The Top 100 Activist Documentaries That You Can Watch Free Online

1

Unwasted: The Future Of Business On Earth (2011)

54 min · Unwasted presents the alluring ideal of zero waste as a key element of the sustainable business model. While some may shake their heads thinking this an impossible task, it’s worth remembering that mankind had a zero waste lifestyle up...

2

Establishing a Food Forest the Permaculture Way (2008)

82 min · Join Geoff Lawton on a Permaculture adventure as he demonstrates how to grow a food forest from start to finish. Over 90 minutes of quality information to get you on the right track in creating your own garden of Eden.

3

Freedom Ahead: Democracy Does Not Offer Freedom, Nature Does (2012) ($5)

60 min · Never before in history have so many people relied on so few for the basic essentials of life.

4

Our Generation (2010)

73 min · Our Generation is an independent documentary film, made over 3 years, that looks at the current state of Indigenous relations in Australia, home to the oldest living culture in the world. Driven by the remote Yolngu peoples of Northeast...

5

Afghanistan War Exposed: An Imperial Conspiracy (2020)

37 min · Abby Martin covers the whole truth about the Afghanistan War, from the CIA construct of the 80's through 2020's senseless stalemate. Two decades, three administrations, tens of thousands of lives; it's time to #EndTheForeverWar.

6

In Our Hands: A Documentary Series about People Regenerating Their Lives & The Earth (2020)

30 min · ‘In Our Hands’ / ‘En Nuestras Manos’ is a documentary series about a movement to restore ecological farming around the world. Filmmaker Matt Anderson (‘Fall and Winter’, 2013) traveled to over 40 farms and gardens in 7 countries to...

7

The War at Home: The Untold History of Class War in the United States (2021)

104 min · "In a time when many are questioning institutional integrity across society, seeking accurate and relevant information to help make sense of our supposedly post-truth era, Noble shines a spotlight into our dark past while providing a...

8

Laboratory Greece (2019)

165 min · A journey through Greece's past and recent history. The everyday life in the epicentre of the neoliberalist policies implemented. «If Democracy can be destroyed in Greece, it can be destroyed throughout Europe» Paul Craig Roberts

9

Invasion: In an Era of Reconciliation, Indigenous Land is Being Taken at Gunpoint (2019)

18 min · INVASION is a new film about the Unist’ot’en Camp, Gidimt’en checkpoint and the larger Wet'suwet'en Nation standing up to the Canadian government and corporations who continue colonial violence against Indigenous people.

10

TAWAI: A Voice From the Forest (2017)

100 min · Tawai is a word the nomadic hunter-gatherers of Borneo use to describe the connection they feel to their forest home. In this dreamy, philosophical and sociological look at life, Bruce Parry (of the BBC's Tribe, Amazon & Arctic) embarks...

11

Brain Matters: Putting The First Years First (2020)

60 min · Why is it that some children thrive while others do not? Is it a matter of genetics, IQ, socioeconomic background or education? Every child deserves to reach their full potential and the early years are the best possible start in life...

12

Esteem: The Power of Vulnerability (2016)

56 min · Australian filmmaker Peter Charles Downey takes us on a personal and cathartic journey of empowerment, redemption, and healing.

13

Inner Climate Change: The Change Starts Within You (2020)

66 min · How do we navigate the intensity of emotions and reactions stirred up by climate change, or COVID-19 for that matter? How do we come to a place of peace, compassion, forgiveness and life-affirming action?

14

Mountains That Take Wing: Angela Davis & Yuri Kochiyama (2009)

97 min · MOUNTAINS THAT TAKE WING features conversations that span 13 years between two formidable women whose lives and political work remain at the epicenter of the most important civil rights struggles in the US. Through the intimacy and...

15

Lucent (2014)

106 min · Commonly referred to as "the Australian Earthlings", Lucent is a feature-length documentary which explores the darker side of Australia's pig farming industry through a combination of hand-held and hidden camera footage, highlighting...

16

The Bloom Episode 3: New Ways of the Sacred

70 min · Part III of The Bloom “New Ways of The Sacred” looks at how Transformational Festivals are venues for an active engagement with ancient, universal themes of MYTHOS, RITUAL and THE SACRED, exploring ways which both honor the traditional...

17

Ola - Health Is Everything (2013)

69 min · A timely and emotional debut documentary that celebrates Hawaii's most cherished social values, Ola challenges us to rethink what it means to be healthy. Ola (Hawaiian for "life" or "well being") explores the widespread social factors...

18

Laissez-faire (2015)

80 min · A historical perspective to understand Neoliberalism and to understand why this ideology today so profoundly influences the choices of our governments and our lives.

19

Palestinian Home Demolitions for Illegal Settlements Surging

24 min · The demolition of Palestinian homes for Israeli settlements reached a ten-year high in 2016. While this activity led by the fanatical settler movement is illegal under international law, it is completely aided and abetted by the Israeli...

20

Tashi And The Monk (2014)

40 min · On a remote mountaintop of the Himalayas sits Jhamtse Gatsal (Tibetan for “The Garden of Love and Compassion”), a special school and home for 85 abandoned and neglected children. Founded by former Buddhist monk Lobsang Phunstok, who...

21

Carnage (2017)

65 min · It's 2067, the UK is vegan, but older generations are suffering the guilt of their carnivorous past. Writer and Director Simon Amstell asks us to forgive them for the horrors of what they swallowed.

22

United Natures: a United Nations of all Species (2013)

104 min · United Natures explores the rights of Mother Earth, environmental philosophy, wisdom, spirituality, and the potential for a neo-indigenous future for humanity.

23

Natural Farming With Masanobu Fukuoka: Minimal Effort And Abundant Yields

61 min · Masanobu Fukuoka is a farmer/philosopher who lives on the Island of Shikoku, in southern Japan. His farming technique requires no machines, no chemicals and very little weeding. He does not plow the soil or use prepared compost and yet...

24

The Untold History of Barack Obama and the Democratic Party

113 min · I wish my teachers had shown me documentaries like this when I was in school.

25

Slavery: A 21st Century Evil (2011)

223 min · Today, 27 million men, women and children are held, sold and trafficked as slaves throughout the world. In Slavery: A 21st Century Evil, Rageh Omaar embarks on a worldwide journey to uncover the truth about the flourishing 21st century...

26

Culture In Decline #3: C.V.D. - Consumption Vanity Disorder

30 min · A new disease epidemic is rapidly spreading across the world: "Consumption-Vanity Disorder" - a disease spread not through a mutating virus or genetic predisposition – but through cultural “memes” – turning the world into a reflection...

27

Plastic Planet (2009)

99 min · Werner Boote presents an up-close and personal view of the controversial and fascinating material that has found its way into every facet of our daily lives: plastic. He takes us on a journey around the globe, showing that plastics have...

28

Out Of Balance: ExxonMobil's Impact on Climate Change (2007)

66 min · Out of Balance shows the influence that the largest company in the world has on governments, the media and citizens and what can be done about global warming. While the Earth’s climate is pushed further out of balance by increasing use...

29

The Basic Income (2008)

100 min · Grundeinkommen - ein Kulturimpuls (The Basic Income - A Cultural Impulse) is a German film with subtitles in 10 languages that makes the case for a basic income for all citizens. Subtitles Note: To make the subtitles easier to...

30

The Ultimate History Lesson: A Weekend with John Taylor Gatto

300 min · The Ultimate History Lesson is a 5-hour course, illustrating the cause and effect relationship of how Americans became incoherent, and thus how the American dream has was usurped by an international agenda.

31

Breaking The Silence - Truth And Lies In The War On Terror (2003)

51 min · "BREAKING THE SILENCE is a film with enormous emotional power, bringing us the human consequences of our military attacks on Middle East countries. It also provides us with important insights into the reasons for these cruelties...

32

Unseen Tears (2009)

29 min · Native American families in Western New York continue to feel the impact of the Thomas Indian School and the Mohawk Institute. Survivors speak of traumatic separation from their families, abuse, and a systematic assault on their...

33

9/11: Blueprint for Truth (2010)

114 min · In 2 hours Richard Gage, AIA of Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth takes you through most of the scientific forensic evidence proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the destruction of WTC was accomplished with explosive controlled...

34

Hearts and Minds (1974)

112 min · Peter Davis' landmark documentary Hearts and Minds confronts with stark frankness the United States' involvement in Vietnam and the development of its foreign policy in the 1970s. Using a carefully constructed range of meticulously...

35

Medicinal Cannabis and its Impact on Human Health (2011)

47 min · In this myth shattering, information packed documentary, learn from physicians and leading researchers about medicinal cannabis and its demonstrated affects on human health.

36

Big Sugar (2005)

90 min · Documentary about Big Sugar, from its early days with ties to slavery to modern times with its detrimental effects on the everglades and political ties. Written & Directed by: Brian McKenna. Produced by: Galafilm in 2005.

37

Beyond Elections: Redefining Democracy in the Americas (2008)

95 min · From Venezuela's Communal Councils, to Brazil's Participatory Budgeting; from Constitutional Assemblies to grassroots movements, recuperated factories to cooperatives across the hemisphere -- this documentary is a journey, which takes...

38

The New American Century (2009)

94 min · This film goes in detail through the untold history of The Project for the New American Century with tons of archival footage and connects it right into the present. This film exposes how every major war in US history was based on a...

39

A Crude Awakening (2007)

82 min · Produced and directed by award-winning European journalists and filmmakers Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack, A Crude Awakening tells the story of how our civilization’s addiction to oil puts it on a collision course with geology...

40

The Money Masters: How International Bankers Gained Control of America (1996)

215 min · "The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching plan, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a...

41

The Secret Government: The Constitution in Crisis (1987)

86 min · In this documentary Bill Moyers exposes the inner workings of the secret government. Though originally broadcast in 1987, it is even more relevant today. Interviews with respected, top military, intelligence, and government insiders...

42

The Island of All Together

23 min · Every summer many European tourists travel to the Greek island Lesbos for a sunny holiday. This year thousands of refugees crossed the sea from Turkey and arrived on the island as well, looking for a safe haven in the European Union...

43

Dominion (2018)

120 min · Dominion uses drones, hidden and handheld cameras to expose the dark underbelly of modern animal agriculture, questioning the morality and validity of humankind’s dominion over the animal kingdom. While mainly focusing on animals used...

44

The Third Industrial Revolution: A Radical New Sharing Economy (2018)

105 min · The global economy is in crisis. The exponential exhaustion of natural resources, declining productivity, slow growth, rising unemployment, and steep inequality, forces us to rethink our economic models. Where do we go from here? In...

45

Cointelpro 101 (2010)

56 min · COINTELPRO may not be a well-understood acronym but its meaning and continuing impact are absolutely central to understanding the government’s wars and repression against progressive movements. COINTELPRO represents the state’s strategy...

46

Fools & Dreamers: Regenerating a Native Forest (2019)

30 min · Fools & Dreamers: Regenerating a Native Forest is a 30-minute documentary about Hinewai Nature Reserve, on New Zealand’s Banks Peninsula, and its kaitiaki/manager of 30 years, botanist Hugh Wilson. When, in 1987, Hugh let the local...

47

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace (2011)

58 min · A series of BBC films about how humans have been colonised by the machines we have built. Although we don't realise it, the way we see everything in the world today is through the eyes of the computers. The series argues this has...

48

WikiRebels - The Documentary (2010)

57 min · Exclusive rough-cut of the first in-depth documentary on WikiLeaks and the people behind it! From summer 2010 until now, Swedish Television has been following the secretive media network WikiLeaks and its enigmatic Editor-in-Chief...

49

Humano (2013)

88 min · Humano is a documentary that narrates a young man's journey to the Andes mountains, accompanied only by a camera, two hundred questions and the yearning to discover the origin of man. In Q'eros, he meets a shaman who will explain that...

50

RiP! A Remix Manifesto (2009)

80 min · In RiP: A Remix Manifesto, Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers.

51

The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (2006)

52 min · When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, Cuba's economy went into a tailspin. With imports of oil cut by more than half – and food by 80 percent – people were desperate. This film tells of the hardships and struggles as well as the...

52

Human (2015)

382 min · What is it that makes us human? Is it that we love, that we fight? That we laugh? Cry? Our curiosity? The quest for discovery?

53

Oliver Stone: The Untold History Of The United States (2012)

570 min · There is a classified America we were never meant to see. From Academy Award®-winning writer/director Oliver Stone, this ten-part documentary series looks back at human events that at the time went under reported, but that crucially...

54

Carl Sagan's Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980)

780 min · Astronomer Carl Sagan's landmark 13-part science series takes you on an awe-inspiring cosmic journey to the edge of the Universe and back aboard the spaceship of the imagination.

55

Communities Of Hope: Discovering the Ecovillages of Europe (2020)

29 min · COMMUNITIES OF HOPE is a film born from a quest to discover a regenerative culture.

56

The Twelve: A Tale of Wisdom & Unity (2019)

75 min · “The Twelve” tells the story of twelve spiritual Elders from around the globe who gather at the United Nations in New York to create a unique ritual for Humankind and planet Earth. By interviewing each one of them in their home...

57

What Would It Look Like? (2009)

25 min · What if the world embodied our highest potential? What would it look like? As the structures of modern society crumble, is it enough to respond with the same tired solutions? Or are we being called to question a set of unexamined...

58

Do the Math (2013)

40 min · Like most people, Bill (environmentalist and co-founder of 350.org), is not an activist by nature. There’s really not that many people whose greatest desire it to go out and fight the system. His theory of change was that he’ll write...

59

Counter-Intelligence: Shining a Light on Black Operations (2013)

360 min · "Scott Noble may have outdone himself with Counter Intelligence. The Psywar filmmaker amassed a tour de force of power elite and deep state scholars weighing in and synthesizing decades of research. From the rise of the national...

60

Real Estate 4 Ransom: Why Does Land Cost the Earth? (2012)

39 min · REAL ESTATE 4 RAN$OM outlines a genuine alternative to the global property speculation that forced so many into debt. Doubling the pressure, the tax game has become just that, with tax havens a favoured option for the wealthy. The...

61

The Lottery of Birth (2013)

80 min · Do you shape the world or does it shape you? Drawing on leading thinkers from around the world, and with a torrent of mind-expanding ideas and information, THE LOTTERY OF BIRTH will make you think again about what it means to be free.

62

For The Next 7 Generations (2009)

84 min · In 2004, thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers from all four corners, moved by their concern for our planet, came together at a historic gathering, where they decided to form an alliance: The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous...

63

The Union: The Business Behind Getting High (2007)

104 min · BC's illegal marijuana trade industry has evolved into a business giant, dubbed by some involved as 'The Union', Commanding upwards of $7 billion Canadian annually. With up to 85% of 'BC Bud' being exported to the United States, the...

64

Ecological Learning Through Direct Experience (2015)

45 min · This is a documentary about getting out into the natural world and learning from the wisdom of land and people - focusing on how rewilding our perception might be the catalyst for the changes we wish to see in the world.

65

This Is Neoliberalism (2020)

146 min · If you've ever wanted to understand what neoliberalism is, this is the video series for you.

66

Stare Into The Lights My Pretties (2017)

129 min · We live in a world of screens. The average adult spends the majority of their waking hours in front of some sort of screen or device. We're enthralled, we're addicted to these machines. How did we get here? Who benefits? What are the...

67

Park Avenue: Money, Power And The American Dream (2012)

59 min · Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) presents his take on the gap between rich and poor Americans in Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream. Gibney contends...

68

THE SKY IS PINK (2012)

18 min · 18 minutes could save New York. PINK LINKS: Selected Compiled Research The Sky Is Pink- Annotated industry documents featured in the film: .rollingstone.com/extras/theskyispink_annotdoc-gasl4final.p

69

Louis Theroux: The Ultra Zionists (2011)

59 min · Louis Theroux spends time with a small and very committed subculture of ultra-nationalist Jewish settlers. He discovers a group of people who consider it their religious and political obligation to populate some of the most sensitive...

70

Meat The Truth (2008)

70 min · Although many films have convincingly succeeded in drawing public attention to the issue of global warming, they have repeatedly ignored one of the most important causes of climate change, namely: intensive livestock production. Meat...

71

What I've Learned About U.S. Foreign Policy (2000)

118 min · This is a powerful 10-part compilation that (in important ways) pulls aside the veil of Official myths and Lies about "freedom", "democracy", Human Rights, etc., being the basis of U.S. foreign policy.

72

The Power of Nightmares (2004)

180 min · The Power of Nightmares is a BBC documentary 3-part film series. The films compare the rise of the Neo-Conservative movement in the United States and the radical Islamist movement, making comparisons on their origins and claiming...

73

There's No Tomorrow (2012)

34 min · A 34 minute animated documentary about resource depletion and the impossibility of infinite growth on a finite planet.

74

Crossroads: Labor Pains of a New Worldview (2013)

65 min · Crossroads: Labor Pains of a New Worldview is a documentary exploring the depths of the current human condition and the emergence of a worldview that is recreating our world from the inside out. Weaving together insights and findings...

75

Gaza Fights For Freedom | Directed by Abby Martin (2019)

84 min · This debut feature film by journalist Abby Martin began while reporting in Palestine, where she was denied entry into Gaza by the Israeli government on the accusation she was a “propagandist.” So Abby connected with a team of...

76

The Great Everything & the Nothing (2016)

111 min · 'This is the very definition of a film you MUST see before you die.' We all know that there's something odd about life. But we never really discuss it. 'The Great Everything & The Nothing' explores the world of social engineering...

77

Palestine Is Still The Issue (2002)

53 min · In a series of extraordinary interviews with both Palestinians and Israelis, John Pilger weaves together the issue of Palestine. He speaks to the families of suicide bombers and their victims; he sees the humiliation of Palestinians...

78

Jeremy Bernard Corbyn: What Was Done (2017)

33 min · This fantastic and entertaining documentary (full of biting satirical commentary) imagines what would happen if decades of neoliberal austerity in the UK was reversed by the democratic socialist programs of Jeremy Corbyn, who in the...

79

The Century of the Self (2002)

230 min · The Century of the Self tells the untold and sometimes controversial story of the growth of the mass-consumer society. How was the all-consuming self created, by whom, and in whose interests? (Includes all parts of this multi-part series.)

80

Escape! From the Cult of Materialism (2016)

50 min · Does the philosophy of materialism work to destroy our identities, experience, and environment? Join narrator Daphne Ellis on a radical romp through the evidence and decide for yourself if you're in the cult and need to escape!

81

9/11: Explosive Evidence -- Experts Speak Out (2 Hour Edition) (2011)

139 min · Join 23-year architect Richard Gage, AIA, in this feature length documentary with cutting-edge 9/11 evidence from more than 50 top experts in their fields -- high-rise architects, structural engineers, physicists, chemical engineers...

82

A Farm For The Future (2008)

48 min · More than 96 per cent of all the food grown in Britain is reliant on synthetic fertiliser. Without it there would be serious trouble. But without artificial fertiliser there's not enough nutrients for the crops to grow, and without...

83

Waste = Food (2007)

49 min · Man is the only creature that produces landfills. Natural resources are being depleted on a rapid scale while production and consumption are rising in nations like China and India. The waste production world wide is enormous and if we...

84

The Corporation (2003)

145 min · The Corporation is today's dominant institution, creating great wealth but also great harm. This 26 award-winning documentary examines the nature, evolution, impacts and future of the modern business corporation and the increasing role...

85

Planet Ocean (2014)

88 min · Can we imagine a film that would change the way people look at the ocean? Can we explain simply, to everyone, the greatest natural mystery of our planet? And lastly, can we help our children believe in a better and more sustainable...

86

Europe Or Die (2015)

100 min · Since 2000, more than 27,000 migrants and refugees have died attempting the perilous journey to Europe. With an unprecedented number of people breaking through its heavily barricaded borders in 2014, the EU continues to fortify its...

87

Plutocracy: Political Repression In The U.S.A. (2019)

560 min · Plutocracy, by filmmaker Scott Noble, is the first documentary series to comprehensively examine early American history through the lens of class.

88

The Super-Rich and Us (2015)

113 min · BBC documentary in which Jacques Peretti investigates how the super-rich are transforming Britain.

89

South of The Border (2010)

77 min · There’s a revolution underway in South America, but most of the world doesn’t know it. Oliver Stone sets out on a road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media’s...

90

Earthlings (2005)

95 min · EARTHLINGS is a feature-length documentary about humanity's absolute dependence on animals (for pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and scientific research) but also illustrates our complete disrespect for these so-called "non-human...

91

Origins (2014)

101 min · This is a movie about how we have left the natural connection to the planet. The movie investigates how this has happened, the incredible amounts of pollutants that we are exposed to, even as a fetus, and the technology that can help...

92

Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992)

157 min · Funny, provocative and surprisingly accessible, MANUFACTURING CONSENT explores the political life and ideas of Noam Chomsky, world-renowned linguist, intellectual and political activist. In a dynamic collage of new and original footage...

93

Schooling the World (2010)

66 min · If you wanted to change an ancient culture in a generation, how would you do it? You would change the way it educates its children.

94

Recipe For Change | Building an Earthship in Ushuaia (2014)

62 min · Recipe For Change follows the story of Earthship Biotecture in Ushuaia, Argentina as they and a group of academy students build a two-room simple survival Earthship. Earthships are fully off the grid buildings which catch t

95

The Crisis of Civilization (2011)

87 min · The Crisis of Civilization investigates how global crises like ecological disasters, financial meltdowns, dwindling oil reserves, terrorism, and food shortages are converging symptoms of a single, failed global system.

96

India's Healing Forests: Come Home, Be Healed (2019)

51 min · All our knowledge comes from nature and yet nature is a source of many mysteries.

97

Re-Learning the Land: a Story of Red Crow College (2015)

68 min · RE-LEARNING THE LAND is the story of a Blackfoot community in southern Alberta, Canada, and how they have re-taken control of their education system within Red Crow Community College. The film traces the decolonization of their learning...

98

Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers (2006)

76 min · This is the story of what happens to everyday Americans when corporations go to war.

99

Singapore: Biophilic City (2012)

44 min · A whirlwind week in Singapore exploring the amazing story of how Singapore came to be one of the most 'biophilic' cities of the world, on the cutting edge of ecocity design and innovation. Did you have any idea? There has been...

100

PBS FRONTLINE: The Persuaders (2005)

87 min · Frontline examines the "persuasion industries" -- advertising and public relations. To cut through consumers' growing resistance to their pitches, marketers have developed new ways of integrating their messages into the fabric of our lives.

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