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.
2003 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out (2003) – crime action television film depicting a dramatization of the 1997 North Hollywood shootout A Date with Darkness: The Trial and Capture of Andrew Luster (2003) – drama television film based on a true story about criminal Andrew Luster Alltag (2003) – Turkish-German drama film depicting life in the neighborhood of KreuzbergNYTimes – The Saturday Profile; A Bold New View of Turkish-German Youth America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story (2003) – biographical television film about John F. Kennedy Jr.America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story (2003) New York Times. Retrieved on 9 October 2010 American Splendor (2003) – biographical comedy drama film about Harvey Pekar, the author of the American Splendor comic book seriesKaufman, Anthony. "Bob & Shari & Harvey & Joyce; “American Splendor” Goes from Small Panel to Big Screen," Indiewire (14 August 2003). An Ancient Tale: When the Sun Was a God (Polish: Stara baśń: Kiedy słońce było bogiem) (2003) – Polish historical film about the legendary 9th-century ruler of two proto-Polish tribes (the Goplans and West Polans), Popiel Anastasia Slutskaya (Belarusian: Анастасія Слуцкая) (2003) – Belarusian historical film about Princess Anastasia Slutskaya And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003) – Western drama television film about Pancho Villa and the Mexican Revolution Autumn in Warsaw (Japanese: ワルシャワの秋) (2003) – Japanese drama television film based on actual events of 1922, when the cooperation of the Polish Committee of Rescue of Children from the Far East, and the Japanese Red Cross Society led to the transportation of Polish orphans from Russian Siberia to Japan, before they could have been relocated to Poland Baadasssss! (2003) – biographical drama film based on the struggles of Melvin Van Peebles, as he attempts to film and distribute Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, a film that was widely credited with showing Hollywood that a viable African-American audience existed, and thus influencing the creation of the Blaxploitation genreBaadasssss! on Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2 December 2022. Bad Boys (Finnish: Pahat pojat) (2003) – Finnish crime drama film based on the story of a notorious real-life family of criminals known as "the Daltons of Eura"Box Office Mojo 2003 Finland Yearly Box Office Results, Retrieved 2011.07.22 Beautiful Boxer (Thai: บิวตี้ฟูล บ๊อกเซอร์) (2003) – Thai biographical sports film telling the life story of Parinya Charoenphol, a famous kathoey, Muay Thai fighter, actress and model Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Three's Company (2003) – comedy drama television film documenting the success of the sitcom Three's Company, as well as the interpersonal conflicts that occurred among its staff and cast Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor (2003) – historical drama television film portraying the career of Benedict Arnold in the American Revolutionary War and his dramatic switch in 1780 from fighting for American Independence to being a Loyalist trying to preserve British rule in America Blind Flight (2003) – British prison drama film based on the true-life story of the kidnapping and imprisonment of the Irish academic Brian Keenan and the English journalist John McCarthy, two of the hostages in the Lebanon hostage crisis Bolívar the Hero (Spanish: Bolívar el héroe) (2003) – Colombian animated biographical film about the life of Simon Bolivar Bon Voyage (2003) – French mystery war thriller film loosely inspired by Professor Lew Kowarski's smuggling of the world's only supplies of heavy water out of France following its occupation by the Nazis Boudica (2003) – British historical television film about the queen of the Iceni tribe, Boudica The Brides in the Bath (2003) – British crime television film based on the life and trial of British serial killer and bigamist George Joseph Smith, the "Brides in the Bath Murderer" Byron (2003) – British biographical television film based on the adult life of English poet Lord Byron Calendar Girls (2003) – British comedy film based on a true story of a group of middle-aged Yorkshire women who produced a nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia Research (now Blood Cancer UK) under the auspices of the Women's Institutes in April 1999 after the husband of one of their members dies from cancer Cambridge Spies (2003) – British historical miniseries based on the true story of four brilliant young men at the University of Cambridge who are recruited to spy for the Soviet Union in 1934 Catharisis (Japanese: カタルシス) (2003) – Japanese crime drama television film about a 14-year-old boy murders a young girl in the suburbs of Tokyo, based on a true story Charles II: The Power and the Passion (2003) – British historical miniseries covering the life of Charles II – beginning just before his Restoration to the throne in 1660 Colosseum: Rome's Arena of Death (2003) – British historical television film which tells the true story of Verus, a gladiator who fought at the Colosseum in Rome Conspiracy of Silence (2003) – British drama film challenging celibacy and its implication for the Catholic Church in the 21st century, inspired by real events The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron (2003) – biographical drama television film depicting the rise and fall of the Enron company, as seen from the perspective of employee Brian Cruver, based on his bookHart, Hugh. "Writing Enron's last chapter Ex-employee's 'Anatomy of Greed' book made into TV movie." San Francisco Chronicle. Saturday 4 January 2003. Retrieved on 23 July 2011. The Cruelest Day (Italian: Ilaria Alpi – Il più crudele dei giorni) (2003) – Italian drama film dramatizing the last days of life of RAI journalist Ilaria Alpi and of her cameraman Miran Hrovatin before they were killed in Mogadishu, Somalia, on 20 March 1994 Danielle Cable: Eyewitness (2003) – British crime drama television film based upon the murder of Stephen Cameron by Kenneth Noye in a road rage incident in 1996 Danny Deckchair (2003) – Australian comedy film inspired by the story of the Lawnchair Larry flight D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear (2003) – crime drama television film based on the Beltway sniper attacks of 2002 DC 9/11: Time of Crisis (2003) – biographical drama television film re-enacting the events of the September 11 attacks in 2001 as seen from the point of view of the President of the United States and his staff Deacons for Defense (2003) – drama television film loosely based on the activities of the Deacons for Defense and Justice in 1965 in Bogalusa, Louisiana The Deal (2003) – British political drama television film depicting the Blair–Brown deal, a well-documented pact that Tony Blair and Gordon Brown made, whereby Brown would not stand in the 1994 Labour leadership election so that Blair could have a clear run at becoming leader of the party and later Prime MinisterWhelan, Charlie (24 September 2003). "The Deal's off ". MediaGuardian (Guardian News and Media). Retrieved on 21 February 2008. Deng Xiaoping (Mandarin: 鄧小平) (2003) – Chinese biographical film about the life of Deng Xiaoping, though it only covers the twenty years from his return to power in 1976.Sina.com 电影《邓小平》拍完最后一组镜头(附图) 15 May 002 mirror at Southcn.com El Cid: The Legend (Spanish: El Cid, la leyenda) (2003) – Spanish animated historical drama film based on the story of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, also known as El Cid Elephant (2003) – psychological drama film chronicling the events surrounding a school shooting, based in part on the 1999 Columbine High School massacre The Elizabeth Smart Story (2003) – crime drama television film about the high-profile Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case Eroica (2003) – British historical television film dramatizing the first performance of Beethoven's third symphony, the Eroica. Escape from Taliban (Hindi: तालिबान से बचो; Urdu: طالبان سے فرار) (2003) – Indian Hindi- and Urdu-language biographical war film based on the story A Kabuliwala's Bengali Wife by Sushmita Banerjee, who fled Afghanistan in 1995 after six years of living there with her Afghan husband Evil (Swedish: Ondskan) (2003) – Swedish drama film based on Jan Guillou's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name Ferrari (2003) – Italian biographical drama film depicting Enzo Ferrari's rise from a successful race driver to one of the most famous entrepreneurs of all time Flying Saucers (Spanish: Platillos volantes) (2003) – Spanish comedy drama film based on a true story of how two decapitated corpses are found on the train tracks near Terrassa together with a note reading "The extraterrestrials are calling us. We belong to infinity" Frankie and Johnny Are Married (2003) – comedy film chronicling the troubles a producer has trying to mount a production of the Terrence McNally play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune Full-Court Miracle (2003) – family sport drama television film inspired by the true story of University of Virginia Cavaliers basketball star Lamont Carr Gacy (2003) – crime thriller film based on the crimes of John Wayne Gacy, an American serial killer who raped, tortured, and murdered at least thirty-three men and boys in Chicago, Illinois during the 1970s George Orwell: A Life in Pictures (2003) – British biographical drama television film depicting the life story of the British author George Orwell Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) – British-American-Luxembourgian historical drama film presenting a fictional account of Johannes Vermeer, the model and the painting Godforsaken (Dutch: Van God Los) (2003) – Dutch drama film based on the real life of the "Gang from Venlo", that left a trail of death and destruction in the North-Middle Limburg area from 1993 till 1994 Gods and Generals (2003) – epic war drama film following the story of Stonewall Jackson from the beginning of the American Civil War to his death at the Battle of Chancellorsville Going for Broke (2003) – Canadian-American crime drama television film based on the true story of former Juvenile Diabetes Foundation charity director Gina Garcia, who from 1993 to 1997 fraudulently issued cheques from the charity to herself to funnel money into her bank account for her compulsive gambling addiction, after which she was arrested, resulting in legislation that required that casinos and other gaming establishments in the state of Nevada have a telephone number posted for gambling addiction services The Good Pope: Pope John XXIII (Italian: Il Papa Buono) (2003) – Italian biographical television film based on real life events of Pope John XXIII The Gospel of John (2003) – British-Canadian-American Christian epic drama film recounting the life of Jesus according to the Gospel of John Grand Theft Parsons (2003) – American-British comedy drama film based on the true story of country rock musician Gram Parsons, who died of an overdose in 1973 Haggard: The Movie (2003) – comedy film based on the story of how reality television personality Ryan Dunn's girlfriend may have cheated on him Henry VIII (2003) – British historical biographical miniseries chronicling the life of Henry VIII of England from the disintegration of his first marriage to an aging Spanish princess until his death following a stroke in 1547, by which time he had married for the sixth timeLeonard, Tom (31 October 2003). "Viewers get cold feet over drama". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved on 10 March 2015. High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story (2003) – biographical drama film focusing on the life of American professional poker and gin player Stu Ungar