Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922) A documentary about the history of witchcraft, told in a variety of styles, from illustrated slideshow to dramatized events of alleged real-life events, right up to the early twentieth century (when the film was made). Narrated by Burroughs, recorded in the mid-1960s.  74 mins.

Towers Open Fire  (1964) dir. Anthony Balch
Based on drafts for The Soft Machine. 

The Cut Ups (1966) dir. Anthony Balch
A short experimental film using cut-up techniques.  19 mins.

Chappaqua (1966) dir. Conrad Rooks
Semi-autobiographical story of Conrad Rooks, who travels to France to undergo a drug-withdrawal cure.  82 mins.

Prologue (1969) dir. Robin Spry.  87 mins.

Bill and Tony (1972) dir. Anthony Balch

Underground and Emigrants (1976) dir. Rosa von Prak
Film includes interviews with German emigrants who fled during the Nazi era and settled in New York. 90 mins.

Thot-Fal'n (1978) dir. Stan Brakhage.  9 mins.

Energy and How to Get It (1981) dir. Robert Frank

Poetry in Motion (1982) dir. Ron Mann
More than 20 contemporary North American poets recite, sing, and perform their work. Several also comment.  Black Mountain poets, the Beats, minimalists like John Cage, the wordless Four Horsemen, Tom Waits, and others capture aspects of poets as troubadours.  91 mins.

The Pirate Tape (1983) dir. Derek Jarman

Decoder (1984) dir. Muscha
A German film with Burroughs cameos. Burroughs also included on soundtrack.  87 mins.

It Doesn't Pay to Be an Honest Citizen (1984) dir. Jacob Burckhardt 

Burroughs (1984) dir. Rod Brookner
Insightful documentary including subjects such as Burroughs's homosexuality, the murder of his wife in Mexico, and his renowned drug use. The documentary footage (i.e. interviews with Burroughs and his family, friends) is intertwined with staged "dream sequences"--one particularly bloody one involves the ever-mumbling Burroughs performing surgery.  84 mins.

What Happened to Kerouac (1985) dir. Richard Lerner.  96 mins.

Kerouac, the Movie (1985) dir. John Antonelli.  78 mins. 

Home of the Brave (1986) dir. Laurie Anderson
A record of Laurie Anderson's "Mister Heartbreak" tour, this concert film is mostly comprised of songs and music with a smattering of spoken word pieces.  90 mins.

The Beat Generation:  An American Dream (1987) dir. Janet Forman
The documentary Beat Generation: An American Introduction to the Beat movement. News reels, propaganda, and pop culture film footage from the 40s and 50s.

Twister (1988) dir. Michael Almereyda 
An oddball family on a Kansas farm are trapped in their farmhouse by an impending storm.  93 mins.

Heavy Petting ( 1988) dir. Obie Benz
A documentary featuring dated sex education clips mixed with various actors/artists talking about their sexual experiences. Burroughs, Sandra Bernhard, David Byrne, Ann Magnuson, among others.  78 mins.

Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) dir. Howard Brookner 
New Year's Eve in New York City, 1928.  Madonna plays the lounge singer Hortense Hathaway, with an all-star cast that includes Matt Dillon, Ruter Hauer, Jeniffer Grey, Randy Quaid, Julie Hagerty, Esai Morales and Anita Morris.  Remake of a1952 film by the same name.  93 mins.

William S. Burroughs: Commissioner of Sewers (1989) dir. Klaus Maeck
An informal documentary on Burroughs, featuring interviews, footage of Burroughs's public readings, and bits of experimental films featuring Burroughs.  60 mins.

Drugstore Cowboy (1989) dir. Gus Van Sant
Matt Dillon and Kelly Lynch play a heroin-driven Bonnie and Clyde, knocking over drugstores in the Pacific Northwest. Ultimately, they must dispose of the body of one of their crew, sneaking it out from a motel where a sheriff's convention is being held.  100 mins.

Thanksgiving Prayer (1991) dir. Gus van Sant.  From the video "Buried Treasures vol. 1: The Directors."  Island A video of Burroughs's Thanksgiving piece (from Dead City Radio) appeared in U2's Zoo TV special, aired on MTV and Fox in 1992.  3 mins.

Wax, Or the Discovery of Television Among the Bees (1992) dir. David Blair.  85 mins.

Naked Making Lunch (1992) dir. Chris Rodley
A Documentary about the making of the film Naked Lunch.

Naked Lunch (1991) dir. David Cronenberg 
Burroughs does not appears in this film.  Naked Lunch is not an adaptation of beat writer William S. Burroughs's novel but a mix of biography and an interpretation of his drug- induced writing processes combined with elements of his work in this paranoid fantasy about Bill Lee, a writer who accidentally shoots his wife, whose typewriter transforms into a cockroach and who becomes involved in a mysterious plot in an Islamic port called Interzone.  Soundtrack by Ornette Coleman.  115 mins.

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993) dir. Gus van Sant
Sissy Hankshaw is born with enormous thumbs that help her hitchhiking through the US from a young age. She becomes a model in advertising and her NY agent sends her to his ranch in California to shoot a commercial, set against the background of mating whooping cranes. There, she befriends Bonanza Jellybean, one of the cowgirls at the beauty- ranch. The cowgirls take command of the ranch from the Countess and drug the cranes. The police besiege the ranch.  101 mins.

Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg (1993) dir. Jerry Aronson
This explores the life and work of the greatest poet of the Beat Generation. Examines Ginsberg's work as a musician and a political activist who, among other causes.  82 mins.

The Junky's Christmas (1993) dir. Nick Donkin
Burroughs takes down a book and reads us the story of Danny the Carwiper, who spends Christmas Day trying to score a fix, but finds the Christmas spirit instead.  21 mins.

Disposable Heroes "A Junky Christmas" ( 1993)
Claymation Music Video 
On Christmas Eve, 1993, this Burroughs video aired on VH-1.   After the actual video there was a few  minutes of footage of Burroughs celebrating Christmas in the Bunker with  friends.

Ah, Pook is Here (1994) dir. Philip Hunt
Burroughs as Narrator speaks of life, politics, and death as the symbol of the common man.  6 mins.

Nike Television Commercial ( 1994)
Burroughs appears in a Nike ad.

Ministry's "Just One Fix" (1994) 
Music video.  

Music of Kurt Weill:  The September Songs (1995) dir. Larry Weinstein
90 mins.

The Book of Life (1998) dir. Hal Hartley
It is December 31, 1999 and New Year's Eve takes on new meaning when the Devil, Jesus Christ, and Christ's assistant, Magdelina, discuss and debate the end of the world, the opening of the seven seals, and the essence of being human.  63 mins.

Let it Come Down:  The Life of Paul Bowles (1998) dir. Jennifer Baichwal
Documentary of writer Paul Bowles. It includes archival "home movie" footage, as well as interviews with William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and other "beat" era writers who knew Bowles and his wife Jane during his 50 years in Morocco.   75 mins. 

The Nova Convention Revisited (1998) dir. John Aes-Nihil
Documentary of the Nova Convention in 1978.

Destroy All Rational Thought (1998) dir. Joe Ambrose

Condo Painting (2000) dir. John McNaughton 

Corso:  The Last Beat (2002)  dir. Gustave Reininger