Penelope Spheeris
Penelope Spheeris is a standout filmmaker in the often male-dominated world of Hollywood film directing. Born in New Orleans in 1945, Spheeris's family eventually made their way to Southern California. After attending UCLA Film School, she gained recognition for her excellent L.A. punk rock documentary The Decline of Western Civilization (1981). In the 1980s and 1990s, Spheeris continued to that explore the fringes of society and youth culture with narrative films like Suburbia (1983) and The Boys Next Door (1985). She had a major mainstream hit when she directed the comedy classic Wayne's World (1992). Spheeris continued her documentary filmmaking with The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988) and The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998). Throughout her career, Spheeris has won numerous awards for her directing. You can watch a number of her movies for free online which we have collected here.