Best Environmental Documentaries
by olivierpinay-706-595005 | created - 22 May 2017 | updated - 5 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Human Planet (2011)
TV-PG | 50 min | Documentary
A cinematic experience bringing you the most amazing human stories in the world. Humans and wildlife surviving in the most extreme environments on Earth
Stars: John Hurt, Roger Munns
Votes: 27,780
2. Isle of Flowers (1989)
13 min | Documentary, Short
The ironic, heartbreaking and acid "saga" of a spoiled tomato: from the plantation of a "Nisei" (Brazilian with Japanese origins); to a supermarket; to a consumer's kitchen to become sauce ... See full summary »
Director: Jorge Furtado | Stars: Paulo José, Ciça Reckziegel, Douglas Trainini, Júlia Barth
Votes: 6,518
3. We Feed the World (2005)
Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary
A look at how the world's food is produced and how mass production changes the environment and the lives of people.
Director: Erwin Wagenhofer | Stars: Jean Ziegler, Peter Brabeck, Karl Otrok
Votes: 2,478
4. Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (2010)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
A documentary depicting the life and work of the trappers of Bakhtia, a village in the heart of the Siberian Taiga, where daily life has changed little in over a century.
Directors: Werner Herzog, Dmitry Vasyukov | Stars: Werner Herzog, Gennady Soloviev, Anatoly Blumei, Gennady Tiganov
Votes: 8,924 | Gross: $0.34M
5. Solutions locales pour un désordre global (2010)
113 min | Documentary
Heroic machist industrial agronomy producing heavily contaminated and modified food and arid wastelands is challenged by several world examples of sensitive organic approach to producing food.
Director: Coline Serreau | Stars: Dominique Guillet, Vandana Shiva, Ana Primavesi, Philippe Desbrosses
Votes: 339
6. Pierre Rabhi au nom de la terre (2013)
98 min | Documentary
Director: Marie Dominique Dhelsing | Star: Pierre Rabhi
Votes: 20
7. Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
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.
Directors: Kip Andersen, Keegan Kuhn | Stars: Bruce Hamilton, Kip Andersen, Al Gore, Heather Cooley
Votes: 26,571
8. Food, Inc. (2008)
PG | 94 min | Documentary, News
An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
Director: Robert Kenner | Stars: Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Richard Lobb, Vince Edwards
Votes: 52,205 | Gross: $4.42M
9. Ethos (I) (2011)
Not Rated | 78 min | Documentary
Hosted by twice Oscar nominated actor Woody Harrelson, Ethos explores the mechanisms in our systems that work against democracy, the environment and our own personal liberty.
Director: Pete McGrain | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Justin Lewis, Bill Hogan, Noam Chomsky
Votes: 1,253
10. How to Change the World (2015)
Not Rated | 110 min | Documentary, Adventure, Biography
In 1971, a group of friends sail into a nuclear test zone, and their protest captures the world's imagination. Using never before seen archive that brings their extraordinary world to life,... See full summary »
Director: Jerry Rothwell | Stars: Robert Hunter, Patrick Moore, Paul Watson, Rex Weyler
Votes: 1,299
11. Earthlings (2005)
95 min | Documentary
Using hidden cameras and never-before-seen footage, Earthlings chronicles the day-to-day practices of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit.
Director: Shaun Monson | Star: Joaquin Phoenix
Votes: 19,800
12. Virunga (2014)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, War
A team of brave individuals risk their lives to protect the last mountain gorillas.
Director: Orlando von Einsiedel | Stars: André Bauma, Emmanuel de Merode, Mélanie Gouby, Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo
Votes: 12,254
13. The End of the Line (I) (2009)
Unrated | 85 min | Documentary
Documentary filmmaker Rupert Murray examines the devastating effect that overfishing has had on the world's fish populations and argues that drastic action must be taken to reverse these trends.
Director: Rupert Murray | Stars: Ben Bradshaw, Roberto Mielgo Bragazzi, Charles Clover, John Crosbie
Votes: 1,099
14. Pump (2014)
PG | 88 min | Documentary
A documentary that tells the story of America's addiction to oil, from its corporate conspiracy beginnings to its current monopoly today, and explains clearly and simply how we can end it - and finally win choice at the pump.
Directors: Joshua Tickell, Rebecca Harrell Tickell | Stars: Adhemar Altieri, Greg Anderson, Edwin Black, David Blume
Votes: 658 | Gross: $0.07M
15. Planet Earth (2006)
TV-PG | 49 min | Documentary, Family
A documentary series on the wildlife found on Earth. Each episode covers a different habitat: deserts, mountains, deep oceans, shallow seas, forests, caves, polar regions, fresh water, plains and jungles. Narrated by David Attenborough.
Stars: Sigourney Weaver, David Attenborough, Nikolay Drozdov, Thomas Anguti Johnston
Votes: 220,026
16. The Ivory Game (2016)
112 min | Documentary
Wildlife activists in take on poachers in an effort to end illegal ivory trade in Africa.
Directors: Kief Davidson, Richard Ladkani | Stars: Andrea Crosta, Ian Stevenson, Prince William of Wales
Votes: 3,488
17. Blue Gold: World Water Wars (2008)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
Wars of the future will be fought over water as they are over oil today, as the source of human survival enters the global marketplace and political arena. Corporate giants, private ... See full summary »
Director: Samuel Vartek | Stars: Jim Olson, Tony Clarke, Maude Barlow, Octavio Rosas Lando
Votes: 1,230
18. Chasing Ice (2012)
PG-13 | 75 min | Documentary, Biography
Follow National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers.
Director: Jeff Orlowski-Yang | Stars: James Balog, Svavar Jónatansson, Louie Psihoyos, Kitty Boone
Votes: 8,862 | Gross: $1.33M
19. Encounters at the End of the World (2007)
G | 99 min | Documentary
Film-maker Werner Herzog travels to the McMurdo Station in Antarctica, looking to capture the continent's beauty and investigate the characters living there.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Scott Rowland, Stefan Pashov, Doug MacAyeal
Votes: 19,246 | Gross: $0.94M
20. Darwin's Nightmare (2004)
107 min | Documentary
A documentary on the effect of fishing the Nile perch in Tanzania's Lake Victoria. The predatory fish, which has wiped out the native species, is sold in European supermarkets, while starving Tanzanian families have to make do with the leftovers.
Director: Hubert Sauper | Stars: Elizabeth 'Eliza' Maganga Nsese, Raphael Tukiko Wagara, Dimond Remtulia, Marcus Nyoni
Votes: 5,661 | Gross: $0.20M
21. Blackfish (2013)
PG-13 | 83 min | Documentary
A documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite | Stars: Tilikum, Dave Duffus, Samantha Berg, Dean Gomersall
Votes: 72,415 | Gross: $2.07M
22. The Cove (2009)
PG-13 | 92 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Using state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
Director: Louie Psihoyos | Stars: Richard O'Barry, Louie Psihoyos, Hardy Jones, Michael Illiff
Votes: 51,433 | Gross: $0.87M
23. Merchants of Doubt (2014)
PG-13 | 96 min | Documentary
A documentary that looks at pundits-for-hire who present themselves as scientific authorities as they speak about topics like toxic chemicals, pharmaceuticals and climate change.
Director: Robert Kenner | Stars: Frederick Singer, Naomi Oreskes, Jamy Ian Swiss, Sam Roe
Votes: 3,930 | Gross: $0.19M
24. The Last Ocean (2012)
TV-PG | 88 min | Documentary
The race to protect Earth's last untouched ocean, the Ross Sea Antarctica, from our insatiable appetite for fish. The film raises the simple ethical question: do we fish the last ocean or do we protect it?
Director: Peter Young | Star: Dave Dobbyn
Votes: 125
25. Trashed (2012)
Not Rated | 98 min | Documentary
Jeremy Irons sets out to discover the extent and effects of the global waste problem, as he travels around the world to beautiful destinations tainted by pollution. This is a meticulous, ... See full summary »
Director: Candida Brady | Stars: Paul Connett, Jeremy Irons, Evangelos Kalafatis, Charles Moore
Votes: 698
26. Pirate for the Sea (2008)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary
A documentary on Paul Watson, who takes the law into his own hands on the open seas, confronting, by any nonviolent means necessary, the hunters who indiscriminately slaughter whales, seals... See full summary »
Director: Ronald Colby | Stars: Peter Brown, Ronald Colby, Alex Cornelissen, Julie Farris
Votes: 173
27. Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (2013)
Not Rated | 57 min | Documentary, Adventure, Family
Angela Sun's journey of discovery to one of the most remote places on Earth, Midway Atoll, to uncover the truth behind the mystery of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Along the way she ... See full summary »
Director: Angela Sun | Stars: Lewis Goldsmith, Wallace J. Nichols, Angela Sun
Votes: 481
28. Planet Earth II (2016)
TV-G | 50 min | Documentary
David Attenborough returns with a new wildlife documentary that shows life in a variety of habitats.
Stars: David Attenborough, Chadden Hunter, Gordon Buchanan, Elizabeth White
Votes: 157,914
29. More Than Honey (2012)
Unrated | 95 min | Documentary
An in-depth look at honeybee colonies in California, Switzerland, China and Australia.
Director: Markus Imhoof | Stars: Fred Jaggi, Randolf Menzel, John Miller, Liane Singer
Votes: 4,318 | Gross: $0.07M
30. Sand Wars (2013)
TV-PG | 74 min | Documentary
Is sand an infinite resource? Can the existing supply satisfy a gigantic demand fueled by construction booms? What are the consequences of intensive beach sand mining for the environment and the neighboring populations?
Director: Denis Delestrac | Stars: Sumaira Abdulali, George Borden, Eric Chaumillon, Loke Ming Chou
Votes: 185
31. DamNation (2014)
Not Rated | 87 min | Documentary, Adventure
This powerful film odyssey across America explores the sea change in our national attitude from pride in big dams as engineering wonders to the growing awareness that our own future is bound to the life and health of our rivers.
Directors: Ben Knight, Travis Rummel | Stars: Edward Abbey, Bruce Babbitt, Lori Bodi, Yvon Chouinard
Votes: 762
32. Sea the Truth (2010)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary
Sea the Truth focuses on the current state of our oceans and seas, which, according to leading scientists, will be empty within 40 years if we continue to catch and eat fish at the current rate.
Directors: Claudine Everaert, Gertjan Zwanikken | Stars: Claire King, Marianne Thieme
Votes: 33
33. Freightened: The Real Price of Shipping (2016)
90 min | Documentary
In an audacious investigation, Freightened reveals the mechanics and perils of freight shipment; an all-but-visible industry that holds the key to our economy, our environment and the very model of our civilisation.
Director: Denis Delestrac | Stars: Trevor Hayes, Eric Wiberg
Votes: 274
34. Dirt! The Movie (2009)
Not Rated | 86 min | Documentary
The only remedy for disconnecting people from the natural world is connecting them to it again.
Directors: Bill Benenson, Gene Rosow, Eleonore Dailly | Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Bill Logan, Vandana Shiva, Fritjof Capra
Votes: 506
35. Alone in the Wilderness (2004 TV Movie)
57 min | Documentary
In 1968, one man films his attempt to build a cabin and live in the Alaskan wilderness. He goes weeks or months at a time without human contact.
Director: Dick Proenneke | Stars: Dick Proenneke, Bob Swerer Jr., Wendy Ishii, Pamela Guest
Votes: 4,018
36. The Last Mountain (2011)
PG | 95 min | Documentary
A coal mining corporation and a tiny community vie for the last great mountain in Appalachia in a battle for the future of energy that affects us all.
Director: Bill Haney | Stars: Susan Bird, Don Blankenship, Ron Burris, Jenna Bush Hager
Votes: 310 | Gross: $0.12M
37. Mission Blue (2014)
95 min | Documentary, Drama
Feature documentary about legendary oceanographer, marine biologist, environmentalist, and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle and her campaign to create a global network of protected marine sanctuaries.
Directors: Robert Nixon, Fisher Stevens | Stars: Barbara Block, James Cameron, Michael deGruy, Sylvia Earle
Votes: 2,146
38. Chasing Coral (2017)
93 min | Documentary
Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.
Director: Jeff Orlowski-Yang | Stars: Andrew Ackerman, Pim Bongaerts, Neal Cantin, Phil Dustan
Votes: 5,650
39. Seaspiracy (2021)
TV-14 | 89 min | Documentary, Adventure
Passionate about ocean life, a filmmaker sets out to document the harm that humans do to marine species - and uncovers alarming global corruption.
Director: Ali Tabrizi | Stars: Ali Tabrizi, Richard O'Barry, Lucy Tabrizi, Lori Marino
Votes: 34,126
40. Chasing the Thunder (2018)
96 min | Documentary, Action
A thrilling high seas adventure feature documentary where two marine conservation captains from Sea Shepherd go on a hundred day chase of the illegal poacher and pirate fishing vessel, the Thunder.
Directors: Mark Benjamin, Marc Levin | Stars: Sid Chakravarty, Peter Hammarstedt, Oona Isabelle Layolle, Paul Watson
Votes: 121
41. Watson (2019)
99 min | Documentary, Biography
Co-founder of Greenpeace and founder of Sea Shepherd, Captain Paul Watson has spent 40 years fighting to end the destruction of the ocean's wildlife and its habitat.
Director: Lesley Chilcott | Star: Paul Watson
Votes: 182
42. Planet Earth III (2023)
TV-PG | 58 min | Documentary
Discover amazing landscapes, the most amazing fights of animals on our planet, from the highest mountains to the deepest oceans, from the darkest caves to the hottest deserts with new technology.
Stars: David Attenborough, Tom Greenhalgh, Fredi Devas, Lilian Tinkasiimire
Votes: 2,600
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