WANT to change the world but aren’t sure where to start? Get inspired by watching one of these documentaries:
1. The Thin Blue Line and Making a Murderer are two documentaries following the cases of men exonerated of the crimes that they were convicted and details how mistakes, misconduct and malintent within the justice system (of the United States’s in these cases) routinely wrongly convicts innocent people. (Bonus: listen to Season 1 of the Serial podcast!)
2. India’s Daughter tells the story of the brutal gang rape and murder of 23-year-old student, Jyoti Singh (aka Nirbhaya), in Delhi in 2012. This case changed Indian laws on sexual assault, redefining the legal definition of rape and implementing stricter punishments for convicted offenders, and galvanised women’s rights activists.
Another documentary based in India, Gulabi Gang, focuses on female empowerment and the fight against gender violence, caste oppression and widespread corruption in Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
3. WASTED! The Story of Food Waste, produced by Anthony Bourdain, features renowned chefs addressing food wastage in the United States, how it contributes to global issues such as hunger and climate change, and innovative solutions from around the world that aim to resolve the problem.
4. Pumzi is a short sci-fi film about a so-called dead world where nature is extinct and people must ration water to survive. If you are interested in water scarcity and conservation, this is a must-watch.
Another nature-focused film, Dirt! The Movie is a documentary that expands on the fertility and living nature of soil and with an aim to reconnect people to the natural world.
Recommend your favourite documentary for social change in the comments below!
