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.
2008 21 (2008) – heist drama film inspired by the story of the MIT Blackjack Team as told in Bringing Down the House, the best-selling 2003 book by Ben Mezrich 120 (2008) – Turkish war drama film based on the true story of 120 children who died in 1915 carrying ammunition for the Battle of Sarikamish against the Russians during World War I 1895 (Mandarin: 1895乙未) (2008) – Taiwanese historical film based on the Japanese Invasion of Taiwan in 1895, with emphasis on the Hakka fighters and their families in the conflict「1895乙未」，陳坤厚執導，楊謹華、李佳穎、溫昇豪主演 A Frozen Flower (Korean: 쌍화점) (2008) – South Korean historical thriller film loosely based on the reign of Gongmin of Goryeo January 10, 2009. A Pearl in the Forest (Mongolian: Мойлхон) (2008) – Mongolian historical drama film about a young couple whose newly planned life was destroyed by the impact of the Great Purge of 1934–1938 in Mongolia, based on testimonies of many Buryats and Mongolians who were persecuted during the Great Purges initiated by Joseph Stalin Content reproduced with authorization from Idugan Entertainment. A Single Woman (2008) – biographical drama film based on the life of Jeannette Rankin, the first woman to be elected to congress, and chronicling her activism including her association with the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, as well as her co-founding the American Civil Liberties Union A Viking Saga (2008) – Danish historical film about the early life and rise to power of Oleg of Novgorod, the Rus prince who attacked and conquered Kiev in AD 882 from the Rus war-lords Askold and Dir, before moving his capital there A Woman in Berlin (German: Anonyma – Eine Frau in Berlin) (2008) – German-Polish biographical war drama film about a woman who tries to survive the invasion of Berlin by the Soviet troops during the last days of World War II, based on the memoir, Eine Frau in BerlinAnn Hornaday, "Movie mini-review: Ann Hornaday on 'A Woman in Berlin'", Washington Post, 6 November 2009, accessed 7 September 2014 Aba (Sinhala: අබා) (2008) – Sri Lankan historical drama film based on the historical legend of King Pandukabhaya which is set in Sri Lanka more than 2,400 years agoAba to reach international heights Accidental Friendship (2008) – Canadian drama television film about a homeless woman with her two pets as her only friends, based on a true story Admiral (Russian: Адмиралъ) (2008) – Russian biographical drama film about Alexander Kolchak, a vice admiral in the Imperial Russian Navy and leader of the anti-communist White movement during the Russian Civil War Adoration (2008) – Canadian romantic drama film partly based on the 1986 Hindawi affair Alexander (Russian: Александр. Невская битва) (2008) – Russian historical action film about the life and reign of Alexander Nevsky The Alphabet Killer (2008) – thriller horror film loosely based on the Alphabet murders that took place in Rochester, New York between 1971 and 1973 Amália (2008) – Portuguese biographical drama film portraying legendary Portuguese fado singer Amália Rodrigues American Violet (2008) – crime drama film based on the story of Regina Kelly, a victim of Texas police drug enforcement tactics Anton (2008) – Irish action thriller film about a man drawn into the Troubles along the Northern Ireland Border in 1972, inspired by true events The Baader Meinhof Complex (German: Der Baader Meinhof Komplex) (2008) – German drama film retelling the story of the early years of the West German far-left terrorist organisation the Rote Armee Fraktion (Red Army Fraction, or Red Army Faction, a.k.a. RAF) from 1967 to 1977A Match That Burned the Germans by Fred Kaplan, The New York Times, 12 August 2009 Baby Blues (2008) – biographical horror film based on the 2001 killings of five children by their mother Andrea Yates The Bank Job (2008) – American-British-Australian heist thriller film based on the 1971 burglary of Lloyds Bank safety deposit boxes in Baker Street Bathory (2008) – Slovak-Czech-Hungarian-British historical drama film based on the story of Erzsébet Bathory, a Hungarian countess in the 16th and 17th centuries Beloved Clara (German: Geliebte Clara) (2008) – German-French-Hungarian biographical drama film about the pianist Clara Schumann and her marriage with the composer Robert Schumann Bezerra de Menezes: The Diary of a Spirit (Portuguese: Bezerra de Menezes: O Diário de um Espírito) (2008) – Brazilian biographical drama film depicting the life and work of writer, politician and medical doctor Bezerra de Menezes, known as the doctor of the poor Billy: The Early Years (2008) – biographical drama film telling the story of the early life of evangelist Billy Graham Blood Brothers (Dutch: Bloedbroeders) (2008) – Dutch crime television film based on the Baarn murder case, which took place between 1960 and 1963 Blood in May (Spanish: Sangre de mayo) (2008) – Spanish historical drama film depicting the story around the events of 2 May 1808, when the people of Madrid rose up in rebellion against French occupation Bottle Shock (2008) – comedy drama film based on the 1976 wine competition termed the "Judgment of Paris", when California wine defeated French wine in a blind taste test Broken Sun (2008) – Australian war film partly based on the Cowra breakout of 1944Richard Kuipers, Review: ‘Broken Sun’, Variety, 22 April 2008, retrieved 22 May 2014 Bronson (2008) – British biographical prison drama film following the life of Charles Bronson, considered Britain's most violent criminal, who has been responsible for a dozen or so cases of hostage taking while incarcerated Cadillac Records (2008) – biographical drama film exploring the musical era from the early 1940s to the late 1960s, chronicling the life of the influential Chicago-based record-company executive Leonard Chess, and a few of the musicians who recorded for Chess Records Camino (2008) – Spanish biographical drama film inspired by the real story of Alexia González-Barros, a girl who died from spinal cancer at age 14 in 1985 and who is in process of canonization Cape No. 7 (Mandarin: 海角七號) (2008) – Taiwanese musical drama film about a Yunlin postman who successfully delivered a piece of mail addressed in the old Japanese style – the sender was the former Japanese employer of the recipient茂伯的本尊 郵差丁滄源 The Capture of the Green River Killer (2008) – crime drama miniseries telling the story of the Green River killer serial murders between 1982 and 1998 Carnera: The Walking Mountain (Italian: Carnera – Il campione più grande) (2008) – Italian sport drama film depicting real life events of the boxer Primo Carnera Cass (2008) – British crime drama film based on the true story of the life of Cass Pennant Céline (2008) – Canadian biographical film about the life of Canadian singer Celine Dion Changeling (2008) – mystery crime drama film based on real-life events, specifically the 1928 Wineville Chicken Coop murders in Mira Loma, California The Chaser (Korean: 추격자) (2008) – South Korean action thriller film inspired by real-life Korean serial killer Yoo Young-chul Che: Guerrilla (Spanish: Che: Guerrilla) (2008) – Spanish-German-French-American biographical drama film about Argentine Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara during the Bolivian Campaign Che: The Argentine (Spanish: Che, el argentino) (2008) – Spanish-German-French-American biographical drama film about Argentine Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara during the Cuban Revolution The Children of Huang Shi (Mandarin: 黄石的孩子) (2008) – Australian-Chinese-German historical war drama film centring on the true story of George Hogg and the sixty orphans that he led across China in an effort to save them from conscription during the Second Sino-Japanese War The Christmas Choir (2008) – Canadian drama television film based upon a true story of a man who volunteered to work at a homeless shelter and started a choir with its residents Christmas Cottage (2008) – biographical drama film about the inspiration behind Thomas Kinkade's painting The Christmas Cottage, and how the artist was motivated to begin his career after discovering his mother was in danger of losing their family home City of Vice (2008) – British historical crime drama miniseries following the fortunes of the famous novelist Henry Fielding and his brother John Clubbed (2008) – British drama film about a 1980s factory worker who takes up a job as a club doorman based on a true story Coco Chanel (2008) – Italian-French-British biographical drama television film about Coco Chanel, the pioneering French fashion designerBBC News, 24 July 2009: New film puts the Coco into Chanel Linked 2014-08-27 Colours of Passion (Hindi: रंग रसिया) (2008) – Indian Hindi-language biographical drama film based on the life of the 19th-century Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma The Curse of Steptoe (2008) – British biographical drama television film centring on Harry H. Corbett and Phil Davis' on- and off-screen relationship during the making of the BBC sitcom Steptoe and SonBBC press release (11/11/07) Cyrano de Bergerac (2008) – biographical drama television film following the broad outlines of Cyrano de Bergerac's life December Heat (Estonian: Detsembrikuumus) (2008) – Estonian historical action drama film about the 1924 Estonian coup d'état attempt Defiance (2008) – war drama film based on Nechama Tec's 1993 book Defiance: The Bielski Partisans, an account of the eponymous group led by Polish Jewish brothers who saved and recruited Jews in Belarus during the Second World War The Deity (Italian: Il divo) (2008) – Italian biographical drama film based on the figure of former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti The Demons of St. Petersberg (Italian: I demoni di San Pietroburgo) (2008) – Italian drama film about the life of Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky The Deserter (French: Le déserteur) (2008) – Canadian French-language historical war film telling the story of Georges Guénette, a deserter from the Canadian Army during World War II, who was shot and killed by members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Duchess (2008) – French-Italian-British-American historical drama film about the late 18th-century English aristocrat Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of DevonshireDawtrey, Adam (29 July 2007) Keira Knightley set for Duchess: Actress to play the controversial blueblood, Variety The Easy Way (French: Sans arme, ni haine, ni violence) (2008) – French heist drama film about the real life thief Albert Spaggiari, who organized a break-in into a Société Générale bank in Nice, France in 1976 The Edge of Love (2008) – British biographical romantic drama film concerning Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, his wife Caitlin Macnamara and their married friends, the Killicks Einstein (2008) – Italian biographical drama television film based on real life events of scientist Albert Einstein Einstein and Eddington (2008) – British biographical drama television film about Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, his relationship with Arthur Stanley Eddington and the introduction of this theory to the world, against the backdrop of the Great War and Eddington's eclipse observationsBBC website for Einstein and Eddington Emma Smith: My Story (2008) – biographical drama film focusing on the life of Emma Smith, wife of Joseph Smith, restorer of the Latter Day Saint movement The Escorial Conspiracy (Spanish: La conjura de El Escorial) (2008) – Spanish historical drama film based on the murder of Juan de Escobedo during the reign of Philip II of Spain