Top documentaries about animal rights
A selection of outstanding documentaries about animal exploitation, speciesism, animal rights and animal liberation movements.
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- DirectorSusan LambertStefan MooreStarsPam BurnsBryan AkitaCathy GoeggelThis is the gripping and emotionally charged story of Tyke, a circus elephant that went on a rampage in Honolulu in 1994, killed her trainer in front of thousands of spectators and died in a hail of gunfire. Her break for freedom - filmed from start to tragic end - traumatised a city and ignited a global battle over the use of animals in the entertainment industry. Looking at what made Tyke snap, the film goes back to meet the people who knew her and were affected by her death - former trainers and handlers, circus industry insiders, witnesses to her rampage, and animal rights activists for whom Tyke became a global rallying cry. Like the classic animal rebellion film King Kong, Tyke is the central protagonist in a tragic but redemptive drama that combines trauma, outrage, insight and compassion. Ultimately, this moving documentary raises fundamental questions about our deep and mysterious connection to other species.
- DirectorKate McIntyre ClereMichael Mick McIntyreStarsKangaroo DundeeTim FlanneryTerri IrwinA film that reveals the unsettling truth about Australia's love-hate relationship with its beloved icon.
- DirectorSharon BoeckleStarsPaula BaconMilton BagbyDean BolstadHorse slaughter is more than inhumane. It's big business.
- DirectorTim GorskiStarsJohn CroweLolitaRichard O'BarryThis Provocative and Revealing must-see documentary uniquely addresses man's relationship with wildlife. It speaks not only to animal lovers and activists, but to anyone at all who may have been duped by marine theme park propaganda. In fact, this is the film that an entire industry would rather you not see. And whether you like it or not, Lolita: Slave to Entertainment is assured to ignite conversation - if not heated debate.
- DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsTilikumDave DuffusSamantha BergA documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
- DirectorDavid RedmonAshley SabinStarsWillem DafoeDonkeys inhabit and communicate with each other - and the filmmakers - in a Sanctuary.
- DirectorChris HegedusD.A. PennebakerStarsBarbara JaffeElizabeth SteinSteven M. WiseBetween 2013 and 2015, a group of nonprofit attorneys seek nonhuman clients for whom they can advocate in two U.S. territories, in order to establish legal personhood for elephants, cetaceans and nonhuman apes in the U.S.
- DirectorBill NealStarsRichard O'BarryNaomi RoseCharles VinickDespite key concessions by SeaWorld, its orcas are still performing every day, and in Eastern Russia the magnificent killer whale is hunted for sale into the exploding marine theme park industry in China. Witness an in depth look at the case against captivity, The Whale Sanctuary Project, and covert missions on the high seas and in search of nine orcas held captive at a secret Chinese location.
- DirectorPeter NelsonStarsBret AdeeJeff AndersonAlan ArdA cinematic journey around the United States following migratory beekeepers and their truckloads of honey bees as they pollinate the flowers that become the fruits, nuts and vegetables we all eat.
- DirectorSangita IyerGods in Shackles is an expose revealing the dark side of the Indian state of Kerala's glamorous cultural festivities that exploit temple elephants for profit in the name of culture and religion.
- DirectorBen BowieGeoffrey LuckThe incredible, true-life story of a baby elephant born into a rescue camp in the wilderness of Botswana. When she's suddenly orphaned at one month of age, it's up to the men who look after her herd to save her life.
- DirectorKief DavidsonRichard LadkaniStarsAndrea CrostaIan StevensonPrince William of WalesWildlife activists in take on poachers in an effort to end illegal ivory trade in Africa.
- DirectorOrlando von EinsiedelStarsAndré BaumaEmmanuel de MerodeMélanie GoubyA team of brave individuals risk their lives to protect the last mountain gorillas.
- DirectorJames MarshStarsNim ChimpskyStephanie LaFargeHerbert TerraceTells the story of a chimpanzee taken from its mother at birth and raised like a human child by a family in a brownstone on the upper West Side in the 1970s.
- DirectorAli TabriziStarsAli TabriziRichard O'BarryLucy TabriziPassionate about ocean life, a filmmaker sets out to document the harm that humans do to marine species - and uncovers alarming global corruption.
- DirectorKarol OrzechowskiMaximum Tolerated Dose (MTD) is the first feature-length documentary by Decipher Films. 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 who's ethics demanded they choose a different path, as well as the simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking stories of animals who have seen both sides of the cage. MTD aims to re-ignite the debate about animal testing by bringing these rarely-heard perspectives to the fore.
- DirectorKip AndersenKeegan KuhnStarsBruce HamiltonKip AndersenAl GoreFollow 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.
- DirectorShaun MonsonStarsJoaquin PhoenixUsing 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.
- StarsEarthling EdA shocking insight into the UK's standard animal farming practices featuring over 100 UK facilities.
- DirectorLiz MarshallStarsMarcel SabaLori ReesePerrie WardellA cinematic documentary that illuminates the lives of individual animals living within and rescued from the machine of our modern world.
- DirectorMark DevriesStarsSteven BestRichard DawkinsGary FrancioneA young man begins investigating the underworld of "factory farming" and soon discovers a growing political and intellectual movement that considers animals as important as humans.
- DirectorShannon KeithStarsShannon KeithKeith MannKevin KjonaasBehind the Mask: The Story Of The People Who Risk Everything To Save Animals is a 2006 documentary film about the Animal Liberation Front. It took three years of filming, interviewing, and editing to complete.
- DirectorTom SimonSarah TealeStarsPeteBradley MillerBob BakerDeath on a Factory Farm follows the undercover investigation of Wiles Hog Farm by the animal rights group: The Humane Farming Association (HFA), and the resulting court case against it. The organization received a tip from an employee at the farm that animals were being abused, including a claim that hogs were being hung by chains and strangled to death as a form of euthanasia. Horrifying but true. HFA then turned to an undercover investigator going by the name "Pete." The investigator wore a hidden camera while he worked undercover as a farmhand at Wiles. Over the course of six weeks, the investigator secretly filmed numerous incriminating scenes, including piglets being tossed into crates from across a room, impregnated sows held in pens impeded their ability to move, an unhealthy piglet being hit against a wall to euthanize it, and a sick sow being hung by a chain from a forklift until it choked to death. Having obtained this evidence, Pete concluded the investigation and quit the job at the farm. HFA brought Pete's footage to the Wayne County Sheriff's Department, which then raided the farm. Prosecutors filed ten criminal charges of animal cruelty against the farm's owners, and a farm employee who participated in hanging the sow. In the subsequent trial, the prosecutors and the defense fought about the legality and morality of these practices, described by the presiding judge as "distasteful and offensive". However, the Judge defended these practices as the reality of producing pork for consumption. Disgusting!
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing 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.
- DirectorJenny SteinStarsHarold BrownCheri Ezell-VandersluisHoward LymanPeaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home explores the powerful struggle of conscience experienced by several people from traditional farming backgrounds who come to question the basic assumptions of their way of life. A riveting story of transformation and healing, the documentary portrays the farmers' sometimes amazing connections with the animals under their care, while also providing insight into the complex web of social, psychological and economic forces that have led to their inner conflict. Interwoven with the farmers' stories is the dramatic animal rescue work of a newly-trained humane police officer whose sense of justice puts her at odds with the law she is charged to uphold. With strikingly honest interviews and rare footage demonstrating the emotional lives and intense family bonds of animals most often viewed as living commodities, this groundbreaking documentary shatters stereotypical notions of farmers, farm life, and perhaps most surprisingly, farm animals themselves.