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Michael Bonfiglio

Michael Bonfiglio

Director, producer and writer

2 Primetime Emmys · 1 other major award body

Michael Bonfiglio is an Emmy-winning director, producer, writer, and camera operator. Bonfiglio's acclaimed film MAY IT LAST: A PORTRAIT OF THE AVETT BROTHERS, a collaboration with Judd Apatow, premiered at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival where it won the 24 Beats Per Second Audience Award. The film was one of the year's highest-grossing documentaries, and made its television debut on HBO. Bonfiglio and Apatow also co-directed 2016's Emmy-nominated DOC & DARRYL for ESPN's landmark 30 FOR 30 series, about the tumultuous lives of baseball players Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden. Bonfiglio's previous 30 for 30 directorial effort, YOU DON'T KNOW BO: THE LEGEND OF BO JACKSON, remains the highest-rated documentary in ESPN history. Bonfiglio directed David Letterman's Emmy-nominated Netflix series, MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION. The critically-lauded series marked Letterman's return to television following his retirement, and launched with President Barack Obama's first major television interview since leaving office. In 2017, Bonfiglio directed JERRY BEFORE SEINFELD for Netflix, the legendary comedian's first stand-up special in more than a decade. The innovative special combined stand-up with scripted and unscripted vignettes about Seinfeld's early life and career, garnering Bonfiglio a Primetime Emmy nomination for his work. Bonfiglio recently received a Primetime Emmy for his role as co-executive producer of Apatow's acclaimed film THE ZEN DIARIES OF GARRY SHANDLING, which received two additional Emmy nominations. Bonfiglio is also the director of FROM THE ASHES, a collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies about the U.S. coal industry, which premiered at the 2017 TriBeCa Film Festival and aired globally on National Geographic. PARIS TO PITTSBURGH, another collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies and National Geographic which Bonfiglio co-directed with Sidney Beaumont, will be released in December of 2018. Bonfiglio was a director and co-producer of the Emmy-nominated series OPRAH'S MASTER CLASS, directing 30 episodes of the series over five seasons. Additional directing credits include 9 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF ED SHEERAN, an intimate portrait of the British singer-songwriter on the eve of completing his smash album X; the five-part series VISIONARIES: INSIDE THE CREATIVE MIND for OWN, the Sundance Channel series ICONOCLASTS, and the MTV special SUMMIT ON THE SUMMIT. Producing and other credits include the Oscar-nominated PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY, PARADISE LOST 2: REVELATIONS, CRUDE, GRAY MATTER, and the Emmy-winning 10 DAYS THAT UNEXPECTEDLY CHANGED AMERICA.

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Biography from IMDb.

Works as
Director, producer and writer
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 28 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 77% in 30 days

What are Michael Bonfiglio's films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.

Genres

Documentary10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 90th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
27%
Society
25%
Ideas
14%
Survival
12%
Morality
11%
Bonds
9%
Power
3%
Community7 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy4 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 3 · Dark 6

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 14 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 5 · Intense 3

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 10 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 4

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 6

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
12
Warm
9
Melancholic
7
Tense
5
Joyful
4
Other
10

How their films linger

Hopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet9
  • Ambiguous5
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Michael Bonfiglio's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Bonfiglio's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

28 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page.

Career shape

A full career of 21 titles from 2004 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)

$2M worldwide

Highest rated

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! (2026)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 21: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting16 of 21: 10 only directing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score92ndWriting2 of 21: 1 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing9 of 21: 2 only producing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thCinematography1 of 21: 0 only cinematography, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 21: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

21 titles, 7 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

2000s3 · crew2010s10 · 1 acting · 9 crew2020s8 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

2 Primetime Emmys from 8 major nominations, 2017–2026.

WinNomination
  1. 2026
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
  2. 2023
    • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television
  3. 2022
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program
  4. 2018
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special
  5. 2017
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Michael Bonfiglio's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 86th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 85th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up13
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 21 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · director

From the Ashes (2017)

82nd percentile spread · 20% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011)

Midcredits 98th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 70/100 and the pacing 57/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Michael Bonfiglio work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Bonfiglio's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Joe Berlinger shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles