Vegan Australia has put together this list of powerful documentaries that expose how our fellow animals are exploited and how their rights are violated across multiple industries. These films challenge the idea that animals exist for human purposes and many of them also cover how animal-exploiting industries also damage the environment and human health.
Some are available to watch for free online. Others are available on Netflix, which reaches around 65% of Australian households.
You can explore many more films at vegmovies.com.
Dominion exposes the reality of modern animal use in Australia, focusing on animals used for food while also examining clothing, entertainment and research. It challenges the idea that animals can be used 'humanely' and shows the routine violence involved in their exploitation and killing.
Content advisory: graphic and disturbing footage of animals suffering.
Narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, Earthlings examines humanity's widespread use of animals across food, clothing, entertainment and scientific research. It presents a clear and uncompromising account of how animals are treated as resources within these industries.
Content advisory: extremely graphic footage of animals suffering.
Seaspiracy exposes the global exploitation and killing of fishes and other marine animals, revealing how entire industries depend on treating sentient beings as resources. It challenges the idea that this system can be reformed or made 'sustainable' and highlights the scale of suffering hidden beneath the surface.
Content advisory: scenes of animals being killed and environmental destruction.
Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Homefollows people who were raised within animal farming industries as they come to question the use of animals and ultimately reject it. Through personal stories, it shows how recognising animals as individuals can lead to a complete shift in perspective.
Content advisory: this is a beautiful film, much of it being footage of animals and people living well on farmed animal sanctuaries, but there are some very distressing scenes taken in the animal use industries.
Carnage: Swallowing the Past imagines a future where humans no longer use animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. A satirical comedy resented as a documentary set decades in the future, it looks back on a time when animals were treated as resources and questions how this was ever considered acceptable.
Read Vegan Australia's review of the film Carnage, covering how the film explores the beliefs and social norms that normalised the use of animals, while presenting a world in which this injustice has been rejected.
Content advisory: satirical treatment of animal use, references to past violence towards animals.
Eating Our Way to Extinction examines the global impacts of using animals for food, including habitat destruction and large-scale harm to both human and non-human communities. It presents a compelling case that these systems are driving widespread ecological damage.
Content advisory: some scenes of human and animal rights violations and environmental destruction.
Watch now (also available as a 35 minute summary version.
"The film that environmental organisations don't want you to see." Cowspiracy investigates the environmental impacts of animal use and raises questions about why major organisations avoid addressing this issue. It highlights the scale of destruction linked to using animals for food.
Content advisory: a few brief scenes of animals suffering at the hands of humans.
The Game Changers follows elite athletes and explores human performance on a vegan diet. It challenges common beliefs about protein and strength, showing that using animals is not necessary for physical performance.
Content advisory: no graphic scenes.
Watch on Netflix (may not be available in Australia)
The Netflix series You Are What You Eat follows identical twins in a controlled study comparing diets that include animals with vegan diets. It examines the measurable impacts on human health under closely monitored conditions.
Content advisory: no graphic scenes.
Forks Over Knives explores the link between diet and chronic disease, focusing on the health impacts of consuming animal products. It presents research suggesting that many conditions can be prevented or reversed by avoiding animal-based foods.
Content advisory: some scenes of human heart operations.
What the Health examines links between diet, disease and major institutions, raising questions about industry influence over public health messaging. It highlights how animal-based foods are promoted despite their health impacts.
Content advisory: no graphic scenes.
Also see
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