Vegan and Animal Rights Documentaries
A list of life-changing documentaries you need to watch (and share).
In 2018, director Chris Delforce released the feature-length film Dominion, which draws inspiration from the documentary Earthlings in several ways. The film features Joaquin Phoenix, Sadie Sink, Rooney Mara, and Sia. Similar to Earthlings, Dominion uses hidden camera footage and also incorporates intense drone footage to reveal the harsh realities of animal agriculture.
2005’s Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix and directed by Shaun Monson, may have been released nearly 20 years ago, but it remains relevant today. The documentary relies on hidden camera footage to address issues such as factory farming, the pet trade, and animal testing. It aims to expose how and why some of the world’s biggest industries fundamentally rely on animal cruelty.
Narrated by actor Natalie Portman, "Eating Animals" is based on Jonathan Safran Foer's best-selling book of the same name. The documentary, produced by Christopher Dillon Quinn alongside Portman and Foer, aims to expose the horrors of factory farming and encourage people to look beyond cognitive dissonance and see what’s really going on at the end of their fork.
In 2014, Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret was released, and it continues to impact lives today. Directed by Kip Anderson and produced by Keegan Kuhn, the film explores the real environmental impact of animal agriculture, including deforestation, greenhouse gas pollution, and ocean dead zones. It also exposes industry denial as researchers, authors, speakers, activists, and animal advocates shed light on the devastating effects of the meat industry on the natural world.
Seaspiracy provides a thorough and serious examination of the fishing industry. The documentary delves into environmental concerns such as plastic pollution, a large portion of which originates from items like nets and lines, and the human toll of industrial fishing. Additionally, it explores potential solutions to these issues, one of which involves removing seafood from our diets.
Backed by Joaquin Phoenix and executive produced by Kate Mara, "The Smell of Money" (2022) is an exposé of environmental racism. The film takes a harrowing look at the impact of factory farms on the communities surrounding them. It follows the legal battle between a North Carolina community and Smithfield Foods, one of the largest pork producers in the US.
"Milked" is a feature-length documentary directed by Amy Taylor and released in 2021. The film follows activist Chris Huriwai as he travels throughout New Zealand, exposing the country’s multi-billion-dollar dairy industry and its impact on people and the planet. Executive producer Kuhn stars in the film alongside environmentalists like Jane Goodall and Suzy Amis Cameron, making it another wake-up call.
Kuhn and Anderson's 2017 documentary "What the Health" delves into the detrimental effects of meat and dairy consumption on our health. Featuring insights from medical experts such as Milton Mills, MD; Garth P. Davis, MD, FACS, FASMBS; and Neal Barnard, MD, FACC, the film explores the connection between diet and disease and investigates why major health organizations in the US are not doing more to educate the public.
Similar to documentaries such as "What the Health," Lee Fulkerson's 2011 film "Forks Over Knives" aims to educate people about the healing power of plant-based nutrition. The feature-length documentary explains why adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet may extend one's life and reduce the risk of debilitating chronic diseases.
The Game Changers is a star-studded documentary featuring executive producers James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, and Lewis Hamilton. The film, directed by Louie Psihoyos, aims to debunk the myth that meat is essential for top athletic performance. It showcases renowned plant-based athletes such as Patrik Baboumian, Kendrick Farris, and Dotsie Bausch.
"73 Cows," a BAFTA-winning documentary, stands out from others on this list. Unlike most documentaries that focus on factory farming or follow activists or environmentalists, this film tells the moving story of Jay Wilde, a former beef farmer. It depicts his personal journey as he gives up his herd of cattle and transitions to a career in vegan farming.
If you're in need of some hope, you should watch German filmmaker Marc Pierschel's documentary, "The End of Meat." This film, released in 2017, includes interviews with leaders in the vegan food and animal rights movements. It explores the potential of a world without meat and the positive impact it could have on humans, animals, and the planet. Pierschel stated, "Instead of focusing on the negative consequences of consuming meat, I wanted to show the hugely beneficial possibilities of a post-meat world and what that might look like for humans, animals, and the planet."
In 2013, the documentary "Blackfish" significantly impacted SeaWorld's reputation and ticket sales. Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the film explores the ethical concerns and risks associated with keeping cetaceans in captivity. It tells the story of Tilikum, an orca captured off the coast of Iceland who spent most of his life in SeaWorld marine parks. While wild orcas have not been known to harm humans, the stress of captivity likely contributed to Tilikum causing the deaths of three people, including two of his trainers.
In 2011, Marisa Miller Wolfson directed a documentary that provides a captivating look at the experiences of three meat-eaters as they adopt a vegan diet for six weeks with guidance from Wolfson. The film delves into topics such as cognitive dissonance and animal rights and follows the participants as they explore the realities of the meat industry, including the harsh conditions of factory farms and slaughterhouses in the US.
In 2009, Louie Psihoyos directed The Cove, a documentary about the cruel capture and killing of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. This award-winning film, which received an Oscar for Best Documentary in 2010, features Ric O’Barry, a former dolphin trainer who became an activist after working on the TV show Flipper in 1964.
Otto and Ludo Brockway directed the 2021 documentary "Eating Our Way to Extinction," which is narrated by actor Kate Winslet. The film lives up to its title, offering stunning cinematography and a powerful message about the consequences of our current food system on both humanity and the planet. It includes insights from environmental experts, scientists, and global figures, as well as firsthand accounts from indigenous people.
In 2023, "Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food" was released on Netflix. The documentary delves into the contents of grocery store shelves and explores how the food industry's systemic failures not only harm animals and the environment but also endanger people with potentially dangerous foodborne illnesses.
You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment
In 2023, Stanford Medicine published a groundbreaking study that examined the effects of dietary habits on 22 sets of twins. In the study, one twin followed a vegetable-rich omnivorous diet, and the other followed a vegetable-rich plant-based diet. The researchers found that in the first four weeks, those on a plant-based diet had lower levels of LDL cholesterol and insulin, and they lost weight. A new must-see documentary series guides us through the experiment process and results, which surprised even the study authors themselves, as well as the eye-opening history of the Standard American Diet.
*List inspired by VegNews’ article.