Known for Directing
Erik Nelson is a director and producer known for his frequent collaborations with Werner Herzog.
Filmography
60 films, 2 shows


Bullets And Blueberries
2025 · 1h 30m
The Holocaust began with the indiscriminate mass shootings by the Einsatzgruppen in the bloodlands of Eastern Europe and was perfected in the gas chambers at Auschwitz. “Bullets And Blueberries” explores the motives, methods and madness of the perpetrators, using never-before-seen images captured by the killers themselves — images that fully capture the banality of evil.


Daytime Revolution
2024 · 1h 48m · US
For one extraordinary week in February 1972, the Revolution WAS televised. DAYTIME REVOLUTION takes us back in time to the week that John Lennon and Yoko Ono descended upon a Philadelphia broadcasting studio to co-host the iconic Mike Douglas Show, at that time the most popular show on daytime television, with a national audience of 40 million viewers each week. What followed was five unforgettable episodes of television, with Lennon and Ono at the helm and Douglas gamely keeping the show on track.


Apocalypse '45
2020 · 1h 44m · US
Recounts the harrowing end of World War II through the eyes of 24 men who lived through the events and using never-before-seen footage.
Into the Cold Blue: Restoration and Reinvention
Into the Cold Blue: Restoration and Reinvention
2019 · 23m · US
In 1943, legendary Hollywood director William Wyler and his film crew flew combat missions on B-17 bombers to document the fierce air battles of World War II. Over 70 years later, the footage was discovered in the vaults of the National Archives. After painstaking, shot-by-shot sound and picture restoration, director Erik Nelson has constructed a new film out of the material. Inside the making of The Cold Blue.


The Cold Blue
2018 · 1h 14m · US
A meditation on youth, war and stunning bravery, featuring footage, taken from the National Archives, from the documentary filmed in 1943 by legendary Hollywood director William Wyler about the famous Memphis Belle flying fortress and the gripping narration from some of the last surviving B-17 pilots.


A Gray State
2017 · 1h 33m · US
In 2010 David Crowley, an Iraq veteran, aspiring filmmaker and charismatic up-and-coming voice in fringe politics, began production on his film Gray State. Set in a dystopian near-future where civil liberties are trampled by an unrestrained federal government, the film’s crowd funded trailer was enthusiastically received by the burgeoning online community of libertarians, Tea Party activists and members of the nascent alt-right. In January of 2015, Crowley was found dead with his family in their suburban Minnesota home. Their shocking deaths quickly become a cause célèbre for conspiracy theorists who speculate that Crowley was assassinated by a shadowy government concerned about a film and filmmaker that was getting too close to the truth about their aims.


9/11: The Longest War
2016 · 2h 7m · US
In honour of the 15th Anniversary of 9/11, National Geographic Channel is looking back at the very best reporting we have done since this world-changing tragedy first happened using extended excerpts from past specials that relate directly to events leading up to and following the attacks on New York City and Washington DC.


9/10: The Final Hours
2014 · 1h 30m · US
The eve of 9/11 is recalled. Eyewitnesses recall the day before the 9/11 terror attacks and the collapse of the Twin Towers.


JFK: The Final Hours
2013 · 2h
A look at the final day in the life of President John F. Kennedy.


Dinotasia
2012 · 1h 23m · US
Computer-generated animation about the daily lives of dinosaurs, narrated by Werner Herzog.


History Specials: Engineering Evil
2011 · US


Dreams with Sharp Teeth
2008 · 1h 36m · US
The documentary story of Harlan Ellison


Nazi Scrapbooks from Hell: The Auschwitz Albums
2008 · 47m · US
The film uncovers a part of the Holocaust that was once thought to be unrecorded, but thanks to Washington D.C. Holocaust Museum's work there is now documentation and photographic evidence of what life was like behind the fences of the death camp at Auschwitz. This film profiles a series of contrasting photos - one series portrays the banality of evil, while the other profiles the horror of life behind the wire.


In the Edges: The 'Grizzly Man' Session
2005 · 54m · US
With Herzog's direction, Richard Thompson leads a small group of musicians into creating Grizzly Man's evocative soundtrack.
Secrets of the Unknown: Bigfoot & Witches
Secrets of the Unknown: Bigfoot & Witches
1989 · 1h · US
Secrets of the Unknown daringly showcases the bizarre, the terrifying, and the unmistakably real. First, Bigfoot brings together eyewitnesses who relate their encounters with the legendary and mysterious 800-pound creature. Then, Witches explores the long and clandestine history of this misunderstood group of people and provides a close look at the black art with factual information presented by practitioners.


Secrets of the Unknown: The Titanic
1987 · 26m · US
Hosted by Edward Mulhare, Secrets of the Unknown: The Titanic unravels the mysteries surrounding the 1912 sea disaster which sent 1,500 people to a watery grave in the mid-Atlantic after colliding with an iceberg. Did the luxury liner's crew have fair warning, but fail to react appropriately? The program presents new evidence and insights into the calamity which still baffles historians.


Secrets of the Unknown: Big Foot
1987 · 26m · US
Big Foot brings together eyewitnesses who relate their encounters with the legendary and mysterious creature. The film probes the intriguing question of whether Big Foot, Sasquatch, and Yeti are myth or reality. Film highlights include possible authentic footage of the beasts.


Secrets of the Unknown: Jack the Ripper
1987 · 26m · US
Jack the Ripper explores theories surrounding one of the most notorious unsolved crimes of modern times. Between August 7 and November 10, 1888, Jack the Ripper terrorized London, killing at least seven women. Was the murderer one man or three?


Secrets of the Unknown: Pearl Harbor
1987 · 26m · US
Pearl Harbor reveals information indicating that the United States Navy could have prevented the December 7, 1941 attack. Explore the supposition that the Navy discovered two Japanese carriers near Pearl Harbor several days prior to the assault and why this information was ignored.
Backstage Pass
Backstage Pass
1982
Television movie