2002) – British war drama television film depicting the political events leading up to, and including, the 1982 Falklands War Fidel (2002) – biographical drama miniseries describing the Cuban revolution and political career of Fidel Castro Frida (2002) – biographical drama film depicting the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican artist Frida Kahlo Führer Ex (2002) – German historical drama film based on former neo-nazi Ingo Hasselbach's autobiographical experiences Gada Meilin (Mandarin: 嘎達梅林) (2002) – Chinese adventure drama film telling the story of Inner Mongolian hero Gada Meiren, who led a failed rebellion at the beginning of the 1930s against dispossession of Mongol banner lands by Zhang Zuolin and Zhang Xueliang Gangs of New York (2002) – historical drama film detailing the rise and fall of 19th century gangs in New York City, prior to the domination of the Italian-American Mafia during Prohibition in the 1920s The Gathering Storm (2002) – American-British biographical television film about Winston Churchill in the years just prior to World War II Gerry (2002) – drama film inspired by the events surrounding the death of David Coughlin, who was killed after he and a friend became lost in Rattlesnake Canyon in New Mexico Gleason (2002) – American-Canadian biographical television film following the life of Jackie Gleason Gotta Kick It Up! (2002) – family drama television film based on a true story of a middle school dance team Harold Shipman: Doctor Death (2002) – British crime drama television film about the life and crimes of serial killer Harold Shipman Hason Raja (Bengali: হাছন রাজা) (2002) – Bangladeshi biographical drama film about poet and philosopher of Bangladesh Hason Raja Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay (2002) – American-Canadian biographical comedy drama television film based on the true story of a corporate war in the mid-1990s between cosmetics queen Mary Kay Ash and an ambitious newcomer, Jinger Heath, who launches a rival company House of Fools (Russian: Дом дураков) (2002) – Russian biographical drama film about psychiatric patients and combatants during the First Chechen War Jean Duceppe (2002) – Canadian French-language biographical miniseries telling the story of Jean Duceppe, a Canadian actor, and chronicled his life, in particular his work in theatre and struggle for Quebec independence Jeffrey Archer: The Truth (2002) – British comedy drama television film based on the life of Jeffrey Archer Joe and Max (2002) – American-German sport drama film based on the true story of the two boxing matches between American Joe Louis and German Max Schmeling John XXIII: The Pope of Peace (Italian: Papa Giovanni – Ioannes XXIII) (2002) – Italian biographical drama television film based on real life events of Roman Catholic Pope John XXIII Julius Caesar (2002) – American-Italian-Dutch-German historical miniseries dramatizing the life of Julius Caesar from 82 BC to his death in 44 BC