The world is a massive place, and to be a good traveler is to be observant of many of the wonderful and unique cultures of the world so that we can expand our worldviews and understand this world a little bit more.
One of the downsides of typical travel videos is that they often glorify the experience and rarely show the real world and all the problems that come with it.
To fix that, I have decided to list 7 of my favorite short documentaries that will expand your worldview while shedding light on some of the important problems all around the globe. They offer us a glimpse of things we don't usually see while traveling, in the hope that we will better understand the world and help each other out for the betterment of the world.
After all, isn't that what travel is all about? To expand your worldview, to understand us better, and to make the world a better place in our own ways. Without further ado, let's begin with the first documentary about the only home we have.
- 1. HOME by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
- 2. Vice Guide to Iran by Vice News
- 3. North Korea in the Age of Trump by Vice News
- 4. Why Route 66 Became America’s Most Famous Road by Vox
- 5. Colombia’s Folk Beat Has African Roots by Vox
- 6. Born From Urgency - Faces from the Frontline Against ISIS by Joey L
- 7. REFUGE | Human Stories From the Refugee Crisis by Magna Carta
- Further Reading for Filmmaking
1. HOME by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
"HOME", a documentary by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, is one of the most profound documentaries I have ever watched. Released back in 2008 and made available for free on YouTube, the HOME documentary and its subject matter are still relevant even today.
This 1.5-hour-long documentary started out from the beginning, where nature and living things lived in harmony before humankind started shaping their environment to their own needs.
The film then showed us how our current lifestyle is shaping the planet in an unsustainable way and at an accelerated speed that will make you wonder where our society is rushing to.
With such a depressing picture painted about the world, towards the end of the documentary, the film will leave you on a positive note and offer us hope that has always been the cornerstone of our positive development and innovation.
The cinematography and the soundtrack are also top-notch, and the narration will keep you engaged throughout the entire length of the documentary. One of my favorite quotes from the video has got to be this:
Nothing seems further removed from nature than Dubai, although nothing depends on nature more than Dubai. (36:29)
This is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen, and it sheds light on the problems humanity is currently facing and how much pressure we put on the only home we have; this planet. If you love this world, you will love this documentary.
2. Vice Guide to Iran by Vice News
Vice News is definitely one of the best producers of this kind of content, where they go to places with conflicts you rarely see in the news and report what they experience from the ground, no matter if it is a warzone or extremely restricted countries like Iran.
This one-hour-long Vice Guide to Iran follows Vice founder Suroosh Alvi through Iran as he travels from Tehran to the southern coast to report on the Strait of Hormuz conflict that was brewing at the end of 2019.
Along the way, Suroosh talked to people from all walks of life about the sanctions, how they affected them, and what their thoughts were on the US. You can literally see the fear in these people's eyes when they are about to criticize the government.
One of my favorite moments is when he went and talked to the local heavy metal band based in Tehran called Chaos Descends, and while they were discussing the government's censorship, the documentary started showing all the chaos that descended right after Vice News left the country from the protestors, after another round of Trump sanctions and the COVID-19 chaos. What a way to end a great documentary that shows us the Iran we do not see in the news.
3. North Korea in the Age of Trump by Vice News
Here is another documentary from Vice News where, this time, we go to the hermit kingdom of North Korea in the Age of Trump. During this period, the country was on a charm offensive and appeared to be slowly emerging from its isolation.
Seeing footage from North Korea is already quite mesmerizing. But to see it fully performed during its military parade in celebration of the 70th anniversary of statehood is just unbelievable.
The documentary followed VICE Media founder Shane Smith throughout North Korea as he went on government-sanctioned tours around Pyongyang, while he talked to the locals as well as their counterparts in South Korea, discussing the differences and the ongoing situation between the North and the South, sometimes candidly.
This documentary should give you a glimpse of how complex the conflict is between North and South Korea, as well as with the US, while showing how the government controls what the Western media can and cannot see while they are in the country. It is a must-watch if you want to learn more about the conflict between the two drastically different Koreas.
If you like this kind of content, be sure to check out Vice News' episodic reports on Crimea during the conflict in 2015. Russian Roulette is the series that had me subscribing to Vice News instantly and made me appreciate journalism even more. I mean, Simon Ostrovsky, the reporter, got kidnapped for crying out loud!
4. Why Route 66 Became America’s Most Famous Road by Vox
Let's take this list in another direction and go on a more positive and carefree documentary about why and how Route 66 became America's most famous road.
The documentary followed Vox’s Phil Edwards as he explored the history of the road and the textures of its present, from the road itself to the roadside attractions along the way, to the people who enjoy its diversions and those who help maintain them. It reveals a road that has changed a lot over the decades but remains vital in unexpected ways.
I have always toyed with the idea of doing a road trip along Route 66 when I am in the US, and this video motivates me, even more, to make this plan a reality in the near future. It shows why the road is so iconic, both from the perspective of the travelers and the people who live their entire lives along the route.
If you want to learn about the history of Route 66 or, like me, want to go on a road trip along the route one day, this is a documentary to watch. You can watch more of this kind of video from Vox's series, Almanac, which often asks you interesting questions and takes you on a journey to find the answer.
5. Colombia’s Folk Beat Has African Roots by Vox
Let's watch another documentary from Vox, but this time we follow Johnny Harris as he travels to the northern part of Colombia to find the village where the African sound of Colombian Cumbia was born.
The video will take you on a journey to learn the importance of cumbia, where it all began, how it spread throughout Latin America, and eventually influenced mainstream musicians like Shakira.
If you enjoy local music while you are traveling as much as I do (as you can see from the b-roll videos I often put at the end of my travel videos), you will want to watch this documentary. This documentary is part of the awesome Vox' series called Borders, which I highly recommend you to go and watch for more of this type of content.
6. Born From Urgency - Faces from the Frontline Against ISIS by Joey L
What do you know about Kurdistan and the Kurdish people? We know that they were fighting a war with ISIS in Iraq, and that the US had abandoned them to avoid conflict with another NATO member, Turkey. That is probably the basic information people received from the media, but who are the Kurds exactly? Well, let's find out.
Joey Lawrence, one of the most well-known portrait photographers based in New York, decided to travel to the frontline of a war between ISIS and the Kurdish militants that resided in Shengal, Iraqi Kurdistan.
The video followed him through the rubble of Shengal as he hung out with the Kurdish guerrilla organization that has been fighting for independence for its people scattered all over modern-day Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria since the 1980s.
We often read about these conflicts from the news media, but we rarely see what it is actually like being among the Kurds. This documentary puts faces on an otherwise faceless war, showing the human side of the conflict and the lives these people have to live through during this trying time.
If you do not understand why people flee their home country to seek refuge in other countries, hopefully, this video will give you a glimpse of how difficult it is to live your life in a war zone.
7. REFUGE | Human Stories From the Refugee Crisis by Magna Carta
Now, let's put faces on another conflict that has been dividing the world more and more lately with REFUGE, a documentary that tells human stories from real people on the ground during the refugee crisis, focusing on humanity and hope.
This 20-minute documentary interviews many of the Syrian refugees who were stuck in Greece in 2016 as they ran away from their war-torn country. The documentary goes on to highlight the lives they used to live in their beloved home country of Syria and how it was all taken away from them.
It is a heart-breaking documentary to watch, but if you want to understand the refugee crisis and the humanitarian problems that come with it further, I believe it is important for all of us to be aware of what is happening in this part of the world so that we can all eventually help the world in our own little ways.
Want to take your filmmaking game to the next level? Here are some resources to help you upgrade your work and filmmaking gear:
Further Reading for Filmmaking
Looking for more articles about travel videos and filmmaking? Here are a collection of articles about filmmaking that you might find useful:
- Looking for the best travel videos of all time? Check out 20 Most Creative Travel Videos Of All Time.
- Let’s lose ourselves in a short adventure documentary with these 10 Most Inspiring Short Adventure Documentaries to Watch.
- Looking for drone travel videos for inspiration? Check out my list of the 8 best drone travel videos of all time.
- Looking for the best timelapse and hyperlapse travel videos? 10 Best Timelapse/Hyperlapse Travel Videos to Watch.
- To be a great traveler, you need to learn about the world and see its uniqueness in every culture. To do that, you will have to first expand your worldview. Here are 7 BEST Short Documentaries About The World To Watch.
- Want to learn more about travel filmmaking? Here is A Step-By-Step Guide on How to Make a Travel Video.
- Want to improve your travel filmmaking game? Here are 10 Practical Tips for Making a Great Travel Video.
- Want to know which camera I used for filmmaking? Here is why the Sony A6500 is the best travel camera to get.
- Looking for a fool-proof way to store your travel photos and videos? Here is How I Store My Photos And Videos.
- Looking to buy new filmmaking equipment for your next film? Here is The Ultimate Advanced Travel Filmmaking Gear Guide.
- Not so fond of carrying heavy camera equipment while traveling? Here is The Extremely Lightweight Travel Photography Gear Guide.
- Want to watch my travel videos? Check out our Travel Videos page.
- For all articles about filmmaking, visit Filmmaking Article page.
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