John Watkin

It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures

John Watkin, Eamon Harrington

Samuel Z. Arkoff, Peter Bogdanovich

A 60-minute salute to American International Pictures. Entertainment lawyer Samuel Z. Arkoff founded AIP (then called American Releasing Corporation) on a $3000 loan in 1954 with his partner, James H. Nicholson, a former West Coast exhibitor and distributor. The company made its mark by targeting teenagers with quickly produced films that exploited subjects mainstream films were reluctant to tackle.

Johnny Strange: Born to Fly

John Watkin, Eamon Harrington

JOHNNY STRANGE: BORN TO FLY tells the extraordinary story of a 23 year old American adventurer, through candid interviews with his family, friends and Johnny himself, along with 100's of hours from Johnny's private video archive. The film asks the question what does it truly mean to be alive, and to what extent a young man's passion to seek the ultimate thrill was actually the most lethal form of addiction.

Bond Girls Are Forever

John Watkin

Maryam d'Abo, Ursula Andress

Through vintage film clips of past Bond movie epics, and with the participation of several former "Bond Girls" as interviewees (among them Dr. No's Ursula Andress and Diamonds Are Forever's Jill St. John), the documentary traces the evolution of the typical James Bond heroine from decorative damsel in distress to gutsy (but still decorative) participant in the action.

The Ross Perot Myth

John Watkin, Eamon Harrington

George H.W. Bush only lost his re-election bid in 1992 because a peculiar independent candidate from Texas, Ross Perot, drew more voters away from Bush than from Democratic candidate Bill Clinton. It’s one of the most enduring myths in U.S. presidential election history. Perot ran a quirky “outsider” campaign that in many ways presaged the Donald Trump phenomenon of 2016. It all amounted to one of the most successful third-party bids in U.S. history; Perot won 19 percent of the popular vote. But, no, Perot did not cost Bush the election, as “The Perot Myth” — a film from FiveThirtyEight and ESPN Films, directed by John Watkin and Eamon Harrington — makes clear.