Here are some of our favourite documentaries to watch, which are nothing short of life-changing.
Covering climate change, fast fashion, minimalism and more, these thought-provoking and eye-opening documentaries are our go-to choice for movie night – especially when we are in need of our fix of inspiration.
THE GREAT HACK
Released on Netflix on July 28 2019, this documentary film explores how a data company named Cambridge Analytica came to symbolise the dark side of social media in the wake of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, exposing the dark world of data exploitation through the compelling personal journeys of players on different sides of the explosive Cambridge Analytica/Facebook data scandal.
TIGERS
Tigers is a thriller drama starring Bollywood film star Emraan Hashmi who stars as Ayan, a salesman who works for an international company that manufactures baby formula products. When he discovers that the products have killed hundreds of children, he decides to expose the company. The film tells the shocking true story of Syed Aamir Raza, who joined Nestlé Milkpak as a Medical Delegate in Pakistan in December 1994 and was responsible for promoting breastmilk substitutes and infant cereals. When he discovered that the products such as those he was selling were leading to the deaths of hundreds of babies through dehydration and starvation, he quit his job in 1997 and decided to expose Nestlé to the world. What follows is a heartbreaking and truly shocking story depicted in Tigers, in which he risks everything to make it stop, taking on the industry with the help of Cambridge-based Baby Milk Action.
A BBC Films/UK Film Council version of the film was halted weeks before production; with defamation laws operating as ‘guilty until proven innocent’ the huge potential costs of defending a true story in court meant that a transnational company could prevent a true story being told simply by virtue of its deep pockets. A few years later Indian producers Prashita Chaudhary and Guneet Monga finally made the film – which had been 12 years in the making – possible.
THE PRICE OF FREE
This Youtube Originals documentary follows Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi and his team of activists around the world on a journey to liberate every child from slavery. You can join the movement to end child slavery by donating any amount to this fundraiser in support of Kailash and his team.
Find out more about The Price of Free.
BEFORE THE FLOOD
Presented by National Geographic, this documentary follows Oscar-winning actor, environmentalist and UN Messenger of Peace Leonardo DiCaprio as he travels the world to witness the catastrophic effects of climate change. Available on Netflix and YouTube.
THE TRUE COST
The 2014 documentary directed by Andrew Morgan and produced by Livia Firth and Lucy Siegle unveils the shocking impact that the clothes we wear are having on people and planet.
CHASING CORAL
This documentary sets out to investigate why coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. Divers, photographers and scientists investigate and record the phenomenon known as ‘coral bleaching’ and its causes.
MORE THAN HONEY
Depending on the world region, 50% to 90% of all local bees have disappeared. With Einstein predicting 50 years ago that “If bees were to disappear from the globe, mankind would only have four years left to live,” beekeepers, scientists and others discuss this epidemic and what it means for humans in this award-winning film.
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
Former US presidential candidate Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth maps out climate change and issues a warning to humans on the dangerous repercussions.
MINIMALISM
A documentary about owning less when you are always told you need more. This film interviews the people truly living by ‘less is more’.
For more animal-inspired viewing, see our 7 animal documentaries you need to watch.