Vegan documentaries can be so powerful and inspiring as visual tools of education, and most importantly as food for thought!
Though most of these documentaries are related to vegan themes, a very few may present you with general topics (especially health documentaries) which may still be beneficial in broadening your understanding.
We encourage you to watch these documentaries with an open mind and see how they can help you lead a life which is compassionate, healthy, and environmentally-friendly!
Table of Contents
Animal Rights Documentaries
1) Earthlings (2005)
- Synopsis: with rare footage (using hidden cameras), Earthlings shows the practices of animal cruelty in the largest animal farming industries, which solely rely on animals for profit.
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 35 min
- Google rating: 92%
- IMDB rating: 8.7
- Where to watch
- Official website (free)
- Amazon DVD (special extended DVD)
2) Speciesism: The Movie (2013)
- Synopsis: A young man’s journey of investigating the hidden truth of “factory farming” and soon discovers a growing political and intellectual movement that believes there is no justification for speciesism
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 34min
- Google rating: 94%
- IMDB rating: 8.3
- Where to watch
- Official website
- Amazon prime (quality HD)
- Amazon DVD
3) Blackfish (2013)
- Synopsis: the devastating consequences of keeping intelligent and sentient killer whales in captivity
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 23min
- Google rating: 88%
- IMDB rating: 8.1
- Where to watch
4) The Ghosts In Our Machine (2013)
- Synopsis: from undercover investigations to joyful rescue missions the documentary shows the lives of individual animals living within and rescued from the machine of our modern world
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 33min
- IMDB rating: 8.3
- Where to watch
5) Dominion (2018)
- Synopsis: with drones, hidden and handheld cameras, Dominion exposes the modern animal agriculture & animal exploitation, questioning the morality of mankind’s dominance over animals
- Trailer
- Running length: 2h
- Google rating: 97%
- IMDB rating: 9.4
- Where to watch
- Official website (free)
6) Lucent (2014)
- Synopsis: the cruel side of Australia’s pig farming industry, accepted as standard practice.
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 47 min
- IMDB rating: 8.5
- Where to watch
- Official website (free)
7) Farm To Fridge (2011)
- Synopsis: the harsh reality faced by farmed animals and the unseen journey they make from Farm to Fridge
- Running length: 12 min
- IMDB rating: 8.8
- Where to watch
- Official website (free)
8) Meet Your Meat (2002)
- Synopsis: actor and activist Alec Baldwin exposes the truth behind humanity’s cruelest invention – the factory farm
- Running length: 12 min
- IMDB rating: 8.0
- Where to watch
- Official website (free)
- Amazon DVD
9) The Animals Film (1981)
- Synopsis: a comprehensive examination of the exploitation of animals in modern society
- Trailer
- Running length: 2h 16 min
- IMDB rating: 8.2
- Where to watch
10) Facing Animals (2012)
- Synopsis: questions our strange behavior towards animals: why do we look away from millions of farm animals while pampering others?
- Trailer
- Running length: 30 min
- IMDB rating: 8.3
- Where to watch
11) Land of Hope and Glory (2017)
- Synopsis: the truth behind UK’s standard animal farming practices featuring over 100 UK facilities
- Trailer
- Running length: 48 min
- IMDB rating: 9.2
- Where to watch
- Official website (free)
12) A Fall From Freedom (2011)
- Synopsis: a comprehensive film on the sordid history of the captive whale and dolphin entertainment business (premature deaths, trainer injuries, illegal practices, educational misrepresentation, government incompetence, and secret deals)
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 22 min
- IMDB rating: 8.2
- Where to watch
13) The Cove (2009)
- Synopsis: the most cruel acts against wild dolphins in the world in Taiji, Japan
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 32 min
- Google rating: 85%
- IMDB rating: 8.5
- Where to watch
14) Shadow Trade (2016)
- Synopsis: Thailand’s dog meat trade
- Trailer
- Running length: 50 min
- IMDB rating: 8.7
- Where to watch
15) Death on a Factory Farm (2009)
- Synopsis: the undercover investigation of Wiles Hog Farm and the court case against it
- Running length: 1h 23 min
- IMDB rating: 7.6
- Where to watch
Health & Food Industry Related Documentaries
16) Forks Over Knives (2011)
- Synopsis: impact of animal-based and processed foods
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 30 min
- Google rating: 92%
- IMDB rating: 7.8
- Where to watch
17) What The Health (2017)
- Synopsis: what highly processed industrial animal foods can do to our health and why those industries, government, big pharma and health organizations seem to have a hidden agenda
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 37 min
- Google rating: 87%
- IMDB rating: 7.8
- Where to watch
18) Plantpure Nation (2015)
- Synopsis: story of three people on a quest to spread the message of the healthiest diet for mankind
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 35 min
- Google rating: 98%
- IMDB rating: 7.6
- Where to watch
- Official website (free)
- Amazon prime (HD)
- Amazon DVD
19) Food Choices (2016)
- Synopsis: the impact of food choices on health, planet and other species
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 31 min
- Google rating: 92%
- IMDB rating: 7.4
- Where to watch
20) Planeat (2010)
- Synopsis: three men’s lifelong search for a diet good for health, environment and the future of our planet
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 27 min
- Google rating: 94%
- IMDB rating: 7.4
- Where to watch
21) Crazy Sexy Cancer (2007)
- Synopsis: an inspirational story of a young woman looking for a cure and finding her life after she was diagnosed with cancer
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 29 min
- Google rating: 73%
- IMDB rating: 7.6
- Where to watch
22) Swine (2016)
- Synopsis: a superbug infecting the UK pig population prompts Guard-Media journalist Jack Tomlins to go undercover in a pig farm in search of truth
- Running length: 16 min
- IMDB rating: 8.3
- Where to watch
23) Food Matters (2008)
- Synopsis: a discussion on our current state of health echoing the message “we are what we eat”
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 20 min
- Google rating: 93%
- IMDB rating: 7.7
- Where to watch
24) Hungry For Change (2012)
- Synopsis: exposes shocking secrets & deceptive strategies the diet, weight loss and food industries don’t want you to know
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 29 min
- Google rating: 92%
- IMDB rating: 7.5
- Where to watch
25) Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (2010)
- Synopsis: an inspiring film about Joe who is obese with an autoimmune disease is on a personal mission to regain his health with fresh fruit & vegetable juice
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 37 min
- Google rating: 93%
- IMDB rating: 7.6
- Where to watch
- Official website (free)
- Amazon prime (HD)
- Amazon DVD
26) Super Size Me (2004)
- Synopsis: Morgan Spurlock studies the influence of fast food industries, and attempts to explore the consequences of a McDonald’s diet on his health for one month.
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 40 min
- Google rating: 83%
- IMDB rating: 7.2
- Where to watch
- Amazon prime (HD)
- Amazon DVD
27) Eating You Alive (2018)
- Synopsis: How the food we consume could be the cause of diseases, and how changing our diet can save our lives.
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 48 min
- Google rating: 95%
- IMDB rating: 8.6
- Where to watch
28) Fillet Oh Fish
- Synopsis: An investigation about the source of fish used as filet for many famous and so-called healthy dishes trying to answer the questions such as, where do fish come from? How are they fed? In which waters they live?
- Trailer
- Running length: 54 min
- Where to watch
29) Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes In 30 Days (2009)
- Synopsis: a few diabetes patients try to overcome the disease with a raw vegetable diet
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 29 min
- Google rating: 96%
- IMDB rating: 7.7
- Where to watch
30) Food Inc (2008)
- Synopsis: the cheap means of food production since the drastic growth of fast food industry and the resultant plight due to greater control of food supply by a few multinationals
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 34 min
- Google rating: 88%
- IMDB rating: 7.8
- Where to watch
Documentaries for Environment & Species Extinction
31) Cowspiracy (2014)
- Synopsis: a journey of an aspiring environmentalist, seeking solutions to critical environmental issues and sustainability.
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 30 min
- Google rating: 95%
- IMDB rating: 8.3
- Where to watch
32) More Than Honey (2012)
- Synopsis: a study of honeybee colonies in California, Switzerland, China and Australia and trying to understand why bees are facing extinction
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 35 min
- Google rating: 89%
- IMDB rating: 7.6
- Where to watch
33) Racing Extinction (2015)
- Synopsis: as scientists believe we have entered the sixth major extinction in Earth’s history, the documentary follows undercover activists trying to prevent a man-made mass extinction
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 30 min
- Google rating: 97%
- IMDB rating: 8.2
- Where to watch
34) Sharkwater (2006)
- Synopsis: The importance of sharks’ to the ecosystems & balance of life and humankind’s mass destruction of shark species worldwide
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 29 min
- Google rating: 95%
- IMDB rating: 8.0
- Where to watch
35) Virunga (2014)
- Synopsis: a team of brave individuals risk their lives to protect the last mountain gorillas of the UNESCO world heritage, Virunga National Park from armed militia, poachers and other dark forces
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 40 min
- Google rating: 93%
- IMDB rating: 8.2
- Where to watch
36) Before The Flood (2016)
- Synopsis: how climate change affects our environment and what we can do to prevent the demise of everything we cherish today
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 36 min
- Google rating: 95%
- IMDB rating: 8.3
- Where to watch
37) The Ivory Game (2016)
- Synopsis: exposes ivory trafficking and the deep-rooted corruption while wildlife activists combating poachers making an effort to end the illegal ivory trade
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 52 min
- Google rating: 93%
- IMDB rating: 7.9
- Where to watch
38) H.O.P.E What You Eat Matters (2016)
- Synopsis: the effects of Western diet on our health, the environment and animals
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 40 min
- IMDB rating: 7.8
- Where to watch
- Official website (free)
39) Meat The Truth (2007)
- Synopsis: about the intensive livestock production and how it generates more greenhouse gas emissions than cars, lorries, trains, boats and planes added together
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 14 min
- IMDB rating: 7.9
- Where to watch
Vegan Documentaries for Athletes & Bodybuilders
40) The Game Changers (2018)
- Synopsis: a quest for the truth behind a dangerous myth that meat is necessary for protein and it introduces the world to elite athletes, being on a mission to make a shift in the way we eat and live.
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 28 min
- Google rating: 96%
- IMDB rating: 8.6
- Where to watch
- Official website (not released as of 30 Oct 2018)
41) From The Ground Up (2017)
- Synopsis: a former meat-eating college football player goes on a journey to rediscover the athlete within, but this time, as a vegan
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 35 min
- IMDB rating: 9.3
- Where to watch
Inspirational Vegan Documentaries
42) Called To Rescue (2016)
- Synopsis: a glimpse into 15 farm animal sanctuaries throughout the US and how the rescued animals are changing lives, lifestyles, and beliefs due to the connection
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 5 min
- IMDB rating: 9.4
- Where to watch
- Official website (free)
- Amazon prime (HD)
43) Vegucated (2011)
- Synopsis: follows three meat and cheese-loving New Yorkers who adopt a vegan diet for six weeks
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 16 min
- Google rating: 92%
- IMDB rating: 7.2
- Where to watch
44) Live and Let Live (2013)
- Synopsis: the stories of six individuals who ditched animal products for various reasons and show the impact of that decision on their lives.
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 20 min
- Google rating: 87%
- IMDB rating: 7.6
- Where to watch
45) Vegan: Everyday Stories
- Synopsis: the lives of four remarkably different people who are vegans (an ultramarathon runner who has overcome addiction, a cattle rancher’s wife converting the ranch into an animal sanctuary, a food truck owner cooking up plant-based food, an 8-year-old girl who convinces her family of six to go vegan)
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 31 min
- IMDB rating: 8.2
- Where to watch
- Official website (free)
- Amazon prime (HD)
46) Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home (2009)
- Synopsis: a touching film that shows how farm animals are being treated, the bond and the struggle of conscience farmers have with their animals with the ultimate outcome, and how some of the farmers have turned their farms into sanctuaries.
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 18 min
- IMDB rating: 8.7
- Where to watch
- Official website (free)
- Amazon DVD
47) Unity (2015)
- Synopsis: voiced by a cast of 100 celebrity narrators, the film questions the inability of the advent of science, literature, technology, philosophy, religion, in preventing mankind from continuous annihilation (killing one another, wiping out animals, and destruction of nature) despite our existence for thousands of years
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 39 min
- Google rating: 94%
- IMDB rating: 7.5
- Where to watch
48) The Witness: Tribe Of Heart (2000)
- Synopsis: touched by the love of a kitten, a tough New York City construction contractor embarks on a mission to rescue abandoned animals, and take his message of compassion to the streets
- Trailer
- Running length: 43 min
- IMDB rating: 8.5
- Where to watch
- Official website (free)
- Amazon DVD
49) May I Be Frank (2010)
- Synopsis: the 54-year-old Frank who weighs 290 lbs, with a lifetime of drug & alcohol abuse and being on multiple medications is helped by a trio from a vegan restaurant to take on his weight, health, relationships and loving himself in just 42 days
- Trailer
- Running length: 1h 30 min
- Google rating: 96%
- IMDB rating: 7.1
- Where to watch
50) Vegan 2017
- Synopsis: the journey of veganism throughout the 12 months of 2017 showing the triumphs, challenges and adversities it has faced while continuing to grow
- Trailer
- Running length: 47 min
- IMDB rating: 7.8
- Where to watch
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“Empty Cages – The Movie” is a documentary about Empty Cages (Tomma Burar), an animal rights group in Sweden who carried out three rescues of animals in the agricultural industry.
You can watch the film here (with English subs):
https://www.youtube.com
Trailer:
https://vimeo.com
Thanks Teresia for the mention. Another good addition to this list!
This is the list from my own spreadsheet of vegan-oriented films. I’ve also included a link to the list of my online screenings of these films, where I’ve posted the links to view them individually too.
Blood of the Beasts 1949
Open Door: The Vegan Society 1976
Koko: A Talking Gorilla 1978
The Animals Film 1981
The Plague Dogs 1982
The Secret of NIMH 1982
Diet for a New America 1991
Truth or Dairy 1994
To Love or Kill: Man vs. Animal 1996
It’s a Dog’s Life 1997
The Cook Report: Making a Killing 1997
A Cow at My Table 1998
The Witness 2000
Meet Your Meat 2002
Lolita: Slave to Entertainment 2003
The Meatrix 2003
Peaceable Kingdom 2004
Super Size Me 2004
The Emotional World of Farm Animals 2004
Earthlings 2005
An Inconvenient Truth 2006
Animal People: The Humane Movement In America 2006
Behind the Mask 2006
Dealing Dogs 2006
Fast Food Nation 2006
Mad Cowboy 2006
The Meatrix II: Revolting 2006
The Meatrix II ½ 2006
Sharkwater 2006
A Sacred Duty 2007
Crazy Sexy Cancer 2007
I Am an Animal 2007
Meat the Truth 2007
Your Mommy Kills Animals 2007
A Delicate Balance 2008
Food Matters 2008
Food, Inc. 2008
The Beautiful Truth 2008
Death on a Factory Farm 2009
Home 2009
Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home 2009
Simply Raw 2009
The Cove 2009
Vanishing of the Bees 2009
101 Reasons to Go Vegan 2010
A Life Connected 2010
Attack of the Vegan Zombies 2010
Bold Native 2010
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead 2010
Making the Connection 2010
May I Be Frank 2010
Planeat 2010
Skin Trade 2010
The Elephant in the Living Room 2010
The Most Important Speech You Will Ever Hear 2010
A Fall from Freedom 2011
Farm to Fridge 2011
Forks Over Knives 2011
If a Tree Falls 2011
Project Nim 2011
The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue 2011
Vegucated 2011
10 Billion Lives 2012
Facing Animals 2012
Glass Walls 2012
Hungry for Change 2012
La barbacoa (The Barbecue) 2012
Maximum Tolerated Dose 2012
More than Honey 2012
Revolution 2012
Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death 2012
What Came Before 2012
Blackfish 2013
Fillet Oh Fish 2013
Lion Ark 2013
Live and Let Live 2013
Speciesism: The Movie 2013
Test Subject 2013
The Ghosts in Our Machine 2013
The Superior Human? 2013
Cowspiracy 2014
Face Your Food 2014
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead 2 2014
Historia de un oso (Bear Story) 2014
Life According to Ohad 2014
Lucent 2014
The Herd 2014
The Sixth Extinction 2014
Virunga 2014
10 Billion: What’s on Your Plate? 2015
Blood Lions 2015
Dairy Is Scary 2015
Experimenting on Animals: Inside the Monkey Lab 2015
PlantPure Nation 2015
Seaspiracy 2015
The Lie We Live 2015
Unity 2015
Vegan 2015 2015
A Plastic Ocean 2016
At the Fork 2016
Before the Flood 2016
Called to Rescue 2016
Food Choices 2016
Food ReLOVution 2016
H.O.P.E.: What You Eat Matters 2016
How Not to Die 2016
Huntwatch 2016
Meathooked & End of Water 2016
Racing Extinction 2016
Sea of Life 2016
Shadow Trade 2016
Swine 2016
The Ivory Game 2016
The Marshall Plan 2016
The Truth About… Meat 2016
Unlocking the Cage 2016
Uprooting the U.K.’s Leading Causes of Death 2016
Vegan 2016 2016
Vegan: Everyday Stories 2016
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power 2017
Carnage 2017
Deadly Dairy 2017
Eating Animals 2017
Empatía (Empathy) 2017
From the Ground Up 2017
Inside the Tanks 2017
Land of Hope and Glory 2017
Okja 2017
Part Time Heroes 2017
Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! 2017
The End of Meat 2017
The Last Pig 2017
The New 101 Reasons to Go Vegan 2017
Trophy 2017
Vegan 2017 2017
What the Health 2017
73 Cows 2018
Dominion 2018
Eating You Alive 2018
Let Us Be Heroes 2018
Life of an Animal Rights Campaigner 2018
M6NTHS 2018
Matadero (Slaughterhouse) 2018
Rotten (Season 1) 2018
Running for Good 2018
Sharkwater Extinction 2018
The Big Fat Lie 2018
The Game Changers 2018
The Scary Dairy Story 2018
Vegan 2018 2018
A Prayer for Compassion 2019
Animal Rights Extremists: Terrorism or Protest? 2019
Artifishal 2019
Countdown to Year Zero 2019
Diet Fiction 2019
Planet of the Humans 2019
Rotten (Season 2) 2019
Slice of Life 2019
Test Subjects 2019
The Animal People 2019
The Farm in My Backyard 2019
The Invisible Vegan 2019
The Need to Grow 2019
Vegan 2019 2019
Apocalypse Cow 2020
Endgame 2050 2020
Meat the Future 2020
Monbiot 2020
Views My Own: Plant Based Diet Riot 2020
Violated 2020
Beings 2021
Eating Our Way to Extinction 2021
Taking Note 2021
Thanks for taking time to share this lengthy list of many wonderful and thought-provoking films & documentaries. It’s a nice addition to this post!
I’m surprised Project Nim is not in your list.
Thanks for mentioning that, we will include that in our next edit!
A wonderful list of important films. Thank you. I would also like to suggest: Lion’s Ark by Tim Phillips and Jan Creamer of ADI, Life according to Ohad, and Running for Good , the Fiona Oakes story.
Thank you
You’re welcome Betsy and we took great delight in compiling this list which can make a huge difference! Thanks a lot for the suggestions and we would certainly add them in our next edit. Let’s share these documentaries as much as we can!
Chicken run an animated movie is really good for the children to educate where our chicken nuggets etc. come from. After watching my 7 years old became veg. instantly.
Couldn’t agree more Jaspal and happy to hear the courage your 7-year old has shown to choose a compassionate diet! Not only for children, but it is also a well-made movie for adults depicting the continuous & never escaping struggle of chickens merely to serve the unparallel appetite of mankind if you will.
What’s so charming about this movie is the kind of chicken personalities shown which can cause the inquisitive mind to observe these amazing animals more and understand how sentient & intelligent they’re.
We will be including this movie in our ‘vegan movies list’ and for anyone interested in knowing how smart and intelligent chickens are, here’s our post on 25 facts about chickens, roosters, hens, and chicks!
The mockumentary “Carnage: Swallowing the Past” does a really good job of presenting the message of vegan compassion and the consequences of our exploitation of animals through a mask of comedy.
If you’re in the UK (or have a VPN) it’s free on the BBC iPlayer.
Hi Jake, indeed it’s a lovely film portraying veganism from another dimension with great humor. Wish it was more widely available other than on BBC iPlayer. Anyway, we will be adding it to our future list of vegan films.
The end of meat is also a good one! Not sure if it’s free on their website but it’s only like $4 to own on iTunes. This is an awesome list!!!
Thanks Hannah!!
The 1976 Vegan Society TV programme is also a good one despite its age. Now on YouTube; Google vegan video 1976
Link;
OpenDoor – The Vegan Society 1976 – Full 30 minute video
Also, it received over a quarter of a million views on its first 30 days on the Facebook post below but its soundtrack was not correctly synchronized on this post last time I checked.
Facebook Link
Thanks Leslie, for recommending The Vegan Society‘s 1976 30 minute TV programme for the BBC OpenDoor series. It’s a good addition from the past to our collection of vegan documentaries!
Apparently, it was a great success resulting in over 9000 inquiries about veganism adding around 1,000 new members to Vegan Society. No graphic in this video as well making it suitable for those who’re sensitive.
Dear Dishan, thanks for founding this excellent and most needed website! I have bookmarked it for my own edification and I will promote it on my social media sites for a long time to come!
Is there a pdf list, perhaps, of universities/ organizations involved in the research behind these documentaries? I find that meat- eaters sometimes doubt the credibility of our docs.
Thank you, I salute you!
Hi Nymph, first of all, thanks a lot for your compliments, we’re flattered, and second of all, another thank you for promoting our vegan site on social media…so kind of you!
With regard to research you asked, of course, you can find that in their official websites for which we have given links. For instance, if you take ‘What The Health Documentary’, you can find the research behind it under their fact checking page >> http://www.whatthehealthfilm.com/facts
You may follow us on social media for more updates and please feel free to share your thoughts, comments on our site again, take care, good day!