Contributor: By Adam Tanswell

In the lineup of 2024 releases, there’s no shortage of movie and television projects based on real people and true events. Whether it’s a headline-grabbing television drama about a high-profile murder case in 1989, a Kate Winslet movie that follows the story of a fashion model who becomes a World War II correspondent or the use of a CG monkey to chronicle the life of British singer Robbie Williams, the variety of genres that this subject matter covers is distinctively varied.

These three examples, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” “Lee” and “Better Man,” shine a spotlight on some rather dramatic true stories, but there are plenty more in contention for the 82nd Golden Globe Awards. This includes “September 5,” which recounts the 1972 Munich Olympic hostage crisis; “A Complete Unknown,” in which Timothée Chalamet plays Bob Dylan; and “Unstoppable,” which charts the story of a champion wrestler who was born with one leg.

For Globes-winning filmmaker Jason Reitman, these true-to-life projects allow audiences to engage directly with history and, ultimately, learn more about ourselves. Speaking to goldenglobes.com, the director and co-writer of “Saturday Night” explains: “We’re always trying to understand our history. Even if you think of the core questions we have as humans, ‘Why are we here?’ and, ‘Where did we come from?’ We’re looking for answers. That’s why we tell stories. We tell stories to try and understand our existence. Any metaphor that we can get through stories and through movies is an opportunity to try and understand who the hell we are and why we’re here.

“What I hope for in a movie about true events is the opportunity to be dropped into an immersive world,” Reitman continues. “I love the movies that drop me into locations without explanation, without hand-holding; movies that allow me to wander around, meet the people, see the location, and become a part of the story.”

In “Saturday Night,” audiences are transported back to October 11, 1975, where Lorne Michaels [played by Gabriel LaBelle] prepares for the very first episode of NBC’s weekly sketch and music show. The TV series would later be known as “Saturday Night Live” and was the breeding ground for a host of comic performers, such as Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin and Billy Crystal.

“I once spent time at ‘Saturday Night Live’ as a guest writer and I was overwhelmed by the experience of being on the stage floor as the show went live,” Reitman says when quizzed about the origins of his latest movie. “There’s nothing quite like live television. And, particularly, there’s nothing quite like ‘SNL.’ It’s the fact that they start on a Tuesday with nothing and create a show from scratch. By Saturday night, they have this 90-minute extravaganza of comedy and music that’s strung together at the very last second. I wanted the audience to be able to experience the sense of adrenaline that goes into creating a show like that.”

Alongside “Saturday Night,” the Jessie Buckley-Olivia Colman film “Wicked Little Letters” is another rare based-on-truth comedy, although “Kneecap,” “Didi” and “A Real Pain” are also heavily inspired by true events and people. Why are there so few comedies when true life is such a rich source of storytelling?

“I think we undervalue the complexity and importance of comedy,” reveals Reitman. “The truth is that ‘Saturday Night Live’ has had a cultural impact – not only in America but worldwide – for half a century and it’s as important a piece of entertainment and creativity as possibly anything else that’s been born out of the U.S. It’s a shame, frankly, that we don’t give comedy the same kind of thought and rigor that we approach drama and dramatic events, because it’s through comedy that we open up and allow conversation.”

“ ‘Saturday Night Live’ has been an opportunity for society to see itself, question who we are and question our politics,” concludes the director. “I think the gift that the creators of ‘SNL’ gave us is as important as, I don’t know, the gift of space flight. Comedy give us the opportunity to commune and I don’t know why we don’t have more in the world, but I have a pretty good sense of why we should.”

Other truth-based contenders this awards season include the movies “Bob Marley: One Love,” “Cabrini,” “The Fire Inside,” “Firebrand,” “Maria,” “The Order,” “Shirley,” “Woman of the Hour” and many more. On television, there are “Baby Reindeer,” “Franklin,” “Griselda,” “Mary & George,” “Scoop” and “A Very Royal Scandal,” among others.

Film and television fans will discover who rides to the top of the crop when the Golden Globe nominations are announced on Monday, Dec. 9. Log on to goldenglobes.com or CBSnews.com at 5 AM (PT) to see the news unfold live, or tune into the “CBS Mornings” show at 5:30 AM (PT) for more updates.