Are you ready to have your life changed forever? These vegan documentaries will open your eyes to the reality of animal suffering and inspire you to go vegan today.
With interest in veganism soaring, a number of hard-hitting vegan documentaries have been released that are changing the way we eat.
Together, these vegan documentaries highlight the exponential threats of animal agriculture to animals, the planet and our health – supporting ground-breaking research into vegan diets being the single biggest action individuals can take to reduce their impact.
Some vegan documentaries delve deep exposing the reality of life for farmed animals while others tout the benefits of a plant-based diet for our health and the environment.
But what all of these vegan documentaries have in common is that they are guaranteed to make you rethink the way you eat for good.
So make sure you add one of these vegan documentaries to your watchlist and get ready to feel inspired to change the world.
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1. Land of Hope and Glory
Vegan activist Earthling Ed’s hard-hitting documentary provides an insight into British farms. Before Land of Hope and Glory dropped, the vast majority of undercover footage focused on American and Australian farms.
This enabled British farmers to ‘debunk’ claims of unethical practices in the UK, insisting it was only in other countries.
For decades they have pedalled an idealistic image of farming involving happy animals roaming free across the landscape.
However, Land of Hope and Glory changed the face of British vegan activism by demonstrating that horrific practices occur in farms across the UK.
After watching the vegan documentary, many realised that the idealism we have been fed is nothing more than a lie.
All the farms featured in the documentary supplied animal products labelled free-range, organic, high-welfare, Red Tractor approved, and RSPCA-approved.
They were not isolated cases, and, as Ed introduces the documentary, it is “the reality of UK farming”.
2. Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret
Kip Anderson’s journey into uncovering the sustainability secret made some serious waves upon its release back in 2014.
Cowspiracy is one of the most influential vegan documentaries to date with many vegan celebrities citing it as the reason they went vegan.
The film takes Kip down a rabbit hole of lies and deception from the meat and dairy industries and questions why environmental organisations aren’t talking about the world’s biggest polluter – animal agriculture.
It will change your whole view on the industry and make you think twice about consuming animal products. And make you angry – very angry!
You can watch Cowspiracy on Netflix.
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3. The Game Changers
The Game Changers documentary completely flipped everything we thought we knew about nutrition and athletic performance on its head.
Headed up by Oscar-winning directors Louie Psihoyos and James Cameron and co-produced by some of the biggest names in sports, its release was game-changing.
In the film, UFC fighter James Wilks speaks to plant-powered athletes, scientists and doctors who prove that you don’t need animal protein to excel.
Encouragingly, the film demonstrates that you don’t need meat to build muscle. Instead, you can thrive on a plant-based diet.
Speaking about his journey into the world of plant-based nutrition, Wilks explained: “What I discovered was so revolutionary, with such profound implications for human performance and health — and even the future of the planet itself — that I had to share it with the world.”
You can watch The Game Changers on Netflix.
4. Seaspiracy
Kip Anderson made a return to the screen this year with the debut of Seaspiracy. In this film, he takes a deep dive into the hidden world of the fishing industry and reveals its dirty secrets.
While Cowspiracy informed viewers about the environmental impact of animal agriculture on land, Seaspiracy switches our focus to the fishing industry.
Many people now know the negative consequences of farming animals thanks to the rise in veganism. However, the impact of commercial fishing on the environment is still shrouded in considerable secrecy.
Thankfully, Seaspiracy has exposed the true extent to which human beings have plundered the oceans of marine life.
The film uncovered the truth behind the ‘sustainability’ of fish – and shattered the glass ceiling of the ‘dolphin-safe’ label consumers thought they could trust.
Before Sesapiracy hit the small screen, this had not been publicly exposed. Therefore the release of the movie was truly groundbreaking.
Moreover, the documentary ditched the tired rhetoric of villainising plastic straws. Instead, viewers were told that they should stop consuming fish to save the ocean.
Shockingly, Sesapiracy revealed that 46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is actually made up of fishing nets, not plastic straws.
In fact, plastic straws only make up a meagre 0.003% of ocean plastic.
This vegan documentary leaves viewers with no doubt in their minds that fishing is the greatest threat to our oceans.
You can watch Seaspiracy on Netflix.
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5. Forks Over Knives
Although plant-based documentary Forks Over Knives is now 10 years old, it is still one of the best out there.
Not to mention, as one of the earliest vegan documentaries, it caused a huge stir!
Forks Over Knives was the first film to advocate for a plant-based diet in reversing and controlling the majority of the chronic diseases affecting humans.
It was one of the first public media productions to suggest that people stop consuming animal products. It also revealed that the food we eat is either feeding diseases or preventing them.
Many vegans will have heard of the China Study – an epidemiologic survey of diet and health conducted in villages throughout China.
The study is touted as “the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted” – and Forks over Knives is backed by its results.
You can watch Forks Over Knives online for free at forksoverknives.com.
6. What the Health
Revolutionary diet-focused vegan documentary What the Health explained the worrying causation link between eating animal products and some of the world’s biggest health crises – heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
It turned everything we thought we knew about diabetes on its head, suggesting that instead of high carb and sugar diets causing type two diabetes. In fact, carbohydrates are inversely related to diabetes.
Moreover, it exposed that the charities fighting against certain cancers and heart disease were actually funded by and promoting the industries causing the illnesses.
For example, the World Health Organisation classes red meat and processed meats as carcinogenic to humans, however, the American Cancer Society encourages the public to consume processed turkey and canned meats.
Instead, the medical practitioners and non-physicians featured within the film such as Dr Michael Greger and Neal Barnard advocate for a plant-based diet to prevent and manage chronic conditions.
What the Health is definitely an eye-opening watch, and will make you think twice about what you put in your mouth!
You can watch What the Health on Netflix and YouTube.
7. Eating Our Way to Extinction
New film Eating our Way to Extinction is currently showing in cinemas nationwide.
The powerful documentary sends a simple but impactful message by uncovering hard truths and addressing, on the big screen, the most pressing issue of our generation – ecological collapse.
It aims to show viewers that they all have the power to make an impact, three times a day – at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our food choices have always been important, but now more than ever.
According to the film, “We have 10 years left to avoid catastrophic climate change. But the solution to this and other existential threats is right under our nose.”
You can watch Eating our Way to Extinction at most cinemas and on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.
8. McLibel: Two People Who Wouldn’t Say Sorry
McLibel is all about a landmark case in British legal history when the McDonald’s Corporation sued environmental activists for libel.
Helen Steel and David Morris were two of five London Greenpeace supporters targeted by McDonald’s, after they distributed leaflets in the late 1980s accusing the company of exploiting workers, cruelty to animals used in its products, destroying the environment and selling junk food.
At the time, McDonald’s were regularly threatening organisations, TV companies and major publications with libel, which usually ended in settlements and apologies.
This was because defendants needed to illustrate each disparaging statement made to be substantively true. Paul Gravett, Andrew Clarke and Jonathan O’Farrell all apologised to McDonald’s and had their cases dropped, but Helen and David chose to fight.
The documentary follows the case, spanning almost a decade, and features Sir Keir Starmer – who provided free legal advice to Helen and David after they were denied legal aid.
It’s a true David and Goliath story that is well worth a watch on YouTube and will no doubt leave you feeling inspired when you see how they garnered support and identified 180 witnesses, without the use of social media.
McLibel is available to watch on YouTube.
9. Hogwood: A Modern Horror Story
Viva!’s multi-award-winning documentary, Hogwood: A Modern Horror Story, follows a group of undercover investigators as they set out to expose the atrocities inside a British pig farm called Hogwood.
It started in 2017, when Viva! uploaded a video to Facebook of squalid conditions at another pig farm in Somerset, England. Someone left a comment saying that this dump was “like Disneyland” compared to where they’d been working and were keen for investigators to take a look. So, they did.
The findings from that first visit to Hogwood were abhorrent and kicked off a major campaign, battling powerful players in the animal agriculture industry who refused to take responsibility.
Subsequent visits in 2018 and 2019 found little improvement and eventually Tesco dropped the farm as a supplier.
Not only does the documentary explore the reasons behind factory farming, it also reveals the negligence and inaction by government bodies and corporations alike – highlighting how animal farming pollutes our planet and puts us at risk from disease outbreaks.
It’s currently available on YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play and Apple TV and Netflix.
10. The Animal People
In 2014, a 15-year pressure campaign against animal experiments at Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) laboratories ended. It followed an onslaught of activist repression that resulted in numerous arrests, lengthy prison sentences and a change in the law to counter sophisticated guerrilla tactics targeting HLS backers.
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty or SHAC, as the animal rights group was known, singled out the financial institutions, suppliers, contractors and directors profiting from barbaric practices being carried out in Cambridgeshire, England and sought to bring them down.
It was a cause that spanned the globe and, as well as a pan-European police operation that led to the arrests of 32 individuals, six members of the US arm of the group were jailed in 2006.
The Animal People, produced by Joaquin Phoenix, tells the story of those six US activists and the chain of events involving the FBI, Congress, surveillance, wiretaps and the first-ever indictments of animal rights campaigners on domestic terrorism charges.
For the filmmakers, it’s a “chilling portrait of what happens when activism rattles the institutions of power” and for the audience it’s an inspiring insight into the lives of those affected by an unjust system determined to protect profits.
You can watch The Animal People on Amazon.
11. Earthlings
One of the most influential vegan documentaries of all time is Earthlings. Narrated by vegan celebrity Joaquin Phoenix and featuring music from Moby, the hard-hitting film explores humankind’s dependence on animals for economic purposes.
For many people, Earthlings is the film they credit with turning them vegan overnight due to the horrifying suffering it lays bare. In fact, speaking about the film, Phoenix said: “Of all the films I have ever made, this is the one that gets people talking the most. For every one person who sees Earthlings, they will tell three”.
This film is not for the faint-hearted as it uses hidden cameras to expose the suffering animals face as the hands of some of the largest industries in the world, from food and clothing to entertainment and pets, which rely on animals for profit.
If you have friends and family members who need an extra push to help them go vegan, this is certainly the film to recommend they watch.
Commenting on the film Animal rights philosopher Tom Regan has said, “For those who watch Earthlings, the world will never be the same.”
Earthlings is available to watch online for free here.
12. Dominion
The Dominion documentary, released in 2018, is an Australian documentary film that exposes viewers to the treatment of animals in modern industrial agriculture. It is an exposé that sheds light on the practices of factory farming, animal agriculture, and the animal exploitation industry in Australia.
The film uses hidden cameras and undercover footage to reveal the often harsh and inhumane conditions in which animals are raised and slaughtered for food production. It covers various aspects of animal agriculture, including the treatment of livestock such as cows, pigs, and chickens, as well as the impact on the environment and human health.
Dominion has been crucial in raising awareness about the ethical, environmental, and health concerns associated with the mass production of animal products, with the graphic and disturbing footage serving as a wake-up call for many.
Please note that the documentary contains graphic and disturbing imagery, and it may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised, and it is recommended for individuals who are prepared to confront the harsh realities of the animal agriculture industry.
13. You Are What You Eat
Netflix’s ground-breaking new documentary, You Are What You Eat, is one of the most powerful vegan documentaries focusing on the myriad of health benefits of a plant-based diet.
In the documentary, identical twins are tasked with changing their diets and lifestyles for eight weeks in a “unique scientific experiment designed to explore how certain foods impact the body.”
The four-episode series chronicles a study by Stanford University of identical twins, following 22 pairs of identical twins to see whether a plant-based diet really is the healthiest.
In the documentary, one twin is put on a plant-based diet, while the other consumed an omnivorous diet including animal products and plants.
The results of the study make one of the strongest cases for going vegan yet, with even the Stanford research team being surprised by the results.
According to the study, vegans eating a whole foods diet experienced a heightened sexual drive, reduced visceral fat (the dangerous fat that accumulates around your organs), reduced risk of heart disease, and an increase in life expectancy.
And the most surprising thing of all? This all happened after just eight weeks of following the diet.
You Are What You Eat is available to watch on Netflix.
14. Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food
Netflix viewers have vowed to ‘go vegan’ after watching the hit documentary Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food.
Directed by Stephanie Soechtig, the film explores the food industry in the US (which claims to be the ‘safest in the world’), shedding light on how the bacteria in what we consume can cause fatal diseases.
It also investigates how systemic fractures lead to outbreaks of foodborne pathogens and deadly consequences. This includes the first major US E. coli O157 outbreak in 1993 that led to a number of children’s deaths and highlighted the importance of rigorous food regulations.
Proving difficult for viewers to stomach, many vowed to ditch meat from their diets after viewing the shocking footage that revealed food companies’ cover-up attempts and disturbing truths about America’s food supply system.
One horrified view took to social media to share “This Poisoned documentary on Netflix makes me wanna turn vegan.”
Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food is available to watch on Netflix
15. I Could Never Go Vegan
I Could Never Go Vegan explores the various common arguments against veganism, why they exist, and whether they are justified.
It boasts interviews with a range of prolific plant-based proponents, including George Monbiot, Dr Melanie Joy, Olympic silver medallist Dotsie Bausch and powerlifting champion Sophia Ellis, and pig vet and animal rights activist Dr Alice Brough among others.
In the pro-vegan documentary, slaughterhouse workers, farmers, and food professionals are interviewed as the filmmakers grapple with the reasons people refuse to stop eating animals.
According to the filmmakers, the documentary aims to to address common themes, myths and misconceptions around veganism in a way that will draw interest from even the staunchest meat eater.
It proves to be an eye-opening look into the key barriers preventing people from reducing their intake of animal products, shining a light on what could happen if we continue to eat meat at the current rate of consumption.
As co-producer James Pickering says: “It’s a must-see for all – whether you’re already vegan, a flexitarian, or think you could never give up steak.”
16. Lucent
Feature-length documentary Lucent explores the dark side of Australia’s pig farming industry through a combination of hand-held and hidden camera footage, highlighting the day-to-day cruelty accepted by the industry as standard practice.
Filled with eye-opening footage that exposes the cruelty and suffering inflicted on pig farms across Australia, director Chris Delforce created the film to “make people sit up and question where their food really came from.”
This film is not for the faint-hearted as it shows shocking images of pigs confined to sow and farrowing stalls, some with dead babies nearby and others with bleeding sores.
Although so disturbing they seem like scenes from a horror film, in reality the film shows examples of day-to-day cruelty accepted by the industry as standard practice
Lucent is available to watch online via YouTube
17. The End of Meat
In The End Of Meat, filmmaker Marc Pierschel sets out to discover what effect a post-meat world would have on the environment, the animals and ourselves.
He meets internet phenomenon Esther the Wonder Pig; talks to pioneers leading the vegan movement in Germany; visits the first fully vegetarian city in India; witnesses rescued farm animals enjoying their newfound freedom; observes the future food innovators making meat and cheese without the animals, even harvesting “bacon” from the ocean.
The End Of Meat reveals the hidden impact of meat consumption; explores the opportunities and benefits of a shift to a more compassionate diet, and raises critical questions about the future role of animals in our society.
Speaking about what makes this particular documentary stand out from other recent releases, director Pierschel explains, “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.”
The End of Meat is available to stream worldwide on iTunes, Amazon, Vimeo and other streaming and VOD platforms as well as being available to purchase on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download.
18. 73 Cows
BAFTA-award winning documentary 73 Cows is a 15-minute film which tells the story of farmer Jay Wilde, a farmer who gave away the majority of his herd to animal sanctuaries to save them from slaughter.
Mr Wilde, a vegetarian for 25 years, inherited a cattle farm when his father passed away, but made the decision to send most of the herd to the Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norwich when he could no longer bring himself to send the animals to be killed.
The documentary beautifully captures the emotional and moral journey of the farmer after he becomes unable able to look his animals in the eye and then send them to slaughter.
The film was even screened at the European Parliament in a bid to show farmers and policy makers that a vital shift away from animal agriculture and towards a plant-based future is both possible and positive.
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