Vegan documentaries like Seaspiracy: The most powerful and shocking films and TV shows to watch now

Whether it’s about concern for animal welfare or a decision based on the environmental impact, millions of us are making the move to veganism.

The move to going meat and dairy-free isn’t always simple in a world filled with fast-food, but if you need a little persuading or want to encourage others to take the vegan route, there are a load of great films and documentaries that celebrate the importance of changing your diet.

Here are our picks of the best vegan documentaries to watch right now on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and more…

Seaspiracy

Seaspiracy is the documentary that has got everyone talking.

From the co-creator who brought you the groundbreaking documentary Cowspiracy, the series shines a light on the damage and destruction humans are causing to ocean life.

From plastics and fishing gear polluting the waters, to the irreparable damage of bottom trawling and by-catch, to illegal fishing and devastating hunting practices, humanity is wreaking havoc on marine life and, by extension, the entire planet.

The film will shock anyone who cares about ocean life and will make you reconsider ordering seafood ever again.

The Game Changers

Available now on Netflix

Directed by Oscar-winner Louie Psihoyos and featuring some eye-catching interviews such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Game Changers does as its title suggests and turns preconceptions about strength, fitness and nutrition on their head. Who needs steak for muscle when you’ve got a ton of fruit and veg.

Following the story of James Wilks, a Special Forces trainer recovering from injury, the series questions everything we thought we knew about the best diet for sport and optimal performance.

Cowspiracy

Available now on Netflix

A groundbreaking feature-length environmental documentary that has been compared to films such as Blackfish and An Inconvenient Truth.

Filmmaker Kip Andersen uncovers the impact of animal agriculture and showcases why he believes it is being kept under wraps, despite obvious signs that it is causing immense damage to the planet.

Rotten

Available to watch now on Netflix

An enlightening and engaging TV series that tackles a different element of the food production in every episode, ranging from bee pollination and avocado wars to chicken harvesting and the packaging of chocolate.

Making viewers reconsider exactly how food gets on your plate and into our supermarkets, it shines a light on some of the darkest elements of mass food production that are going unnoticed around the world.

Live and Let Live

Available now on Amazon Prime Video

A documentary from 2013 from German filmmaker Marc Pierschel, it follows a group of vegan activists and explores their reasons for the changes of lifestyle

Including a former butcher and factory farmer, it dives into the vegan movement and the incredible personal stories of those at the heart of it.

The End of Meat

Available now on Amazon Prime Video

Filmmaker Marc Pierschel embarks on a journey to discover what effect a post-meat world would have on the environment, the animals and ourselves. 

He meets Esther the Wonder Pig, who became an internet phenomenon; talks to pioneers leading the vegan movement in Germany; visits the first fully vegetarian city in India; witnesses rescued farm animals enjoying their newfound freedom; observes the future food innovators making meat and cheese without the animals, even harvesting “bacon” from the ocean, and much more.

Simon Amstell: Carnage

Available now on BBC iPlayer

Taking a very different tact, comedian and former Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Popworld presenter Simon Amstell brings a satirical slant to the vegan movement.

A mockumentary set in 2067 when the UK has become fully vegan, the film looks back at the guilt and horror the country feels about its meat-eating past.