This page includes a list of recommended vegan documentaries.
Since there are more than a hundred vegan documentaries in existence, it would be impractical and not overly useful to list them all. Instead, we have included our very favorites out of the many documentaries on this important subject.
Vegan Documentary Index
- Dominion (2018)
- Land of Hope and Glory (2017)
- EARTHLINGS (2005)
- Live and Let Live (2013)
- The Ghosts in Our Machine (2013)
- Maximum Tolerated Dose (2012)
- Speciesism: The Movie (2013)
- Eating Animals (2017)
- Blackfish (2013)
- Cowspiracy (2014)
- 73 Cows (2018)
- Vegan 2019 – The Film (2019)
What to expect from these documentaries
The vegan documentaries we list are quite shocking/traumatizing in nature. They reflect the reality of millions of animals who suffer due to our collective actions. They are hard to watch but worthwhile.
Veganism is an ethical stance and a way of living that aims at minimizing animal suffering, therefore it’s inherently tied to animal welfare. So, the list of vegan documentaries below solely includes documentaries that focus on ethical concerns and animal rights. Not on the dietary or health aspects of being vegan.
For a list of recommended plant-based documentaries, which focus on health and diet, please check out our Plant-Based Documentaries page, instead.
Dominion (2018)
Dominion uses drones, hidden and handheld cameras to expose the dark underbelly of modern animal agriculture, questioning the morality and validity of humankind’s dominion over the animal kingdom.
If you are only going to watch one vegan documentary, make it Dominion.
Duration: 2 hours
Availability: Watch it for free on YouTube or embedded below.
Land of Hope and Glory (2017)
The hidden truth behind UK animal farming – featuring approximately 100 facilities across the UK and never before seen undercover footage.
Duration: 48 minutes
Availability: Watch it for free on YouTube or embedded below.
EARTHLINGS (2005)
EARTHLINGS is a 2005 American documentary film about humankind’s total dependence on animals for economic purposes. Presented in five chapters (pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research) the film is narrated by Joaquin Phoenix and features music by Moby.
Duration: 1 hour 35 minutes
Availability: Watch the 10th Anniversary edition of EARTHLINGS online for free on Vimeo.
Live and Let Live (2013)
Live and Let Live is a feature documentary examining our relationship with animals, the history of veganism and the ethical, environmental and health reasons that move people to go vegan.
Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes
Availability: Available for rent or purchase on Vimeo.
The Ghosts in Our Machine (2013)
Activist and photojournalist Jo-Ann McArthur uses her camera to document the plight of abused and exploited animals and advocate for their rights as sentient beings.
Duration: 1 hour 32 minutes
Availability: Available for rent or purchase on Vimeo and other sources.
Maximum Tolerated Dose (2012)
Equal parts found-footage mash-up, verité investigation, and artful meditation, the film charts the lives of both humans and non-humans who have experienced animal testing first-hand, with hauntingly honest testimony of scientists and lab technicians whose ethics demanded they choose a different path.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Availability: Available for purchase on VHX TV.
Speciesism: The Movie (2013)
“Speciesism: The Movie” is a whole new species of documentary. It takes viewers on a sometimes funny, sometimes frightening adventure, to expose the biggest secrets about modern factory farms, and to ask the biggest questions about the belief that our species is more important than the rest. You’ll never look at animals the same way again. Especially humans.
Duration: 1 hour 34 minutes
Availability: Available for rent or purchase on Vimeo or other sources.
Eating Animals (2017)
Based on the bestselling book by Jonathan Safran Foer, narrated by producer Natalie Portman, and directed and produced by Christopher Quinn, Eating Animals spotlights the heroic farmers, whistleblowers, and innovators who are standing up, against all odds, to fight this system and provide a new way forward.
Duration: 1 hour 34 minutes
Availability: Available on Netflix.
Blackfish (2013)
The story of Tilikum, a captive killer whale that has taken the lives of several people, underscores problems within the sea-park industry, man’s relationship to nature, and how little has been learned about these highly intelligent mammals.
Duration: 1 hour 23 minutes
Availability: Available on Netflix.
Cowspiracy (2014)
Follow the shocking, yet humorous, journey of an aspiring environmentalist, as he daringly seeks to find the real solution to the most pressing environmental issues and true path to sustainability.
Duration: 1 hour 31 minutes
Availability: Available on Netflix or for purchase on the official site.
73 Cows (2018)
The story of Jay Wilde, the first farmer in the UK to trade beef farming for sustainable organic vegan farming, giving up his entire herd of cattle in the process.
While touching, this short vegan film does not include graphic violence. It is, therefore, safer to watch if you find the others too graphic for your personal comfort level.
Duration: 15 minutes
Availability: Available for free on Vimeo or embedded below.
Vegan 2019 – The Film (2019)
Plant Based News’ newest vegan documentary. It features what’s new in the world of veganism and plant-based eating.
Duration: 51 minutes
Availability: Watch the documentary for free on YouTube or embedded below.
