Marie Claire participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. The Universe. in the United States, alongside powerful testimonials from people whose lives have been impacted by unjust algorithms. - IMDb user rating: 8.6 It’s hard to believe now that her face is plastered on protest signs around the globe, but less than two years ago, Greta Thunberg was a lone and unknown 15-year-old student in Sweden who decided to go on strike for climate change. Votes: 33,514. - IMDb user rating: 8.3 Scroll through the slideshow and find out which films exposed barbarous ancient fishing practices, employed revolutionary photography techniques, or were recently outed for faking content. Narrated by David Attenborough, “The Hunt” employed novel filming techniques to get the perfect shot, including cameras suspended from elephants. By the time we get to the National Cheerleading Championship, we've fallen in love with half the team. Welcome to BBC Earth. History of South America. - Runtime: 90 min. Writer, presenter, sound-recordist and producer 1955 Zoo Quest to Guiana: 6x30 min Second Zoo Quest expedition. The eight part series aims to convey the variety of life on Earth and the threats it faces. The film showcases awe-inspiring aerial landscapes from 54 different countries while simultaneously citing alarming statistics about climate change and its potentially devastating effects. Throughout the series the impact of climate change is highlighted. Night on Earth. Was it just a cult, like critics said? First came Dolphin Reef in 2019, a spellbinding nature documentary film from Disney that followed the coming-of-age story of Echo, a Pacific bottlenose dolphin. This nature series' new technology lifts night's veil to reveal the hidden lives of the world's creatures, from lions on the hunt to bats on wings. Two of our favorite things: French fries and Chrissy Teigen. JOIN NOW. Directed by Juliano Ribeiro Salgado (the subject’s son), together with indie icon Wim Wenders, the film was nominated for the 2015 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The documentary covers the long and often terrible representation of transgender characters in popular culture, from other-ing to villainization to comments about sexual perversion. - Runtime: 92 min. A new nature documentary narrated by Sir David Attenborough has been released on Netflix. They're joining forces next year in a documentary that seeks to answer the crucial question: Why do we looooove the famed fried potatoes so much? Stars: David Attenborough, Peter Drost, Roger Horrocks, Roger Munns. The new Netflix film “Our Planet” isn’t a BBC production, but it sure looks like one. Directed by Academy Award-winner Fisher Stevens, this National Geographic production practices what it preaches, offsetting carbon emissions created during production with a voluntary carbon tax. The film, premiering at Sundance, tracks how the survivors catalyzed the Never Again movement for gun control, which culminated in the March For Our Lives, one of the largest protests in U.S. history. “The Salt of the Earth” follows acclaimed septuagenarian photographer Sebastião Salgado in his quest to document the planet’s most arresting landscapes and their inhabitants. follows chefs like Le Bernardin’s Eric Ripert, celebrities including Teigen, farmers, food scientists, and others as they try to get to the bottom of our obsession. Nature Sort by: 76 Days Adrift. - Runtime: 353 min. - Votes: 2,468 This is real??" With a small summer tour coming in 2021, it's a long and often beautiful look at the women who will forever be indelible parts of each other's lives. After he began to see healthy young people filling prescriptions for OxyContin in his work as a pharmacist, he recognized the signs of addiction in his community. A study conducted by the BBC together with the University of California Berkeley revealed just why viewers choose to kick back and tune into programs like “Honey Badgers: Masters of Mayhem” and “The Tigers of Scotland”⁠— nature documentaries trigger the neurochemicals of happiness, reducing the stress and anxieties of modern life. A Sino-British production, the project took more than two years to complete and includes rare footage of some of China’s most remote regions, including the Mongolian steppes and the Yuanyang rice terraces. - Runtime: 421 min. And there's something for you, too, even if you're not into sports. Even non-parents will find something to love here: 15 infants, their parents, and 36 renowned scientists work together to discover exactly how a little baby turns into a teeny tiny human over the course of a year. When Taylor Swift took the stage at the 2019 American Music Awards, where she was named Artist of the Decade, she opened her performance by singing “The Man” while dressed in a stark white shirt dress with the names of her six albums in big black lettering, reminiscent of a prison uniform’s stripes. Cataloguing LGBTQ+ acceptance and representation on television, particularly in the past 20 years, the series gets incredible first-person interviews from the likes of Rachel Maddow, Oprah Winfrey, and Lena Waithe. “I always knew my love of fries and years of experience in the field were meant to serve a higher purpose,” Teigen said in a statement to Variety. We may earn commission from the links on this page. It puts a well-deserved, much-needed spotlight on the ongoing tragedy, and needs to be seen. - IMDb user rating: 8.3 Now in his 90s, Attenborough has worked with the BBC for over 25 years and is the genius behind several acclaimed series, including “Life” and “The Blue Planet,” which continue to be watched by millions of people worldwide. Earth, home to all human beings, is the star of this stunning documentary by French director Luc Besson. He's most known for his acting and athletic ability, but he also advocated for diversity on film and worked to change attitudes about Asian Americans in the United States. This Apple TV+ docuseries is an absolute must-watch, particularly if you only know Ellen DeGeneres as the mega-successful talk show host. Now available to stream through Election Day for free, Totally Under Control gives a scrutinizing look at how the Trump administration handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Presented by David Attenborough, “Africa” is just one of several BBC documentaries funded by Chinese state broadcasting network China Central Television. A follow-up to BBC’s “The Life of Birds,” “The Life of Mammals” explores the origins and habits of arguably the planet’s most engaging and improvising inhabitants. - Votes: 3,433 A version of that quote is now the title of a documentary by Filipino-American documentarian Ramona S. Diaz, premiering at Sundance this year. We even hear from the man himself, via recorded tapes from prison, and learn more about his family life, his sexuality, and the traumas that formed the backbone of his short, tragic life. Academy Award-nominated director David France spotlights the underreported persecution and documents the atrocities with a keen, unflinching gaze. It might be hard to relive the 2016 election, but this four-part documentary on Hulu offers an in-depth look behind the scenes of that disastrous year—including never-before-seen footage of Clinton's campaign. The Fight, produced by Kerry Washington among others and premiering at Sundance, chronicles that courthouse battle and others waged by the ACLU in the years since Trump’s election, including cases regarding the administration’s actions to expel transgender people from serving in the military, roll back voting rights, separate children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border, and prevent detained migrant teens from getting abortions. - IMDb user rating: 8.8 The A.I. Polar bears and penguins are front and center in this high-definition look at life both above and below the ice. And yet, despite the seriousness of the topic, it's entertaining, comprehensive, and also highly educational, especially if you're not familiar with the subject—you'll be surprised how many movies are anti-trans, once you take a good look at them. My Africa – David Allen (2018) | Conservation International – (360 film) | Natural History Nature Documentary on Anatomy of a Hunt: Speed, Strategy and Survival / Nature (2018) Chasing Ghosts – bioGraphic / Eric Bendick (2019) | Natural History Nature Documentary on Crippled Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor) (2014) This sequel to the 2001 BBC series “Blue Planet” takes a second look at the high seas with new technology built especially for the follow-up series. In the next chapter of its "Surviving" series (following Surviving R. Kelly and Surviving R. Kelly II), Lifetime is debuting a new docuseries this summer. It'll be a devastating, but necessary, watch. Often utilized as the go-to expert to explain transgender identity, she uses the documentary as a way to offer the final, hopefully definitive word on the subject. A 2015 cut of the film released on Netflix was produced by celebrity activist Leonardo DiCaprio. - Votes: 3,659 From the makers of "Planet Earth," and narrated by Emmy and BAFTA winner Sir David Attenborough. - IMDb user rating: 8.3 Niall Iain Macdonald and Calum Macaulay explore the Union Canal. Virunga National Park, located in the East Congo, is home to some of the world’s most diverse flora and fauna—including the last remaining community of mountain gorillas. An original score by legendary composer Philip Glass complements the stunning cinematography. Another David Attenborough vehicle, this 2005 BBC documentary exposes the secret lives of insects. Surviving Jeffrey Epstein takes a look at how the former financier was able to get away with his predation for as long as he did, as well as the network that aided, abetted, and profited off his procurement of underaged girls. Today, as the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, Buolamwini works to combat what she calls “the coded gaze” by highlighting algorithmic bias and pushing for the development of more inclusive technology. 3 New (ish) Nature Documentaries You Need to Watch ‘Honeyland’. - Votes: 21,532 Produced by the same team responsible for “Planet Earth” and featuring the venerable David Attenborough, the film goes where many earlier nature documentaries feared to tread, compelling audiences to accept their own role in the destruction of the environment. The BBC’s most expensive nature project, this remarkable 11-part series transported audiences to a panoply of natural habitats spread over 64 different countries. Official White House photographer Pete Souza captured two of the most iconic presidents in history: President Ronald Regan and President Barack Obama. Was it something else entirely? Yes, it's as strange as it sounds. And there's so much more to come. Stacker put together a list of the 30 best nature documentaries of all time, based on IMDb user ratings. Searching ‘Our Planet documentary’ in Google News for instance returns ~13,000,000 articles. In “Before the Flood,” United Nations Messenger of Peace Leonardo DiCaprio takes viewers on a journey around the world, illustrating the threat posed by global warming. From Hillary Clinton and French fries to biopics about '80s girlbands and an Obama-produced film about the disability revolution, these are the documentaries you won’t want to miss this year. In 2018, Maria Ressa, a Filipino-American journalist and cofounder of Rappler, a Manila-based investigative news website, told PBS Frontline about how the government in the Philippines had created a massive propaganda machine to spread misinformation on Facebook, drowning out factual reporting from Ressa and others on corruption and crimes perpetrated by the authoritarian regime of President Rodrigo Duterte. Another inspiring and brutal story, Welcome to Chechnya takes us deep inside anti-LGBTQ persecution in Chechnya and the small group of activists working to save the lives of people in the queer community. - Votes: 23,483 On February 13, 2017, Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was waiting for a flight at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia when two women covered his face with a cloth containing a nerve agent, killing him. You may also like: Rare animals featured in Planet Earth, Our Planet, and other nature documentaries, - IMDb user rating: 8.1 The director envisions what Lee would be doing if he were still alive, including work with young martial artists and potentially a stint in politics. What starts out as an exploration of a close-knit group of people turns into the minute-by-minute documentation of a nation-wide campaign. The series takes us through "making the mat," a.k.a. - IMDb user rating: 8.4 nature documentaries trigger the neurochemicals of happiness, Rare animals featured in Planet Earth, Our Planet, and other nature documentaries, threatens half of the world’s aquatic species with mass extinction, uncomfortable relationship between big agriculture and carbon emissions, Hopi word that translates to “life out of balance, explores human spirituality as it relates to the Earth’s natural rhythms, awe-inspiring aerial landscapes from 54 different countries, high-definition look at life both above and below the ice, A follow up to the 2010 series “Wonders of the Solar System, species of ocean plankton was christened Syracosphaera azureaplaneta in honor of the series, funded by Chinese state broadcasting network China Central Television, Employing the latest technological advances in macrophotography, documentary was pulled from Netflix amidst accusations of faked footage, new technology built especially for the follow-up series, 100 best films of the 21st century according to critics, Most extreme temperatures in the history of every state, States paying the most in car insurance premiums, People who retire comfortably avoid these financial advisor mistakes, Boy bands to top the Billboard charts since 1980. It's an emotional look at how the small screen has played a critical role in the long and arduous journey towards progress. - IMDb user rating: 8.3 Votes: 3,288 It was the first major programme to feature Attenborough. - Votes: 3,627 April 10, 2016 at 10:56 am / BBC documentaries, Evolution, Natural history. - Votes: 22,789 Series 1: Episode 2. But what's so compelling about this Netflix docuseries—beyond the sports component, if that's not your thing—is what an intimate look we get at the former player's life. - IMDb user rating: 8.4 Consideration went to documentaries and single-season documentary miniseries focused on plants, animals, and the environment. Like many documentaries on this list, consider this to be a tough but necessary watch. Highlights include nonagenarian presenter David Attenborough startling an unsuspecting sloth. Directed by Jamie Uys of “The Gods Must Be Crazy” fame, “Beautiful People” (also released as “Animals are Beautiful People”) takes a gentle and frequently humorous look at South African wildlife. A BBC classic presented by natural historian and television personality Sir David Attenborough, “Frozen Planet” focuses on the Arctic and Antarctic—the two regions on the planet at greatest risk from global warming. Celebrity activists, including United Nations Messenger of Peace Leonardo DiCaprio, Laurence Fishburne, and Oprah Winfrey, have also lent their status to the movement, behind the camera as well as in front of it. From “Baraka” filmmakers Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson, this mesmerizing, non-narrative documentary was filmed over a period of five years in over 25 different countries. What does it mean to be alive? It’s “kill or be killed” in this high-stakes BBC series, which casts killer whales and polar bears in a sympathetic light. For a select few, that sanctuary can become a nightmare. Then he changed direction. In case all of your friends haven't already told you about it, the series covers Joe Exotic, the eccentric polygamist musician and presidential candidate who owned and operated a zoo of big cats. 2010, Nature. The Blue Planet (2001) and Blue Planet II (2018). girl band to write, sing, and play their own instruments and rise to worldwide prominence, the Go-Go's have the quintessential "overnight success" narrative—with a twist. Note: some of these releases may change due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rocked by scandal in 2018, the documentary was pulled from Netflix amidst accusations of faked footage. Stars: Alessandra Mastronardi, Samira Wiley, Beren Saat. - Votes: 34,538 - Votes: 6,968 BBC is the king of nature documentaries as you’ll discover below. This channel was generated automatically by YouTube's video discovery system. Director Lana Wilson was along for the ride, following Swift for the highly anticipated documentary premiering on the opening day of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. - IMDb user rating: 9.1 “Racing Extinction” explores the devastating effects of climate change on the world’s oceans. The series is comprised of six episodes which differ from the great artic melt to the great salmon run to the great flood. In recent years, a growing number of filmmakers have used their platform to raise public consciousness about the many threats posed by global warming. New Documentaries 2018 - Unbelievable Nature Places That Really Exist | [BBC Documentary] - YouTube. It's also an intimate look at her life and political career, and features interviews with the Clinton family, journalists, and colleagues. Emmy Award-winning, 11 episodes, five years in the making, the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC, and the first to be filmed in high definition. The brainchild of conservationists and filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, “The Last Lions” plays like a feature film as it chronicles the trials and tribulations of Ma di Tau—a remarkable lioness committed to defending her family in Botswana’s treacherous Okavango Delta. - IMDb user rating: 9.3 - IMDb user rating: 8.2 - Votes: 2,339 Completed with the participation of Bruce Lee's family and friends, Be Water (premiering at Sundance and now an ESPN 30 for 30) looks at the martial arts icon through his philosophy and activism. - Votes: 29,892 Watch now—without signing up. - Votes: 32,068 This documentary, by Outside contributors Kevin Fedarko and Pete McBride, offers two main draws. Winner of the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, “The Cove” sparked outrage among animal activists worldwide as well as a hotly contested backlash against the Japanese fishing community. - IMDb user rating: 8.5 Approximately three-quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered by water—the subject of this riveting eight-part BBC series narrated by David Attenborough, which took home four Emmys and a Peabody Award. The '80s rockstars get candid about the divisions and frustrations within the group, the opportunities and pitfalls of being female breakthrough artists, their breakups (and reconvenings) over the life of the band, and their relationships now. Thirty-six hours after President Donald Trump signed an executive order known as the Muslim ban, lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union emerged from a Brooklyn court house with fists raised triumphantly in the air: They had won the first crucial victory in preventing the order from taking effect. “Africa” takes viewers on an unprecedented journey across the deserts, savannahs, and jungles of this geographically diverse continent. - IMDb user rating: 8.9 Shot entirely in high definition, the final installment highlights climate-related dangers such as rising seas, overfishing, and reef damage. (Image credit: BBC Earth) If you’re interested in nature documentaries, then the BBC have quite the announcement for you. Employing the latest technological advances in macrophotography, “Life in the Undergrowth” raised the bar for wildlife documentary filmmaking. - Runtime: 360 min. Air a' Chanàl/Scotland's Canals . ‘ … Shot using visually superior 70mm film, “Samsara” explores human spirituality as it relates to the Earth’s natural rhythms. - Runtime: 251 min. 12 Family-Friendly Nature Documentaries “March of the Penguins,” “Monkey Kingdom” and more illuminate the wonders of our planet from the safety of your couch. - Votes: 2,834 Planet Earth is definitely somewhere in the hall of fame for best nature documentaries of all time, not just on Netflix. “Human Planet,” another BBC/Discovery project, examines how people survive in some of the most brutal environments on the planet by building relationships with animals. choosing the 20 team members to compete in the finals. The New York Times wonders if she's "the last good rich person.". - Runtime: 100 min. - Runtime: 501 min. - Runtime: 298 min. With the fund's focus on helping incarcerated artists and groups that fight mass incarceration, she's devoted her time, energy, and dwindling money to criminal justice reform. Growing Up Wild. This series is slightly different from the others as it focuses on the natural phenomenon of where animals migrate due to changes in climate or breeding. Alien Reefs. How do we become...human beings? - Runtime: 92 min. University of Manchester physicist Brian Cox contemplates the origins of the universe and the history of man in this cerebral, four-part BBC documentary. - Runtime: 110 min. Diving with Dolphins is the follow-on behind-the-scenes documentary that takes an intriguing look at just how the cinematographers and scientists managed to capture the underwater footage. Was it a group of dreamers who hoped to find a solution to climate change? 15 Best Nature Documentaries to Watch on Netflix Right Now 1 "Our Planet" (2019) 2 "Night on Earth: Shot in the Dark" (2020) 3 "Oceans" (2010) 4 "Chasing Coral" (2017) 5 … Part hidden-camera documentary, part narrative comedy, it's a prank-based project along the lines of Bad Grandpa and Borat, and will undoubtedly result in serious laughs. - Votes: 150,506 My Octopus Teacher. Get Stacker's best stories delivered right to your inbox. With so many nature documentaries, it's next to impossible to get through all of the available content before something new is eventually added. A lot of the life found here can seem very alien at first, they occupy less than 1 percent of the ocean floor but yet are home to more than 25 percent of all marine life. Listen, this Emmy Award–winning Netflix original series is pretty much Nature Documentary 101. - Runtime: 360 min. Assassins, French fries, and Chrissy Teigen—oh my! If world leaders didn’t care about her future on earth, why should she care about school, she reasoned. But since there's already been a ton of coverage and airtime devoted to the topic, it'll also offer coverage beyond the news stories and TV segments. - Votes: 11,847 Stars: David Attenborough, Sigourney Weaver, Thomas Anguti Johnston, Huw Cordey. The documentary is a call to action to protect the environment. - Runtime: 305 min. In 2018, a newly discovered species of ocean plankton was christened Syracosphaera azureaplaneta in honor of the series. facial detection because the software couldn’t detect her dark-skinned face. Using high-definition cameras disguised as rocks, director Louie Psihoyos and his crew exposed the covert and cruel practice of dolphin drive-hunting in Taiji, Japan, whereby schools of dolphins are hoarded into coves, trapped, and killed for profit. - Votes: 17,367 In two news articles (linked at the bottom), they announced 8 new television series about natural history. If you know anything about basketball (or even if you don't), you know something about Michael Jordan.