These 11 Documentaries Will Inspire You to Change the World

Thanks to the numerous streaming services around today, some of the most inspiring documentaries about animal rights and vegan living are available at the click of a button. They make for perfect viewing during self-isolation or social distancing and will inspire you to change the world and make it a kinder and safer place for every living, feeling being.

Here’s a rundown of some of our favourites that everyone (vegan or otherwise) should put on their watch list:

• ‘Seaspiracy’

  Seaspiracy, a documentary by directors Ali and Lucy Tabrizi, exposes the commercial fishing industry’s harmful practices and highlights the pressing need to protect marine animals and the ocean. The film comes from producer Kip Andersen, who was also behind the popular documentaries Cowspiracy and What the Health.

  While making the film, the team discovered the vast scale of destruction that the global fishing industry is responsible for and the shocking ways governments and even environmental groups have profited from it. Watch Seaspiracy on Netflix to find out what one thing we can all do to save the ocean and the animals who call it home.

• The Game Changers

  What do gorillas, elephants, and the world’s best athletes have in common? They’re all plant-powered.

  The Game Changers is brought to you by Academy Award winners James Cameron and Louie Psihoyos. The film explores why so many of the world’s top athletes, from champion tennis player Novak Djokovic to Formula 1 icon Lewis Hamilton, are vegan and why we should all be, too.

  The Game Changers is available on Netflix.

• Maximum Tolerated Dose

  In Maximum Tolerated Dose, laboratory technicians and scientists discuss the horrors of testing on animals and explain why they refuse to dismember, inject, and torture animals for experiments.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnOEAp-Umow

  Viewers also get an insight into what life is like for the animals who are confined to barren laboratory cages – and how it changes when they’re rescued. It’s impossible to watch this film and not choose only cruelty-free products. 

  Find the documentary here.

• Long Gone Wild

  Long Gone Wild looks at the history of orca capture and confinement, from the first orca who was caught and displayed to Shamu’s tragic story. It explores how SeaWorld was established and why no animals should be trapped in the notorious abusement park’s watery prisons.

  
  
  

  Long Gone Wild is available on Amazon Prime and iTunes.

• Earthlings

  Many vegans consider Earthlings to be essential viewing for all meat-eaters. The powerful documentary takes an in-depth look at the way we treat other animals, showing viewers why we’ve got to be more compassionate towards others.
  

  Whether you’re an inquisitive meat-eater who wants to understand the reality of the industries you support or a vegan keen to gain a well-rounded grasp of the violence animals endure, this documentary is a must-watch. It’s available to watch for free at NationEarth.com.

• Cowspiracy

  These days, it’s extremely rare to meet someone who doesn’t care about the future of our planet. Sadly, despite increased awareness, the conversation about environmentalism tends to stop abruptly when people sit down for a meal.

  Cowspiracy serves as a much-needed reality check, letting viewers know that what they choose to eat has a global impact to which they can’t turn a blind eye. It’s available on Netflix.

• Land of Hope and Glory

  Created by animal rights group Surge, Land of Hope and Glory crushes the media-perpetuated myth of humane farming. The documentary shows footage from 100 farms and abattoirs across the UK, exposing the cruel reality of life for farmed animals in Britain.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlYy9nTx5j0

  The hard-hitting truth will resonate with meat-eaters and vegans alike. While it might be hard to watch, the film will open viewers’ eyes to how widespread cruelty to animals is. It can be viewed for free on YouTube.

• Forks Over Knives
  

  This documentary compares the Western diet with those of countries that have lower rates of cancer and heart disease. It challenges authorities that seem to be ignoring the link between meat, egg, and dairy consumption and disease in order to maintain the status quo, and it touts the many health benefits of vegan eating.
  

  Forks Over Knives is available on Netflix.

• Blackfish

  Blackfish goes behind the scenes at SeaWorld to expose how captivity affects marine mammals, focusing specifically on Tilikum the orca. The documentary offers insight both from undercover footage and from the testimony of former employees who chose to speak out against animal abuse at the marine park.

  The film urges us to consider our relationship with nature and to think critically about the way our choices affect other animals on this planet – and it reminds us that we must do better. Blackfish is available on Netflix.

• What the Health

  Promoted as “the health film that health organizations don’t want you to see”, What the Health explores the relationship between animal agriculture, big pharma, and the state. It exposes the consequences of eating meat, eggs, and dairy “products” and makes you wonder, why isn’t this common knowledge?

  Check it out on Netflix.

• The Ghosts in Our Machine

  The Ghosts in Our Machine follows individual animals living within or rescued from the abusive “machines” of our modern world. The film gives viewers an intimate insight into the lives of non-human animals through true stories about the global industries that exploit them, including for food, fashion, experimentation, and entertainment, and sheds light on the urgent need for change.

  Stream the movie or order the DVD here.

The meat, fishing, egg, and dairy industries are a nightmare for animals, who are treated like a collection of body parts rather than sentient individuals. Their misery will continue  – unless we take action.

If you want to live a more compassionate life, please stop eating animals. Take the vegan pledge now!

Take the Vegan Pledge