travel documentaries 2023

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Adventures of a Fifty-Something Cubicle Escapee

13 Best Travel Documentaries on Netflix (2023)

These Netflix documentaries about travel will pacify your wanderlust between trips as you explore the world from the comfort of your couch.

Here are some of the best travel documentaries on Netflix in the US as of July 24, 2023. Many are also available in other countries. Watch them while you can, because content disappears as licensing agreements expire.

Also, don’t miss the bonus list of travel documentaries on Amazon Prime below.

Table of Contents

Netflix Travel Documentaries

1. dark tourist.

Netflix meets Vice in this travelogue by New Zealand filmmaker David Farrier, who sets his sights on the world of dark tourism.

From a nuclear lake to a haunted forest, he visits macabre — and sometimes dangerous — tourist destinations around the world.

Countries : Various

2. Street Food: Latin America

Experiencing street food culture is one of the joys of travel. This mouth-watering docuseries travels to Latin America to meet the local stars of street food.

Countries : Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia

3. Street Food: Asia

This inspiring series from the makers of Chef’s Table is as much about the compelling survival stories of these talented street chefs as it is about their signature dishes.

The first season takes the viewer to nine Asian destinations.

Countries : Thailand, Japan, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, and Vietnam

4. Pedal the World

Over the course of one memorable and adventure-filled year, German-born Felix Starck documents his 18,000-kilometer bicycle journey across 22 countries.

The Oscar-nominated heart-rending true story of the rangers risking their lives to save Africa’s most precious national park and its endangered gorillas.

Country: Congo

6. Chef’s Table

Each episode of this Emmy-nominated docuseries visits a different international location for an in-depth interview with one of the world’s most renowned chefs.

Creator David Gelb also directed the critically acclaimed Jiro Dreams of Sushi , and the two productions share a similar emotional and artistic sensibility hallmarked by compelling narratives and mesmerizingly beautiful cinematography.

7. Magical Andes

No English subtitles available for trailer – but you don’t need them to admire the stunning photography

From Argentina to Colombia, this inspiring documentary follows five characters who share their deep connection to South America’s majestic mountains.

Countries: Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia

8. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Chef David Chang brings his trademark irreverent humor and curiosity to Vancouver, Marrakech, Los Angeles, and Phnom Penh as he explores the culture and food accompanied by various celebrity guests.

Countries : Canada, Morocco, US, Cambodia

9. The Trader (Sovdagari)

At only 23 minutes, this award-winning documentary short provides a fascinating and poignant window into impoverished rural life in post-Soviet Georgia.

The camera follows a traveling trader as he sells secondhand goods in exchange for potatoes. Beautiful cinematography that captures the stark Georgian landscape.

Country: Georgia

10. Ugly Delicious

Smart-ass chef David Chang leads his buddies on a mouthwatering, cross-cultural hunt for the world’s most satisfying grub.

Each episode of this highly original show tackles a topic like tacos, pizza, or dumplings, examining its cultural and culinary history and visiting different countries to compare how it’s made.

Warning: Chang can be obnoxious, and racial and political commentary is liberally sprinkled throughout the show, which may not be to everyone’s taste.

11. Period. End of Sentence.

This Oscar-winning documentary short takes us to rural India, where local women fight the stigma surrounding menstruation by manufacturing low-cost sanitary pads.

Country: India

12. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

Based on Samin Nosrat’s best-selling book, this visually stunning series travels to the home kitchens of Italy, the southern islands of Japan, the heat of the Yucatán, and to Berkeley’s Chez Panisse.

Samin’s contagious laugh and genuine passion for cooking inspire as she explores the central principles of what makes food delicious.

Countries: Italy, Japan, Mexico, United States

13. Taco Chronicles

Note: No English subtitles available for YouTube trailer; click to watch subtitled trailer on Netflix Warning: Don’t watch if you’re hungry. Explore the complex histories of the world’s most beloved tacos in this love letter to the iconic handheld food.

Country : Mexico

Travel Documentaries on Amazon Prime

See below for some of the best travel documentaries on Amazon Prime Video. I’ve indicated whether each is free to Prime members or available for rental.

Note that these films may also be found at your local library.

A Map for Saturday

Classic travel documentary that follows a variety of solo budget travelers — from teens to seniors — through 26 countries on four continents.

Young filmmaker Brook Silva-Braga trains his inquisitive lens on backpackers lending a hand to tsunami victims, trekkers forming brief but intense relationships, and fascinating moments of self-discovery and adventure.

Available for rental on Amazon Prime .

This inspiring documentary follows the record-breaking round-the-world voyage of Dutch teen Laura Dekker, youngest person ever to sail around the world alone.

Available for free to Prime members on Amazon Prime.

This beautifully filmed docu follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey to Patagonia of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins, legendary founders of The North Face and Patagonia sportswear and pioneering conservationists.

Along the way Johnson gets shipwrecked off Easter Island, surfs the longest wave of his life, and attempts to climb a Patagonian peak.

Available for free to Prime members on Amazon Prime .

Countries: Mexico, Chile

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About Ingrid

Ingrid left software engineering at age 43 to devote herself to language learning and travel. Her goal is to speak seven languages fluently. Currently, she speaks English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian, and is studying Latin.

Reader Interactions

July 5, 2018 at 3:56 pm

Definitely going to start ploughing my way through some of these before I head off next!! :-)

July 5, 2018 at 10:38 pm

Definitely… Netflix travel shows provide some of my best inspiration! ;)

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23 Binge-worthy Travel Documentaries on Netflix (2024)

By: Author Tracy Collins

Posted on Last updated: April 14, 2024

If you enjoy watching travel shows (whether for inspiration or research) you are in for a treat with this selection of the best travel documentaries on Netflix in 202 4

This eclectic list of Netflix travel documentaries and series will take you across every continent to meet the people, cultures, history and geography, natural wonders and wildlife that make up our beautiful planet.

Chosen by travel bloggers this is a selection of the best travel documentaries available on Netflix around the world.

Please bear in mind that not all these shows may be available on Netflix in your location ! If you would like unrestricted access to 15 Netflix libraries around the world (including Germany/USA/UK) we recommend Surfshark VPN. You only need 1 subscription to cover every gadget in your house. Click here for more information about Surfshark

Taco Chronicles

With surfshark vpn you can, dark tourist, down to earth, grand tours of the scottish islands, expedition happiness.

• Chef's Table

Somebody Feed Phil

Extreme engagement.

• Joanna Lumley's India

Chasing Coral

Magical andes, cuba and the cameraman, jack whitehall travels with my father, restaurants on the edge, tales by light, christiane amanpour: sex & love around the world, the serpent, the dawn wall, my octopus teacher, anthony bourdain: parts unknown, street food series (latin america and asia), more tv shows & movies from countries around the world, 23 best travel documentaries on netflix.

If you didn’t love the idea of eating tacos in Mexico City already, Taco Chronicles will make sure you do! In fact, you’ll discover that there’s even more to authentic Mexican tacos than you ever knew about.

In Taco Chronicles, you’ll go on a taco journey to Mexico City and beyond, to discover the unique types of tacos eaten in Mexico’s various regions and states. The show does start off in Mexico City, with the king of Mexican tacos — the taco al pastor.

From Mexico City, enjoy a virtual Mexican culinary food tour to its neighbouring state of Hidalgo, home of barbacoa (BBQ) tacos. Beyond Central Mexico, this food and travel documentary takes you all over Mexico.

In subsequent episodes of this two-season show, you’ll discover cochinita pibil (slow-roasted suckling pig) tacos in the Yucatan Peninsula, fried fish tacos in Baja California state on the west coast, cabrito (goat) tacos in Northern Mexico, and more.

Places/countries featured – Mexico

Chosen by Shelley of Travel Mexico Solo

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Over recent years, the public’s fascination with dark tourism destinations has boomed. Sites such as Chernobyl and Auschwitz draw in thousands of tourists every year. With so many of the population sharing a fascination for dark history, it is no wonder that so many have tuned into Netflix’s ‘Dark Tourist. 

The show follows journalist David Farrier as he travels around hoping to experience the most macabre destinations that the world has to offer. Farrier’s quest to unearth the morbid takes him to several high profile dark tourism destinations, including the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, on a JFK assassination tour and he even witnesses an exorcism in Mexico City.  

Although Farrier sometimes comes across as a mediocre Louis Theroux, this thought-provoking travel show succeeds in its aim and transports you into the unknown. The result is an interesting series that explores the darker side of life (and death).

Chosen by Sheree   of Winging the World

In the Netflix series Down To Earth , actor Zac Efron and wellness author Darin Olien travel across the globe learning about the wellness and sustainability efforts being made in numerous destinations.

Each of the eight episodes focuses on a different location and aspect of sustainability or personal wellness.

In the first episode, you’ll learn all about harnessing the earth’s energy in Iceland. From there, travel to Paris to see their efforts to reduce bottled water impacts, learn about sustainability in Costa Rica, and nutrition in Sardinia.

Also included in the series are food education in Lima, post-hurricane sustainability in Puerto Rico, London pollution reduction efforts, and Iquitos wellness in the Peruvian Amazon.

In one of the most intriguing segments, they learn about tap water differences from a water sommelier. The series lends a glimpse into some beautiful destinations and what locals are doing to keep them beautiful for decades to come.

Chosen by Samantha of PAonPause.com

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Historian and film-maker Paul Murton brings you on a fascinating journey to many Scottish islands over four seasons. He meets with locals; finds hidden gems; and explores the rich, unique, and sometimes tragic history of each of the islands. 

You may be surprised to find yourself binge-watching this relaxing travel documentary series. You will get caught up in Murton’s contagious curiosity about its people and his great admiration for its beauty. Every episode is filled with stunning scenery. The high production quality and engaging soundtrack heighten the enjoyment of the show. Fans can follow this up with his three other Scottish travel series.  

Queue up, Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands to enjoy some dreamy armchair travel or to gain a deeper understanding of the islands as you plan your trip to Scotland .  

Places featured: Isle of Skye , Islands of Loch Lomond, Hebridean Islands, Orkney Islands, and many more

Contributed by Erica at Trip Scholars

Expedition Happiness is a home movie/travelogue that follows the story of a German couple as they give up their life in Germany to do an epic road trip in the Americas with their dog Rudi.

The couple, whose names are Selima and Felix, purchased a yellow school bus in Florida for 9500 USD. After working on it for three months, they transformed it into their “Loft on Wheel”, a comfortable, spacious, and well-equipped adventure bus. 

The itinerary was to start in Alaska near Denali National Park , drive all the way down to Central America, cross over to South America, and finish in Argentina.

On their adventure, they documented all the incredible landscapes they saw, the people they met, and more.

Whether they were able to finish their epic adventure or not, you will have to find out on Netflix! 

Chosen by Sean of Living out Lau

Chef’s Table

Even if you’re not a foodie but love to travel, be sure to watch Chef’s Table on Netflix. This documentary series features renowned Chefs from around the world who are creating inspired culinary experiences.

Now in its 6th season with 30 episodes, the series doesn’t just showcase a chef’s creations, but takes you on a journey through each of their personal stories that has led to their creativity.

World renowned chefs like Italy’s Massimo Bottura will inspire you with how he came from humble beginnings to being on the world culinary stage. But one chef in particular has inspired us to travel for her food — Chef Ana Rôs, owner of  Hiša Franko restaurant  in Kobarid, Slovenia. 

After initially pursuing a career track in business, she spent years honing her craft and experimenting with the local foods of her native Slovenia. Today, she is now one of the top chefs in the world, Hiša Franko is one of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World and newly Michelin-rated — and our dinner there on my birthday might possibly be the best meal of my life.

Watch the series and decide where your next culinary adventure will be.

Chosen by Lori of travlinmad.com

In “Somebody Feel Phil”, the creator of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” Phil Rosenthal, travels the world to indulge in the scrumptious local cuisine and to learn more about the culture of these destinations.

There are currently four seasons on Netflix and each episode features a different city around the world. This documentary does a great job of portraying local customs and traditions and viewers will feel like they’re actually in that city with the locals.

Phil has a childlike wonder to him when he’s learning about the different cultures and he answers basically any potential questions the viewers could have about the destination. One of the best parts about the documentary is watching Phil turn the strangers he meets into his family. 

Places featured – Bangkok, Saigon, Tel Aviv, Lisbon, New Orleans, Mexico City, Venice , Dublin, Buenos Aires, Copenhagen, Cape Town, New York City, Marrakesh, Chicago, London, Seoul, Montreal, Rio De Janeiro, San Francisco, Singapore, the Mississippi Delta, and Hawaii. 

Chosen by Disha of Disha Discovers

While most people get engaged and then begin planning their perfect wedding, Tim and PJ, stars of the Netflix show Extreme Engagement, do anything but that. Instead, Tim and PJ get engaged and then set out on a worldwide exploration of marital traditions around the world. 

The couple journeys to places such as Mongolia, Brazil, China, Nigeria, and Papua New Guinea facing challenging experiences along the way that has them questioning their relationship and each other. 

You get to see a glimpse inside the cross-cultural challenges associated with a new romance along with an interesting insight into how other cultures celebrate love and marriage. 

Chosen by Michelle Snell from That Texas Couple

International travellers Scott Wilson and Justin Lukach cross the world and push their limits on an expedition to find genuine, unforgettable experiences.

DEPARTURES is an international award-winning and inspiring television travel series that will take you on the journey of a lifetime and beyond. From epic landscapes to unforgettable culture, learn what it takes to make it all happen through personal successes, crushing disappointments and memorable new friendships that could only be made by travelling abroad.

With two episodes for every continent, DEPARTURES will arm and reassure your wanderlust with hours of riveting programming that captures the beauty, drama, wonder and humor of taking a leap abroad.

DEPARTURES covers every aspect of world travel, showing you exactly what to expect at destinations around the globe. From beaches in Bali and cruising in the South Pacific Islands, to trekking on Mt Kilimanjaro and sailing up icebergs off Greenland, DEPARTURES takes you straight into a location’s unique atmosphere… giving viewers insight into a whole new way of life.

Places featured – Nearly 30 countries around the world including Japan, New Zealand and Russia

Chosen by Casandra of Karpiak Caravan Adventure Family Travel

Joanna Lumley’s India

Joanna Lumley is a British actress probably most well-known for her role as the outrageous Patsy of Absolutely Fabulous. What is perhaps less known about her is that she was born in Kashmir, India, in 1946, and the descendent of British colonists in India going back to 1777.

Originally aired in 2017 with three episodes, Joanna Lumley’s India takes viewers on a personal trip across the country where she explores modern India and finds connections to members of her own family and the experience of being and speaking English in India .

Lumley has also hosted travel shows on Japan, the Silk Road, the Caribbean, and the Trans-Siberia express train.

Places featured:  Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Gujarat, Mumbai, Ranthambhore National Park, Delhi, and Srinagar, Kashmir.

Chosen by Mariellen of Breathedreamgo

Chasing Coral is a fascinating documentary about the disappearance of coral around the world. In this chasing coral, a team of divers, researchers and photographers set out on an ocean adventure to document the bleaching of Coral in warming seas. This phenomenon is when corals lose their beautiful and vibrant colors to become white, dying shortly after. 

The point of this documentary is to show that the coral’s death is the result of climate change and the rise in temperatures that are absorbed by the oceans. 

The documentary takes us to some of the most beautiful destinations in the world such as the Florida Keys, Hawaii and the Bahamas. More than that, this documentary also shows the important damage climate change has done to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. 

I definitely recommend this documentary to anyone who wants to really understand the impact of human activity on the ocean’s ecosystem. 

Chosen by Camille from Everything Yoga Retreat

Magical Andes is one of the best travel documentaries on Netflix if you are looking to learn about the natural gems of South America. When searching amongst the 100’s of other documentaries you’ll find this particular docuseries created by Luis Ara and Alexandra Hardorf concentrates solely on the magical landscape of the Andes mountain range. 

This docuseries not only shows you all about the longest continental mountain range in the world, but talks about the wildlife, lakes, and forests, deserts, volcanoes, and other Mother Earth creations that exist in that region. 

Magical Andes focuses on truly stunning imagery and gives you a look into some of the  best places to visit in South America  that you simply wouldn’t see passing through in a car.

Places featured  – In season one, the Netflix documentary features spectacular views from Argentina and Chile. Then from the Aconcagua desert in Bolivia over to some of the more ancient cultures in Peru. The lush mountain of Colombia and Ecuador are also featured.

Chosen by Daniel of LayerCulture.com

If you’ve ever thought of visiting Cuba there are many Cuban movies and documentaries to help you to research your trip, but none are as epic as this one. 

Many people believe that Cuba is a country frozen in time, but this Netflix documentary features Jon Alpert’s travels to Cuba over a span of nearly five decades. 

And while the relationships between the United States and Cuba has been fragmented at times, he visited each time as an American journalist. It starts in 1970s, just over a decade since the Cuban revolution when the country was thriving. 

Instead of giving his perspective on Cuba, he interviews three families who share their own stories of every day life. He continues to visit Cuba to find these families to update their stories. Over the decades the political situation and relationship with the United States changes quite dramatically.

And while he also interviews Fidel Castro, most of the film is really about everyday Cubans and their highs and lows.

Chosen by Ayngelina of Baconismagic.ca

Jack Whitehall is a British comedian who attended private school and has a somewhat disjointed relationship with his father Michael because of this. Jack also never got to take a gap year before going to university so season one of Travels with my Father is all about Jack finally embarking on a traditional ‘gap year’ trip to Southeast Asia. The twist is he takes his father with him so they can strengthen their bond.

The series takes place in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam and highlights some of the gap year activities that can be done including full moon parties on the beach and visiting Angkor Wat. By the end of their travels, they reflect on what they have learned about each other and themselves.

The show continues in a similar fashion in the subsequent seasons where Michael takes Jack on a culture and history tour around Europe, Jack shows Michael everything the US has to offer, and both his mother and father join him for a road trip in Australia.

Chosen by Steph from Book It Let’s Go!

If you love travel, design and food, Restaurants on the Edge needs to be on your Netflix list. In each episode, the show highlights a restaurant in a stunning location. 

The restaurants get a makeover from a design expert and the menu often gets an upgrade from the show’s chef, the goal is to take struggling restaurants and make them sustainable for the business owners. 

There are currently two seasons of Restaurants on the Edge on Netflix, with locations throughout the world. 

In season one, you’ll be treated to beautiful ocean views in Malta, as well as stunning architecture. The views continue with a cliff side restaurant in Costa Rica. 

Season two will take you around the world again, with restaurants in Finland, St. Croix and Arizona. 

Not only is it fun to see the upgrades these restaurants go through, but it’s also inspiring to see the impact the changes have on each person’s life making this show a must-watch. 

Chosen by Alenis of seasaltandfog.com  

If you are a fan of Italy, Italian art and History, then watch the gorgeous and surprisingly brutal history of the famous Medici’s of Florence.

The Netflix show is so well done with gorgeous cinematography, beautiful costumes and stage settings. The show includes all the surrounding countryside and historic sites that document the Medici Family and their major influence on Florence, Venice, and even Rome (two popes were related to the Medici family).

It also showcases early Catholic power and greed. The Pope had absolute power and a religious mission that seemed corrupt whichever person was Pope and ruler. 

The Medici focus really hits the major sites of the city and also the start of the Renaissance period in Italy. The crowning of the main dome in the cathedral was a major achievement during this time frame and it was really fascinating to see how this was depicted and shown in development and the struggles of the Medici family to get this undertaking done.

Also, it was interesting to see how easy it was during that time frame to create wealth and also lose it depending on your affiliations and business relationships with the pope and other influential rulers of that time.

Watch the Medici’s on Netflix and if you visit Florence, you’ll gain a better understanding of the Medici fame and fortune in the area.

Chosen by Noel of Oahu Travel Now

Below Deck is a series of reality TV shows. Each show is set on a luxury yacht which is rented out by wealthy charter guests, but the real action is with the young yacht crew, or yachties, who serve them, the characterful captains who lead them and the stunning locations. The original Below Deck was so successful that it rapidly gained two spin offs, Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck Sailing Yacht.

The original Below Deck saw the crew sail around Sint Maarten in the Caribbean, followed by seasons in the British Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands, Tahiti, Thailand and Antigua.

Below Deck Mediterranean’s locations have included Mykonos in the Greek Islands, Split and Cavtat in Croatia, the Amalfi Coast in Italy, the Cote d’Azur in the south of France and Mallorca in Spain’s Balearic Islands. Below Deck, Sailing Yacht has only had one series, set in Corfu.

Contributed by Helen of HelenOnHerHolidays.com

The documentary series “Tales by Light” follows renowned professional filmmakers and photographers as they visit worldwide destinations and capture fascinating content which highlights different features of the natural world. 

Every episode focuses on a different subject such as wildlife, the oceans, landscapes, adventure activities, or cultural practices and traditions. The distinct approaches of the featured photographers really help to bring the stories to life and this program presents many less well-known countries and regions in a compelling way using panoramic landscapes and stunning visuals. 

The first season explores multiple destinations per episode, with visits to Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Alaska and Colorado in the United States, Vanuatu, the Himalayas, Antarctica, Ethiopia and Uganda.

The second season covers Kenya, Norway, Brazil, the Bahamas, India and Namibia, and the third season highlights Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Australia.

This series presents a journey across the globe and is sure to inspire travellers who are looking for their next adventure.

Contributed by Claire from  Claire Pins Travel  

In this cultural travel show, CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour (who in the past has covered major stories from countries like  Iran , Rwanda, and Pakistan) travels to six different cities around the world to explore women’s love lives across multiple cultures. She talks to experts in the field as well as everyday people — revealing facts and details that give a very insightful glimpse into the culture and values of women around the world. 

Christiane is a natural at asking just the right questions and at shining a spotlight on the stories of the women in each city.

While this show focuses heavily on love and sex, viewers will get to learn a whole lot about the overall mentality and life approach of each country — making this a perfect travel show that fosters deeper cultural appreciation.

Places featured – Tokyo (Japan), Delhi (India), Beirut (Lebanon), Berlin (Germany), Accra (Ghana), Shanghai (China)

Chosen by Jiayi of The Diary of A Nomad

Released at the beginning of 2021, The Serpent is not a travel show in and of itself, but it will inevitably allure travelers into visiting the many places explored by the main characters.

Aired on Netflix, the series tells the real story of Charles Sobhraj, a French serial killer of Indian and Vietnamese origins who in the mid-1970s drugged, robbed and killed a large number of backpackers travelling between Thailand, India and Nepal. 

Sobhraj and his Quebecoise girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc were finally identified as the authors of the crimes thanks to the work of Dutch diplomat Herman Knippenberg, who, albeit the many reservations of the Dutch ambassador to Thailand, set to investigate the disappearance of a Dutch couple and through a series of lead eventually managed to uncover the culprits.

Places featured: Over the course of 8 episodes you will be taken to Bangkok, the coast of Thailand, the peaks of Nepal, the streets of several Indian cities and even to Paris .

Chosen by Claudia Tavani of My Adventures Across The World

When Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson free climbed the Great Wall of the El Capitan rock face in the Yosemite National Park in 2018, the news spread like wildfire.

Dawn Wall is a US documentary about this story of perseverance and adventure.

Cameras follow these legendary free climbers as they undertake this nearly impossible task. It took Cadwell 7 years to reach the goal and we are given a detailed look into the events that led to this decision and the struggles that were involved throughout the journey.

There’s one constant theme that runs throughout the story and that is the strength of the human spirit.

This captivating documentary with great visuals should not be missed. The documentary is in English, but subtitles are available in different languages that include Spanish, French, and Chinese. 

Places featured : Yosemite National Park

Chosen by Rai from A Rai of Light

My Octopus Teacher is an award-winning and very heart-touching documentary on Netflix that covers how a filmmaker spent a year trying to capture a wild octopus on camera and also form a friendship with it. 

For about a year, Craig Foster films a wild octopus he came across while trying out free-diving through an underwater kelp forest in South Africa.

Over the period, Craig and the octopus develop a bond with the octopus almost showing Craig around and not being uninhibited by his presence as he follows it.

Craig watches as it protects itself, loses an arm to an attack and then regrows it too. At the end of the documentary, the octopus naturally passes away after mating and trying to protect its eggs. 

Filmed entirely near Cape Peninsula in South Africa, this beautiful documentary is not to be missed as it covers an offbeat relationship between man and nature. 

Places featured – A kelp forest off False Bay near Simon’s Town in South Africa

Chosen by Lavinia of Continent Hop

For the foodies of the world, who travel the world, and are strident realists about the world, “Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” is an absolute must-watch.

Rugged, painfully honest, internationally renowned chef Anthony Bourdain travelled the globe in search of authentic food, people and life experiences. With no time for nonsense and all the time in the world for simple food done to perfection, he takes the viewer to eating establishments from tiny street food stalls to the finest of fine dining.

In his search for amazing food in amazing places, he guides you from the brutality of the Bornean jungle to the madness of Seoul’s foodie nightlife and the pure joy of a perfectly cooked steak in an Argentinian steakhouse accompanied by a glass of locally bottled Malbec. 

Parts Unknown leaves you an appetite for dinner and a bigger one for travel. Wanderlust is baked into every episode.

Chosen by Rosie of the Flying Fluskeys

The Street Food series is one for foodie lovers around the world to enjoy! Each episode follows the story of a local chef and how they started their now-famous street food shops.

From family restaurants to cultural fusions, you learn about a destination through food from the people who make it possible.

Volume one takes place in various Asian destinations, such as Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore, Delhi (India), Seoul (South Korea), and others.

The second volume takes place in Latin America, highlighting food in Salvador (Brazil), Bogota (Colombia), Lima (Peru), Oaxaca (Mexico), and more.

It is a delicious docuseries that will keep you salivating and also inspire you to understand how food and travel are one. Street Food will also encourage you to get out of your comfort zone if you normally avoid street food!

It is the ideal blend of travel and food for everyone to indulge in from home.

Chosen by Sojourner of Sojournies.com

📺 If you are looking for more travel inspiration on Netflix check out these posts:

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• 10 best movies about South Africa to watch before you visit
• Best Netflix series set in Denmark
• 15 best Scandinavian & Nordic Noir Netflix series you can’t miss
• Best French series on Netflix

📖 If you enjoy reading about a country before you visit check out these posts

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30 Best Travel Documentaries & Series To Watch

• by Jonny Duncan
• October 20, 2023 December 7, 2023

We all need a bit of travel inspiration and these are some of the best travel documentaries that will give you some wanderlust, and understanding, of the regions of the world involved.

These are my favourite travel documentaries and series that have inspired my travels.

Disclaimer: I own none of the images in this post, they are used under fair-usage terms to discuss the travel documentaries.

Himalaya With Michael Palin (2004)

Michael Palin is my all-time favourite travel presenter, writer, and hell, just an awesome person in general and his travel documentaries are some of the best you can watch.

His sense of humour, interest in the places he visits, how he interacts with the local people, and the way he presents himself is what makes this travel journey one of the best.

Add to that epic Himalayan scenery and adventure and you have the perfect combination for the best travel documentary.

You can watch it here as well as some of his other travel documentaries.

The Endless Summer (1966)

Surfs up! And also lots of fun, fun, fun, in the sun.

Set in the mid-sixties it follows two surfers from California as they travel around the world, including countries like South Africa, Australia, and Ghana, in search of the ‘perfect wave’. 

It’s very laid back to watch and entertaining and a good insight into surfer travels in the sixties.

I would love to hit up some of the waves they found! If you want one of the best travel documentaries based around surfing and beaches then watch this.

Watch it online here .

Encounters at the End of the World (2009)

Want some cold weather viewing, beautiful scenery in the vast expanse of Antarctica, and some fun with scientists? This is it.

Filmmaker Werner Herzog tackles this perfectly, exploring the desolate and vast wilderness of Antarctica around the US base of McMurdo Station, and the people who live and work there.

This will make you want to go to a remote and cold place.

Watch it here .

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (2013 – 2018)

Anthony Bourdain was one of my travel heroes. He died in 2018. His style of reporting and meeting the people he visits around the world and coming together around a common theme worldwide, food, brought a personal approach to the travel genre.

Parts Unknown is one of the best travel documentaries to watch for food. 

The other series with Anthony Bourdain exploring world cuisine, such as No Reservations is also worth watching.

See it on Netflix here .

Under An Arctic Sky (2017)

This is a short travel documentary coming in at only 40 minutes, but worth the watch for sure.

I had been recommended this by a fellow travel blogger and was glad about it.

It’s beautifully shot in Iceland in winter, following a group of surfers looking for (as usual) the perfect waves. 

But a storm comes through during this time and they have to outrun it.

The first time surfers have been filmed under the Northern Lights.

This has made me want to return to Iceland again to explore more of the country in the Arctic darkness.

See what it’s like surfing under the Northern Lights !

Sahara With Michael Palin (2002)

Yes, another Michael Palin travel documentary. I can’t help it his journeys are just so good.

This time he’s out exploring the Sahara Desert, getting into remote adventures with tribal nomads, and so much more.

This will inspire you for a desert adventure.

Watch the epic Sahara journey here .

180° South (2010)

180° South follows Jeff Johnson, an adventurer who travels across South America to Patagonia to visit the places that Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins had visited in 1968, two people who had inspired him.

Easily one of the best travel documentaries about South America to see.

Chasing Coral (2017)

Chasing Coral is a documentary for anyone interested in the ocean and, given the title, especially coral reefs.

It follows scientists and divers who explore the coral areas to see why they are disappearing and to explain it all to you. A good conservationist documentary as well as one for travel to these beautiful parts of the world.

Billy Connolly’s World Tour of Australia (1996)

Billy Connolly is one of the great all-time stand-up comedians.

He also travels a lot and his ‘world tour’ series has taken him to lots of different countries around the world, with Australia being the best.

It’s a combination of him exploring Australia and what is there, with a great sense of humour for everything, as well as some short clips of his stand-up performances in each area he visits with views and opinions about his experience in Australia.

A must-see travel documentary for anyone interested in Australia with a very amusing outlook on travel there.

It ain’t cheap but if you’re a Billy Connolly fan, or want to give a gift to someone who is, this is the Billy Connolly box set of all his world tours.

Dark Tourist (2018)

For some people (myself included) there’s a strange and weird fascination with some of the ‘darker’ tourist spots to visit and dark tourism has become more popular.

From nuclear disaster zone tours to death-worshipping cults, this travel documentary covers them all.

It can be disturbing given the tragedy behind some of the events, but it is history, and it is part of humanity. 

To escape the ‘normal’ tourist spots this will give you an idea of an alternative travel experience.

Right or wrong it is fascinating.

See it on Netflix .

Given (2016)

This is such a unique and refreshing take on a travel documentary as it’s narrated by a six-year-old boy.

It follows a family from Kauai (part of Hawaii) on a journey through 15 countries around the world.

This a really good insight into family travel and the life-teaching experiences travel can have on young children.

Watch their website for the documentary.

Stephen Fry In America (2009)

Stephen Fry is one of my favourite comedians and in this travel series, he travels across the U.S. in search of what makes America.

Just like Billy Connolly and Michael Palin, there is lots of humour involved.

It gives a great insight into American culture.

This is one of the best travel documentaries to watch if planning a trip to the United States. 

Watch here .

The Eagle Huntress (2016)

One of those interested in Central Asia travel, this documentary is about a 13-year-old Kazakh girl called Aisholopan who wants to be an eagle hunter, the first female in her family for twelve generations to do it.

Beautiful scenery and an inspiring story make this a spellbinding travel documentary to watch.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2010)

Have an interest in sushi and Japanese food? Then this is the ultimate travel documentary for you.

It follows an 85-year-old sushi master called Jiro Ono and how he makes some of the best sushi in the world and tries to teach his son the way and the family business.

It’s one of the best documentaries about Japan to watch.

Baraka (1992)

Out of all the travel documentaries, this is one of the older ones but it has aged well. It’s also one of the most beautiful travel documentaries to watch.

The tagline is “A world beyond worlds”, and after watching it you will see why.

There is no narrative, just epic films from all over the world showing natural environments, cities and everything else.

Personally, I remember watching this in the 90s and being inspired to see the places it showed.

Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (2010)

Happy People: A Year in the Taiga is another Werner Herzog travel documentary that is absolutely brilliant if you have an interest in cold places and Siberia in particular.

It follows the people in a remote village in the Siberian Taiga region and shows the repeated way of life in how they deal with living in a harsh cold environment. It includes footage of some of the native Ket people as well.

Tawai: A Voice From The Forest (2017)

Out of all the travel documentaries, this is one of the best ones taking a look at indigenous people around the world.

Adventurer Bruce Parry explores the forests of the Amazon and Borneo, as well as the Isle of Skye in Scotland where he looks at the ways the native people get on with the nature around them.

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin (2019)

Nomad is yet again another one with Werner Herzog and this time it’s a much more personal one.

His good friend Bruce Chatwin, who was a well-known travel writer, died of AIDS in 1989 he left Werner his rucksack as a parting gift. Thirty Years after his death Werner heads out to explore places inspired by his friend’s travel life.

Maidentrip (2013)

Maidentrip will make you want to get a yacht and go on an adventure around the world! It’s about a 14-year-old sailor who leaves home for a 2-year journey around the world alone to become the youngest person to ever achieve such a task.

This is one of the best travel documentaries not just about yachting and boats but also about the determination of the human spirit to achieve something great.

Travel Man (2015 Onwards)

Travel Man is a great travel documentary series where each episode host Richard Ayoade visits a new city with a different celebrity to explore what the city has to offer in the way of tourist attractions and other things.

Lots of fun to watch and one of the best recent travel documentaries to see.

Fishpeople (2017)

Fishpeople is a group of stories about various individuals who have dedicated their lives to the sea. It includes a long-distance swimmer, surfers, and many more.

This is one to watch if you have an interest in anything related to life with the ocean.

Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands (2013 – 2016)

If you love Scotland or really want to go there then this is the ultimate Scottish travel series for you. The presenter is Paul Murton and he explores all around the Scottish Isles.

He also has other shows such as the Grand Tour of Scotland and Grand Tour of Scotlands Lochs. He really gets into the culture of Scotland.

Backpackingman note: I am of Scottish ancestry with my great-grandfather being a proper Scotsman from Aberdeen and I have visited Scotland a few times now and can highly recommend this series.

Rick Steves’ Europe (2000 – Onwards)

Rick Steves’ Europe is one of the longest-running travel documentary series out there, if not the longest.

Given the title of the show, it follows Rick as he travels around Europe showing everything the place has to offer. The series from 2018 focuses on Scotland so goes nicely with the Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands mentioned above.

Desert Runners (2013)

Desert Runners is the ultimate documentary about people who run in some of the harshest environments and in this case the desert.

But the twist to this story is that it explores a group of people who join the hardest ultra-marathon race series on the planet and none of them are professional runners.

Watch this one if you have an interest in deserts and running.

Down To Earth (2020)

Down To Earth is a travel documentary series on Netflix that follows actor Zac Efron to different parts of the world where he looks at the sustainability efforts of each destination.

For example, in Iceland, he learns about the efforts to use the natural energy of Earth for power.

Magical Andes (2020 – Onwards)

Magical Andes a travel documentary series is set in South America and takes a look at the Andes Mountain range, from the mountains themselves to the deserts, forests, and everything else that surrounds them

Highly recommended if you’ve ever wanted to visit South America and in particular the Andes region.

Expedition Happiness (2017)

Expedition Happiness follows a couple who get an old school bus and then drive throughout North America with their dog.

The couple is so lovely it’s worth watching just to see them and their life.

Free Solo (2018)

Free Solo follows Alex Honnold, a professional rock climber, as he attempts to be the first person to free solo climb El Capitan’s rock face.

It’s set in Yosemite National Park and is thrilling to watch not just for the action but also for the scenery. Watch this documentary if you are interested in mountain travel and rock climbing as a sport.

The Dawn Wall (2017)

Following on from Free Solo, The Dawn Wall is also set in Yosemite National Park, and this time follows Tommy Caldwell, a free climber, who tried to climb the Dawn Wall of El Capitan.

As with Free Solo, watch this one for mountains.

Mountain (2017)

The Mountain is one of the best travel documentaries about mountains and is breathtaking to watch.

It explores mountains around the world and tells at the same time the history between humans and mountains.

Notable Mention: BBC Planet Earth 1+2 (2006 + 2016)

The BBC Planet Earth series is absolutely beautifully filmed and epic to watch.

In each episode, they explore different parts of the planet, such as deserts, mountains, oceans, forests, etc.

There are also other travel documentaries by the BBC, like The Blue Planet, Frozen Planet, and a lot more. Each one shows a different side of our planet.

These will get you wanting to get out and see the world!

The Best Travel Documentaries

And that’s the list of the best travel documentaries that will hopefully give you some inspiration for your own travels.

Interested in more travel-related movies? Check out 10 movies to watch before travelling to Japan .

You can find some of the older travel documentaries on places like YouTube. In fact, YouTube is a great place to find new and old travel documentaries in general.

And for some travel reading 20 books to read set in the Arctic and Antarctic .

If you liked this article about the best travel documentaries a share would be appreciated :

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Hi Jonny, this is Christian from Germany I pic you up from Zagreb 2008 and we travel to Germany by car. Later I visit you in Amsterdam. My speciality is Africa. Like to contact you again cause I cannot find you anymore on Couchsurfing. May I ask for your PM adress? see you Christian

Dark Tourist is the best part of this post ..

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The 25 Best Documentaries of 2023 (So Far)

From hard-hitting historic stories to bombshell moments in pop culture.

Sometimes, when the mind-numbing cattiness of The Real Housewives gets old, it's nice to turn on something that gets the ole noggin' spinning—something you'll enjoy watching that teaches you something new. Enter: The year's best documentaries. As with the best documentaries of 2022, these are the series and films that will garner your full attention with real-life stories from the past and present day. 2023's slate of awe-inspiring titles has a little something for everyone, from insightful sports stories to pop culture bombshells. Get ready to add these new documentaries to your watchlist.

'Sometimes When We Touch'

Premieres : Out now on Paramount+

This music doc chronicles the mostly-untold story of soft rock, the genre whose artists dominated pop music worldwide in the 1970s—think The Carpenters, Barry Manilow, "The Pina Colada Song"—only to crash and burn in the 1980s. The pioneers of the rock/pop sound chronicle the rise and fall, as well as one of the most unlikely comebacks in music history.

'Break Point' 

Premieres: Out now on Netflix 

Sports lovers and tennis fans especially are sure to love Netflix's new docuseries, Break Point . This series follows up-and-coming tennis stars over a year as they train and compete their way across the globe in the hopes of becoming the sport's number one player.  

'Super League: The War for Football'

Premieres: Out now on Apple TV +

It turns out there's a lot of tension behind the scenes of the world's most popular sport. Over four episodes, this series follows what happens when plans for a breakaway soccer league emerge. Leaders of the sport are forced to decide whether that want to defend or upend soccer's long-held traditions. 

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'The 1619 Project' 

Premieres: Out now on Hulu

Brought to you by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole-Hannah Jones and the New York Times Magazine, this docuseries isn't your average history lesson. This six-part series places the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the forefront of our nation's history.  

'Pamela: A Love Story' 

Premieres: Out now on Netflix

We all become extra obsessed with the story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee thanks to Hulu's Pam & Tommy, but Anderson herself is taking back her own narrative in this documentary. In her own words and personal videos, Anderson tells the story of her rise to fame from small town girl to international sex symbol. 

'The Reluctant Traveler' 

Premieres: Out now on Apple TV+

When you can't afford to trot across the globe, the next best thing is to watch someone else do it on TV. This travel series sees Schitt's Creek star Eugene Levy explore some incredible places including Japan, Portugal, Maldives, Finland, and more. Knowing Levy, the series' eight episodes are sure to be filled with dry jokes and funny situations. 

'Emergency NYC'

Premieres : Out now on Netflix

First responders have one of the most demanding jobs in the world, and many who don't work in the industry only have a faint idea of everything they face. This docuseries following several frontline medical professionals in NYC as they balance their intense work with their personal lives.

'Little Richard: I Am Everything'

Premieres : Out now on VOD

In this electric documentary, Lisa Cortés lays out the history of the early rock 'n' roll star's career and inescapable influence, peppering footage of his performances and speeches with appearances from artists including Mick Jagger and Billy Porter.

'Longest Third Date'

Imagine: you meet a cool guy, decide to go one a spontaneous trip with him... and a pandemic hits while you're in another country. This doc follows Khani Le and Matt Robertson as they find their way to love while stranded in Costa Rica in the early days of COVID.

'Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie'

Premieres : Out now on Apple TV+

This captivating documentary about the Back to the Future star tells the story of his career and his experiences learning to live with Parkinson's disease, with the actor opening up about keeping his health condition secret for years.

'Bama Rush'

Premieres : Out now on Max

In August 2021, #BamaRush took over Tik Tok, as millions of grown adults became deeply invested in whether potential new members were admitted into sororities at the University of Alabama . Filmed ahead of 2022's rush, this doc follows several PNMs in the year leading up to the process, in an exploration of Southern fraternity culture, and how far people will go for acceptance.

'The Deepest Breath'

In this documentary about the dangerous world of free diving, director Lauren McGann follows the early lives and careers of Italian free diver Alessia Zecchini, who's determined to break the world record, and Irish safety diver Stephen Keenan, who accompanies Zecchini partway down to help in case something goes wrong.

'The League'

This nuanced sports documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Sam Pollard tells the history of the Negro League, and the triumphs and challenges that the Black baseball players faced throughout the first half of the twentieth century.

'Kokomo City'

D. Smith's award-winning documentary profiles four Black trans sex workers in Atlanta and NYC—Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell, and Dominique Silver—as they tell the stories of their lives and their work in all their unfiltered, humorous, and stunning glory.

'Stephen Curry: Underrated'

Even if you're not a fan of basketball, you'll be able to appreciate Stephen Curry's coming-of-age story. From his time as a college player to a four-time NBA champion, this film documents Curry's rise to stardom with intimate cinéma vérité, archival footage, and on camera interviews. 

'King Coal'

Premieres : Out now in theaters

This acclaimed, poetic documentary follows the families who live and grow up in Central Appalachia's coal mining towns, as director Elaine McMillion Sheldon examines the coal industry’s history and influence on the region she calls home.

This three-hour doc from French director Claire Simon offers an emotional study of the diverse patients at the gynecological unit of a Paris hospital. As the film documents the various procedures in the ward—ranging from pregnancy consultations and deliveries to fertility and cancer treatments to gender-affirming care—it provides a compassionate look at the frontlines of gender-related healthcare.

'The Heart of Invictus'

The long-awaited docuseries about Prince Harry 's Invictus Games has finally landed on streaming, as it chronicles the players and production behind the annual sporting event for wounded, injured, and sick veterans and members of the armed services internationally.

'Invisible Beauty'

Fashion trailblazer Bethann Hardison co-directs this highly-anticipated doc about her own legacy of championing racial diversity in the modeling industry, with commentary from the countless models and stars she has inspired, including Naomi Campbell, Tyson Beckford, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Zendaya .

'The Super Models'

This four-part docuseries brings together four of the world's most iconic supermodels—Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington—to reminisce on the early days of their career and the behind-the-scenes events that the public did not see.

'Beyond Utopia'

This engrossing documentary on North Korean defectors follows the harrowing journey of the Roh family as they journey from their home country to Thailand, via footage captured by the family as well as operatives on the underground network which helped them escape.

Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone will be the subject of a retrospective documentary covering his decades-long career, showing the parallel between his personal underdog story and the iconic characters he's brought to life,  Rocky to  Rambo .

'Stamped from the Beginning'

Premieres : November 20 on Netflix

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s 2016 New York Times- bestselling book is getting a feature documentary adaptation. Propelled by vivid animation and commentary from leading female academics and activists including Dr. Angela Davis and Dr. Jennifer L. Morgan, the doc will guide viewers through a comprehensive account of how racist tropes were developed and enshrined in American culture.

'20 Days in Mariupol'

Premieres : November 21 on PBS

After a year's worth of hype from its decorated film-festival run, Mstyslav Chernov's Pulitzer Prize-winning documentary will finally be aired for the general public, showing the struggles of an AP team of Ukrainian journalists as they report on the atrocities of the Russian invasion while trapped in the city of Mariupol.

'American Symphony'

Premieres : November 24 on Netflix

In 2021, on the same week that Jon Batiste received 11 Grammy nominations for his eventual Album of the Year winner "We Are," his longtime partner Suleika Jaouad discovered her rare form of leukemia had returned after 10 years in remission. This intimate musical by Matthew Heineman follows the couple over the following year of their lives, as they each balance their creative pursuits with Jaouad's treatment.

Brooke Knappenberger is the Associate Commerce Editor at Marie Claire, where she specializes in crafting shopping stories—from sales content to buying guides that span every vertical on the site. She also oversees holiday coverage with an emphasis on gifting guides as well as Power Pick , our monthly column on the items that power the lives of MC’s editors. She also tackled shopping content as Marie Claire's Editorial Fellow prior to her role as Associate Commerce Editor.

She has over three years of experience writing on fashion, beauty, and entertainment and her work has appeared on Looper , NickiSwift, The Sun US , and Vox Magazine of Columbia , Missouri. Brooke obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism with an emphasis on Magazine Editing and has a minor in Textile and Apparel Management.

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This subtle detail instantly elevates the classic design.

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The 19-year-old joined a sorority at a historically Black women's college in 2023.

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Love and Road

The 20 Best Travel Shows on Netflix to Watch in 2024

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Whether you’ve been missing the thrill of traveling or are currently feeling inspired to pick the destination for your next adventure, travel shows can help. Netflix has no shortage of cool travel documentaries and shows, but we’ve decided to pick 20 of the best travel shows on Netflix.

If you’re traveling right now, or if some of these shows are not available in your country, use a VPN to access them without any restrictions. To play the shows, open up your VPN app and select a server located in a different state. If the show is available in your country, but you’re currently traveling internationally, choose the server of your home country to enjoy the show. 

Now let me tell you why these Netflix travel shows are worth watching and don’t blame me if you get hooked on some (or all) of them.

The best travel shows on Netflix

Before we start, let me tell you that this list is in no particular order. It’s up to you to choose the one you want to watch first, but we recommend watching them all. At home, traveling for a holiday, or at a new destination, these Netflix travel shows and documentaries will set you in the mood for discovering new places, tasting exotic food, maybe even cycling, driving, or just staying at home until you finish all the seasons. Lol 

The list is divided into travel shows or documentaries focused on nature, food, dark tourism, cycling and cars, photography, family travels, and specific destinations. Enjoy it!

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The best travel and nature Netflix shows 

Arguably one of the most famous travel documentaries on Netflix, Our Planet takes you on a world tour of earth’s fascinating creatures. Narrated by Sir David Attenborough and filmed in Ultra High Definition, this show takes you to over 50 countries and perfectly captures the wonders of the earth. 

Our Planet is the perfect Netflix travel show to give you some new ideas for your bucket list. Trust us!

Untamed Romania

While most seasoned travelers deeply appreciate Romania’s natural beauty, it is still overlooked in the mainstream media. Untamed Romania is a feature-length film celebrating the country’s immaculate wildlife.

Untamed Romania is one of the best Netflix travel documentaries for those who love nature and want to discover a new destination to travel to.

The best travel and food Netflix shows 

Down to Earth

Down to Earth documentary follows Zac Efron, the actor, and wellness expert Darin Olien as they explore healthy and sustainable practices across different cultures. This documentary showcases the diversity and creativity seen across the globe to make the most of one’s resources.

It’s intriguing and can be inspiring, not only about travel but how we think of sustainability and health. 

Street Food Asia

Sometimes the most accessible way to connect to a different culture is food. Asian food holds a special place in the world regarding street food and is probably one of the most universally beloved cuisines today. Street Food Asia takes you on a food journey across Asia and Southeast Asia’s best food cities, including Bangkok, Delhi, Osaka, and Singapore.

Street Food Asia is one of our fave travel shows on Netflix. We love Asia and Asian delights you can only find from street vendors. If you have never visited this part of the world, watch this show, and it will open your mind to a new world of flavors, aromas, and ways of life. If you are craving an Asia trip, watch it and plan international travel soon. 

Also, read our guides and articles about Asian destinations as they have many travel and food recommendations. Read our guides about Thailand , Vietnam , Indonesia , Malaysia , The Philippines , China , Taiwan, India , and Cambodia .

Ugly Delicious

Ugly Delicious is another food travel show where a star chef David Chang is looking for the world’s most satisfying grub with his buddies. Despite being a professional chef, Chang isn’t pretentious with his picks and takes us on a cross-cultural food trip filled with laughter.

Another great travel and food show on Netflix about food culture.

Somebody Feed Phil

In this series, we follow the creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, Phil Rosenthal, as he explores world cuisines and meets the locals. Phil’s upbeat attitude is probably one of the best parts of the Somebody Feed Phil travel show together with a lot of food scenes that will help your plan your future trip to incredible destinations including Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

On this Netflix travel show, you will visit cities like Bangkok , spend days in Mexico City , see Lisbon , and many more. Well-known travel destinations are pictured with flavors and a local touch.

High on The Hog: Culinary Journey From Africa to America

This show explores African American soul food and its long journey from Africa to North America. It has been dubbed the most engaging history of African American cuisine. It traces the process of cultivating, harvesting, cooking, and serving the food that enslaved Africans brought with them to the States.

This Netflix cultural travel and food show will take you on a true gastronomic journey. 

Restaurants on the Edge

As you might be able to guess from the name of the show, these hour-long episodes take us to restaurants that are located in some of the most stunning locations in the world but are struggling with their menus and dishes. They are located on the edge of the world but are also on the edge of closing down.

This travel show on Netflix pictures unique locations and a bit of drama, as you can expect. 

Netflix shows about travel, cycling and cars

Biking Borders

This one is for lovers of slow traveling and less-known countries. Two friends go on a 15,000 km bicycle journey worldwide, including the Balkans, Central Asia, and other countries, to build a school in Guatemala.

Rob and I love cycling, so this Netflix travel documentary series is tremendously appealing to us. Biking Borders is also an excellent travel inspiration for those who dream of traveling by bike or going on a cycling holiday. And if this is you, read our article about cycling on Taiwan’s East Coast and cycling in Spain .

Pedal the World

This is another Netflix travel documentary that portrays a world tour on wheels, but this time our protagonist visits 22 countries during his year-long journey, searching for the meaning in life and discovering something new in each country.

Pedal the World is an inspiring and realistic epic road trip that might give you ideas of how you want to spend your life and what really matters. 

Paul Hollywood’s Big Continental Road Trip

Paul Hollywood studies the ties between popular cars in Europe and their local culture and identity as an actor and a baker. In this short but educational Netflix documentary , Hollywood will visit France, Germany, and Italy.

This isn’t your Netflix show if you are looking for food and baking goods. But if you like cars, speed, a bit of history and traveling in Europe, you will enjoy the ride. 

Netflix travel shows about a specific destination

Katla  

This travel series focuses on Iceland, specifically the volcano Katla , which began constantly erupting just recently. The show has eight episodes and does a wonderful job portraying Iceland’s breathtaking beauty . Katla serves as a great reminder of all that we still don’t know about the earth. 

This Netflix travel show is a powerful trigger for wanderlust, and it will make you want to book a trip to Iceland as soon as possible. 

Magic Andes

A documentary following five characters from the Andes, South America’s breathtaking mountains. It is a fascinating series that highlights real people living in communities located under the mountains and paints a nuanced picture of the region of Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia .

After watching Magic Andes read our Peru travel guides , and for sure, you will want to visit South América. If you are worried about safety, then read our guide to the safest countries in South America , and you will be surprised. 

Guatemala: Heart of the Mayan World

This documentary focuses on Guatemala’s rich landscape and culture, the territory where 2000 years ago, the fascinating Mayan civilization collapsed. The Mayan influence is still all over Guatemala and Central America, and this documentary does an amazing job of connecting the dots between the past and the present.

Guatemala: Heart of the Mayan World is an inspiring Netflix travel documentary that will add interesting facts to your travel knowledge, and it might make you want to explore more of Latin America. 

Zulu Man in Japan

Starring South African rapper Nasty C, this Netflix travel documentary focuses on Japanese culture. The film takes place in Tokyo, where Nasty C explores the city’s go-to places, culture, sounds, and much more.

Zulu Man in Japan was released in 2019. It’s a 44-minute episode, perfect for those days that you want to have just a little dose of wanderlust knowing that you won’t be addicted to long travel series. 

The best Netflix travel show for unusual tourists

Dark Tourist

Filmed by journalist David Farrier, the author of the 2016 hit documentary Tickled, Dark Tourist takes a different approach to tourism. Farrier travels to places associated with death or tragedies that have turned these destinations into tourist attractions. You can expect anything from haunted places, nuclear lakes, and unusual and weird destinations. Those spots might not be on your travel bucket list, but it is interesting to know that they exist so you can avoid them on your next holiday. 

It’s one of the most-watched travel shows on Netflix, so it’s worth trying.

Netflix show for photography and travel lovers

Tales by Light

Created by Abraham Joffe, this show embraces the art of travel photography and film and the people behind them. This is an Australian documentary/reality travel series on Netflix that follows photographers around the globe as they chase that perfect shot.

This Netflix travel documentary is a good match for those who love photography and travel. It’s perfect for inspiring you to travel and photograph more. 

The best Netflix show about traveling with family

Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father

A comedian Jack Whitehall and his uptight father, Michael Whitehall, travel across the world together. The show starts with Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia, with the second season focusing on Eastern Europe. The third season explores the American West, the fourth features Australia, and the fifth is all about the United Kingdom, their homeland. On this last season expect everything from dining with Gordon Ramsay to searching for the Loch Ness monster.

A great Netflix travel show for those thinking of traveling with family. It also sparkes a reflection of our relationships with parents and how travel can be a good way to get together or break apart.

Netflix show that combines travel and design

Cabins in the Wild

This show takes place in Wales and follows engineer Dick Strawbridge and craftsman Will Hardie as they inspect eight unique cabins built for a pop-up hotel in Wales. Their final goal is to construct a cabin of their own.

If you like the British Tv series, chances are you will love Cabins in the Wild as well. If you like architecture and construction shows too. This type of Netflix show combines different elements, from traveling to design, making you want to have a cabin in the wild just for you. 

We end our list of the 20 best Netflix travel shows here. Drop us a comment if you have watched any of them or if you have any other good travel series to recommend. 

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4 thoughts on “The 20 Best Travel Shows on Netflix to Watch in 2024”

I’m so glad you mentioned The Latchkees! I’ve been obsessed with their adventures since I saw their episode on Netflix. It’s amazing how they make travel look so effortless and fun. I’m definitely adding some of the other shows on your list to my queue 😍

Such a great show!

I can’t believe I never knew about some of these shows! The Travel Diaries is definitely going on my watchlist. 😍

Glad you enjoyed it!

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10 Best Travel Shows On Netflix

by Melissa Giroux | Last updated Dec 31, 2023 | Inspiration , Travel Tips

If the worldwide pandemic has halted your travel plans like most of us, you’re probably suffering from travel blues. However, closed borders and travel restrictions don’t mean travel can no longer be a part of your life.

Stay productive by filling your time with travel inspiration and plan your next big adventure for when the time is right. And who can help you do that? Good old Netflix. 

That’s right; there is a host of travel shows on Netflix right now awaiting your viewing. So order your favorite takeaway, get comfy, and work your way through our list of the ten best travel documentaries on Netflix.

1. Our Planet

Our Planet is essentially Netflix’s version of ‘Planet Earth.’ It is so similar it even features narration from Sir David Attenborough. The mindblowing way this series showcases the most awe-inspiring nature makes it one of the best travel shows on Netflix in 2021. 

Our Planet will reawaken your wanderlust and have you itching to get out into the wilderness. While it’s not possible to go to the far corners of the earth as shown in this series, perhaps you can settle for exploring a new nature reserve in your home state for now.

2. Down To Earth With Zac Efron

In Down To Earth, hunk Zac Efron travels the world in search of more sustainable ways of living. It is an eye-opening and upbeat documentary that looks for solutions to problems, finding ways we can do things better. Therefore, it’s the best travel documentary series for those looking to learn how they can contribute to creating a greener, more sustainable world.

3. The Chef Show

What better combination than food and travel! If you love trying new cuisines or have ever dreamt about building a business on four wheels, this is one Netflix travel documentary you will adore. In The Chef Show, duo Jon Favreau and Roy Choi reunite to travel around the world cooking with celebrities and famous chefs. They celebrate different flavors, cultures, and people and take you through various delicious recipes.

4. Street Food

While we’re on the subject of food, you need to check out Street Food. Season one showcases the street eats found in Asia. They visit Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and more, tasting the locals’ go-to bites. This is one of those Netflix travel documentaries that will remind you of your travels. From the vibrancy of the sights and sounds, you’ll almost be able to smell and taste those Asian delights again. 

5. Jack Whitehall: Travels With My Father

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to take your parents traveling, this comedy road trip series will give you an idea. In Travels With My Father, comedian Jack Whitehall takes his dad to Southeast Asia to try to strengthen their bond. Jack is very jolly and easy-going whereas, his father couldn’t be any different, making for an interesting duo. 

The show is very lighthearted and not the most serious of the travel shows on Netflix. However, you can’t help but laugh at the awkward situations the pair continuously find themselves in.

6. Larry Charles’ Dangerous World Of Comedy

In this Netflix travel documentary, comedy writer-director Larry Charles sets out to find humor in all corners of the world. He travels to some of the most feared places, such as Somalia, Liberia, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. 

Here Larry seeks out people who use humor to combat their dire circumstances. He meets some of the most unlikely comics and delves deep into the world of dark, dangerous comedy. This is undoubtedly one of the most daring travel shows on Netflix!

7. Night On Earth

In Night On Earth, nature meets technology to disclose the biggest wonders of the nocturnal world. Using state-of-the-art, low-light cameras, the series shows the hidden lives of some of the world’s most extraordinary creatures, from lions on the hunt to bats on the wing. The footage captured is nothing less than mind-blowing. The narrating is just as beautiful, making it one of the best travel shows on Netflix for nature nerds. 

8. Pedal The World

If the day-to-day stresses are getting to you and you’re losing sight of your dreams, Pedal The World will give you the inspiration you need to do something big. In this self-made adventure documentary, Felix Starck documents his 18,000-kilometre bicycle journey across 22 countries in 365 days. Felix gives us a visual diary of him cycling & camping around the world, which is emotional, inspiring, and never dull.

This is a must-watch for anyone that is feeling down due to the current state of the world. It’s one of those Netflix travel documentaries that will prompt you to reflect on the way you live and question the meaning of life.

9. Expedition Happiness

All digital nomads can relate to that desire to escape their hometown and get out into the world. This is precisely what Expedition Happiness is about. In this travel documentary, a young couple transforms an old school bus into a motorhome and travels with their dog across North America in it. 

This travelogue is organically beautiful, featuring many relatable problems. Moreover, it’s a representation of the freedom we all crave, which is why we believe it’s one of the best travel documentaries on Netflix.

10. Dark Tourist

Finally, if you want to watch something a bit out of the ordinary, here’s one for you. Dark Tourist with David Farrier is probably the weirdest (and most morbid) of all the travel shows on Netflix. Farrier explores the lesser-known and usually avoided cultures of the world and opts to visit places that are historically associated with death and tragedy. Highlights of this series include when Farrier meets vampires in New Orleans and a death-worshipping cult in Mexico. You’ll need an open mind for this one!

Final Thoughts

Even if you’re unable to have your own big adventure right now, these Netflix travel documentaries will remind you of why you fell in love with travel in the first place.

Utilize these travel shows on Netflix to draw inspiration and reignite your wanderlust, then get planning the best trip of your life. 

Need more inspiration? Check out these lists:

• Best movies for long-distance relationships
• Best movies about France
• Best movies about nomads

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The Best Documentaries of 2023

Here’s a brief history of documentary moviegoing.

In the 1960s, the documentary as we know it was being invented, but hardly anyone saw them. In the ’70s and ’80s, a new generation of masters — Barbara Kopple, Ken Burns, Errol Morris, Claude Lanzmann — came to the fore, and mainstream audiences began to take notice. In the ’90s, people at film festivals starting saying things like, “The documentaries are the best part!” And now?

We think of each of the films on this list as a kind of moviegoing adventure. Today, the sheer range of nonfiction film — the subjects, the styles, the voices — is extraordinary in its reach. Does that mean that we’re in a renaissance era? You might say that. But you could also say that when it comes to this form of filmmaking, the art of reality knows no season.

To see Variety’s collection of the best films of 2023, read here.

American Symphony

In Matthew Heineman’s lovely portrait of an artist and a marriage, Jon Batiste, with his inner light that doesn’t seem to have an off switch, comes across as the most ebullient performer in all of popular music. Yet he’s dealing with grim stuff behind the grin. His wife, Suleika Jaouad, is waging a war against recurring leukemia, and Batiste is having his own skirmishes with anxiety and panic attacks related to her illness, even as he’s making headlines as the surprise Grammy hoarder of 2022. “American Symphony” gets into some of the lesser battles Batiste is facing, like resentment from the classical world as he prepares the film’s title work for its world premiere at Carnegie Hall. The movie’s ultimate inconclusiveness feels like a feature, not a flaw: Music is forever, and so is chemo, in some cases. Holding those elements in balance is one way to create a symphony. —Chris Willman  

Not enough directors have capitalized on the ability of 3D to convey a sense of physical depth; fewer still have seized on the possibility of adding philosophical depth. Thank goodness, then, for Wim Wenders, whose tour-de-force 3D 6K portrait of the artist Anselm Kiefer is both rich in ideas and breathtaking in technical execution. We see Kiefer using flamethrowers to torch and distress his materials, and we experience the brutal beauty of molten metal destroying the surfaces Kiefer ladles it onto. The stereoscopy and sharp focus push our noses into the physical texture of the work, while also pulling us forward and backwards through time. Time is the film’s fourth dimension, as it presents each of Kiefer’s past selves overlapping, sometimes literally, with the images functioning as both eye and mind’s eye. —Catherine Bray

Beyond Utopia 

As you watch Madeleine Gavin’s staggering film, which is about what really goes on in North Korea, and about a handful of desperate souls who attempt to defect from there, you see life inside the totalitarian cult state — the full nightmare of the place — as never before. The filmmaker got ahold of forbidden footage that was smuggled out of the country. She uses it to make the case that North Korea is a place of such relentless terror that the only country it’s comparable to is Nazi Germany. But the film also chronicles, with footage shot on a cell phone, the attempt by five members of a family to leave this bad dream of a nation, and their escape story has a scary, suck-in-your-breath suspense. In recent years, North Korea’s nuclear weapons, with the mobster-autocrat Kim Jong Un in charge, have seized our attention. What we’ve forgotten about for too long is the North Korean people. For years, their misery has existed under a blackout. “Beyond Utopia” looks behind the wall and shines a light. —Owen Gleiberman  

Bobi Wine: The People’s President

The political activism of pop stars is, as a rule, on the restrained side. Yet for Ugandan singer Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu — better known to his adoring fans as Bobi Wine — there’s both everything and nothing to lose by getting more involved in national politics than most celebrities would dare. Entering a presidential election against corrupt, long-ruling incumbent Yoweri Museveni is, he knows, both a folly and a necessary stand to take in a country still reeling from the brutal military dictatorship of Idi Amin in the 1970s. Christopher Sharp and Moses Bwayo’s punchy, plainspoken film documents his journey with angry urgency and bitter gallows humor. At moments, the movie startles you with its immediacy, not least of all in the moving, spontaneous scenes of Wine’s young children grappling with his absence. — Guy Lodge

The Disappearance of Shere Hite

Nicole Newnham’s astonishing documentary is about who Shere Hite was — and about why we even have to ask. It‘s a beautifully made corrective to the amnesia that for decades surrounded Hite, the author of “The Hite Report,” a landmark 1976 survey on female sexuality that is still ranked as the 30th best-selling book in history. A former model with a gorgeous cloud of strawberry blonde hair, Hite had a casual, soft-spoken way of deploying words like “clitoris,” “penetration” and “masturbation” that, back then, seemed to make everyone uncomfortable but her. The film is put together with such visual verve that even its most prickly passages are compulsively enjoyable. But to what extent have we been gaslit into excising Hite’s place in feminist history? It’s hard to definitively say, though by the end of Newnham’s film we are unlikely ever to forget her again. —Jessica Kiang

The Eternal Memory

Dementia and neurodegenerative disease have been extensively portrayed onscreen. But Maite Alberdi’s film treats inexorably sad material with a lighter, more lyrical approach than most, focusing less on the day-to-day ravages of living with Alzheimer’s than on the slippery, transient concept of memory itself. Key to the film’s thesis is that its subject is Augusto Góngora, a veteran Chilean political journalist who labored through the 1970s and ’80s to bring the iniquities of the Pinochet regime to public consciousness, and later dedicated himself to conserving that national memory for future generations. Yet it’s the simple love story between Gongóra and his devoted wife and carer, former Chilean cultural minister Pauline Urrutia, that gives Alberdi’s film its spine and heart. The film is a powerful reminder of how our best efforts to keep and curate memories — for ourselves and others — can be thwarted by time. —GL     

Four Daughters

Kaouther Ben Hania’s gripping true story of a Tunisian mother whose two elder daughters joined ISIS is overlaid with fictional, self-analyzing elements. The real Olfa Hamrouni appears throughout the film, but she’s also played by the Egyptian-Tunisian star Hend Sabri. Were Olfa’s daughters, 16 and 15 at the time of their disappearance, eaten up by their overprotective mother, or were they consumed by the predatory wolves of religious fundamentalism, cultural indoctrination and ISIS itself? The film may operate better on a scene-to-scene basis than as a holistic narrative, yet its effect is cathartic — for the way it reveals Olfa as both sympathetic and repellent, charming and chilling — and also because we’re so unused to seeing this experimental an approach applied to the daily struggles of Arab women in a majority-Islamic North African country. The elliptical strategy of “Four Daughters” is to uncover some truths and leave others veiled. —JK   

Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project

The title teases galactic possibilities and plays with the concept of the unfinished work. One of the luminaries of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s into the 1970s, the now 79-year-old poet Nikki Giovanni continues to address the pain and joy, the anger and resilience of the descendants of the Middle Passage, who know much about uncertain and dangerous journeys. Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster’s beautifully crafted film takes us on an adventure, responding creatively to the call of its ingenious subject by touching on themes of aging, ailing and the oppressions with which she’s still reckoning. The filmmakers exhibit a soulful grasp of Giovanni’s poetry (voiced in the doc by executive producer Taraji P. Henson), but they also honor the untidy realities of the writer herself. —Lisa Kennedy   

De Humani Corporis Fabrica

It’s been nearly 30 years since the global franchise of Body Worlds exhibitions — collections of dissected and plastinated human cadavers — racked up ticket sales. That sense of revelation is recalled, without the circus-sideshow dimension, in Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor’s extraordinary documentary, which delves dizzyingly beneath the flesh to show organs, systems and actions that we know are inside us but tend to keep tidily out of mind. The movie takes us into the living, heaving, breathing body, using microscopes, ultrasounds and endoscopic and scialytic cameras to present its inner workings as vividly as any nonfiction film has managed. There’s a psychedelic spell to the imagery that suggests a state-of-the-art “Fantastic Voyage,” except that there’s no fantasy here: Every body probed is a real-life patient at once of several Parisian hospitals, their lives hanging in the balance as we gawk at their insides. —GL   

In the Court of the Crimson King

Can a band that seems to operate under rigidly precise conditions still produce music that sparks spontaneous ecstasy in listeners? The question might not seem unusual if it were a classical ensemble we were talking about, or the ballet. But Toby Amies’ film is about King Crimson and its natty genius of a leader, Robert Fripp, who’s as tough a taskmaster as anyone in the so-called finer arts. Amies gets the eight current members of the group on-camera, but he also goes back and interviews what we might think of as disgruntled ex-employees (notably Adrian Belew). It’s up to you whether you identify more with the many players who couldn’t hack the stress and got out or the ones who decided it was worth the high expectations and frayed nerves to remain in the court of prog-rock’s most enduring royalty. Fripp, almost always clad in a formal vest and necktie, is the ultimate English gentleman whose willingness to suffer fools even half-gladly is often being tested, not least by the filmmakers he commissioned to make this document. —CW

Judy Blume Forever

In Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok’s Crayola-bright documentary, the author Judy Blume is as sparky as ever in her mid-80s — and she has a game storytelling presence. The film encapsulates the trailblazing, still-rare appeal of her work, which presents adolescent social and sexual insecurities with both the uncanny recall of a child’s in-the-moment perspective and the reassuring wisdom of a grown-up who’s been through it all. “Come for the female masturbation, stay for the empowerment,” quips one interviewee. Yet anyone imagining Blume as a righteous, bra-burning feminist of the era may be surprised by the doc’s touching portrait of a young woman caught between demure domesticity and itching rebellion, her calling to write driven by the more repressed aspects of her upbringing in postwar suburban New Jersey. “Judy Blume Forever” is a study of one woman finding herself through the liberties of storytelling, though it’s also lent a stirring dimension by its focus on Blume’s work as an ardent correspondent to legions of fans. —GL

Kokomo City 

The title doesn’t refer to a real place. It’s more like a state of mind, invented by director D. Smith, who is Black and trans, to describe the space that her sisters occupy in the world. Theirs is an identity that is barely understood by the public and frequently misrepresented by the media, but is here defined by a handful of tell-it-like-it-is trans sex workers who offer snappy, whip-smart insights into their lives, dreams and the down-low dudes who adore them. In Smith’s unforgettable, format-defying, micro-budget doc, the t-girls spill the tea, totally reframing the conversation, opening up about the stuff that more mainstream trans-empowerment movies tell us should be off-limits, like their bodies and what they do in the bedroom. Smith’s subjects aren’t afraid to offend, but they’re irreverently eloquent in their assessment of how the world works, dishing on everything from image culture to what one of them, Daniella Carter, sees as the hypocrisy of her fellow Black people ­— one of the film’s key themes: “We all scream the narrative that we oppressed … but we’re the first motherfuckers to turn our nose up to the next person who wants to stand out and be different.” —Peter Debruge

Lakota Nation vs. United States

Jesse Short Bull and Laura Tomaselli’s unprecedented Native-issues essay film puts the question of Land Rights front and center in a lucid and uplifting way. Central among the film’s concerns are promises made, and later broken, by the United States in the peace treaty of Fort Laramie, which established the Great Sioux Reservation in 1868. The film explains how those 60 million acres were then taken away, how guns were confiscated and buffalo killed to force Natives into a European-style farming system, how Indigenous religions were outlawed and children were sent away to be Christianized in boarding schools. It also deconstructs how mainstream American media otherized the Natives, making “invasion look like self-defense.” Solutions don’t come easy when attempting to rectify decades of dehumanization and erasure, but “Lakota Nation” offers a clear-eyed look at some of the murkiest corners of American history. —PD  

Little Richard: I Am Everything 

The enthralling documentary that Little Richard deserves. Lisa Cortes’s movie understands, from the inside out, what a great and transgressive artist he was, how his starburst brilliance shifted the whole energy of the culture — but also how the radical nature of what he did, from almost the moment it happened, got shoved under the rug of the official narrative of rock ‘n’ roll. The documentary uses stunning archival footage to channel the electricity of Little Richard, and the eruptive glory of his volcanic gospel-on-amphetamines music still hits you like a revolution. Yet the movie also takes a deep dive into how Little Richard, a Black queer man who was not about to conceal who he was, intertwined the very DNA of rock ‘n’ roll with the perverse power of his identity. His story becomes the stirring and, in some ways, tragic tale of an artist so ahead of his time that even his own life couldn’t catch up with how he’d changed the world. —OG

Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros

It’s the quiet that strikes you in Frederick Wiseman’s languidly mesmerizing 240-minute documentary about one the world’s greatest restaurants. The film is a rejoinder to every image of cacophonous haute cuisine environments — clattering pans, hissing steam, chefs screaming invective — that’s been fed to us by “Hell’s Kitchen”-style reality shows and the propulsive drama of “The Bear.” The masters and staff of Le Bois Sans Feuilles, a three Michelin-star establishment in France’s Loire region, work with a hushed intensity of concentration. And that suits Wiseman, who explores every dimension of this culinary cathedral from the inside out. The astonishing plates on display resist “food porn” categorization, and it’s the human element of the restaurant that most interests Wiseman: a family business with a tradition of gastronomic innovation, here found at a compelling tipping point between father and son. —GL

Milli Vanilli

It’s one of the inside-out realities of our era that scandal, if you give it enough time, turns into myth. So it is with Milli Vanilli, the German-French R&B pop duo of the late ’80s and ’90s who, having sold close to 50 million records, were revealed to be a fake: a pair of lip-syncing Euro pretty boys who hadn’t sung a note on any of their hits or at any of their concerts. Luke Korem’s captivating and surprisingly moving documentary adds another, richer layer to the saga. It tells the Milli Vanilli story from the point-of-view of Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan themselves — especially, Fab, who unveiled himself to the filmmaker (Rob died in Los Angeles in 1998). We see how they started, why they struck their “deal with the devil,” and who, exactly, the devil was. Were they complicit in a deception that was sleazy and greedy? Yes. But by the end of the movie, a wide circle of influence has been implicated: the Svengali who pulled the strings, a music industry full of people who saw through the ruse yet rationalized it away, and, in a sense, the public itself. There’s no way that we could have known, yet the movie captures how the myth of Milli Vanilli now touches on the pathology of image-making that’s at the very core of pop music. —OG

The Mission

The world will never know what was going through 26-year-old Christian missionary John Allen Chau’s head when he was shot and killed by arrows off the coast of North Sentinel Island. Was he an evangelical martyr-hero who answered God’s calling and gave his life trying to convert a remote and hostile tribe? Or was he an arrogant and unprepared American, brainwashed by the church into undertaking a suicide mission? The filmmakers, Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, reconstruct his story à la Herzog’s “Grizzly Man,” creating a haunting meditation on the very nature of missionary work. “The Mission” becomes a kind of philosophical quest in which wild ambition goes hand in hand with folly at the very limits of so-called civilization. —PD    

Money Shot: The Pornhub Story  

It’s not a movie about the cultural prominence or significance of porn in our time, though it does touch on key aspects of how pornography today is manufactured and consumed. Instead, Suzanne Hillinger’s documentary mostly tells the story of how Pornhub, the largest porn site in the world, became a lightning rod of controversy when it was accused of being a place that abetted sex trafficking and the sexual abuse of children. You’d think there wouldn’t be two sides to that issue. But “Money Shot,” in chronicling the war against Pornhub as led by activists like Laila Mickelwait and journalists like Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times, reveals what it means when porn evolves into a corporate entity. The film captures the ambiguity of the real Pornhub revolution, which is that every viewer of pornography is now viewed as a consumer . The dark message of the film is that in the no-boundaries world of the web, you can police a company like Pornhub but you can’t make what it’s selling go away. —OG

Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV  

There are a lot of people who know the name Nam June Paik, or even got to experience one or more of his video installations, yet still don’t know very much about him. Amanda Kim’s gorgeously crafted documentary does a splendid job of filling in what a visionary figure Paik was — the way he interfaced with people like John Cage, lived for years as a starving artist in New York and built his surrealist TV museum exhibits from the ground up, literally inventing an art form. Paik’s art had a let’s-try-it-on spirit that was cosmic but playful, and the opposite of pretentious. After all, he was creating high art… on television! And what’s most intoxicating about the film is that it becomes a supreme vehicle for experiencing the psychedelic majesty of Paik’s creations, which were driven by his obsession with finding the hidden soul of technology. In “Moon Is the Oldest TV,” Paik, who died in 2006, emerges as a figure both impish and daunting — the artist as explorer of uncharted terrain, with an almost mystical connection to the arsenal of electronic media he wielded like a plugged-in paintbrush. —OG

Orlando, My Political Biography

Virginia Woolf’s “Orlando: A Biography” is a centuries-spanning tale of a nobleman who, after a slumber of several nights, metamorphoses into a woman. And Paul B. Preciado’s docu-manifesto is an ode to the many Orlandos who walk the world. Playful, urgent and brilliantly innovative, the film is predicated on the notion that if society is a set and gender a performance, what better way to capture that than to revel in the very constructed nature of filmmaking? The movie’s aesthetic creates a trans cinematic archive that reaches back to images of Christine Jorgensen, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera — all to tell a mosaic of a collective story. —Manuel Betancourt

The London-born French filmmaker Claire Simon has amassed a body of work somewhat comparable to that of the American master Frederick Wiseman. Her latest outing, luxuriant in length but never less than eye-opening, immerses us in the interactions between female patients of all ages and the medical professionals in a French hospital, with typically compassionate and insightful results. Typical, that is, until Simon herself unexpectedly becomes one of her own subjects. Her personal journey is sketched in roughly the same number of scenes she dedicates to anyone else’s, so that she becomes one more strand in the film’s breathing, sometimes bleeding tapestry: just one of “Our Body’s” vital organs. What happens in the course of the film is sometimes tragic, often painful, but it is always instructive — demystifying and de-objectifying the female body, still the locus of so much secrecy and mystery. —JK     

The Plains 

Australian filmmaker David Easteal’s first feature is a striking docu-hybrid filmed almost exclusively inside a car during the peak-hour commute. The movie places viewers in the back seat to observe a middle-aged Melbourne lawyer, Andrew Rakowski, during his drive home from work over the course of a year. It’s remarkable how fresh and spontaneous the result feels. As we listen in on Rakowski’s phone conversations with his wife or his in-car chats with the filmmaker, a picture emerges of a man who is traveling long distances but feels like his life momentum has stalled. And yet the movie achieves the feat of making three hours fly by. —Richard Kuipers

Radical Wolfe

It was Tom Wolfe, more than anyone, who taught journalism to dance. Richard Dewey’s impeccably chiseled portrait, the story of how he did it, and the heights he rose to, makes for an irresistible watch. The tale of how Wolfe’s celebrated style came into being — the exclamation points!! The spontaneous but knowing word salad!! — is one for the ages, and the documentary tells it exquisitely. It also does a memorable job of exploring his strategy and achievement in writing “Radical Chic,” the New York magazine cover story in which he spent 20,000 words describing a party thrown by Leonard Bernstein and his wife, Felicia, at their Park Avenue apartment to raise funds for the Black Panthers. (It’s as if Wolfe defined the concept of bourgeois political correctness and disemboweled it in the same moment.) The documentary is full of photographs and film footage of Wolfe, and we see how vital his floppy-haired-ironic-Southern-gentleman look was to the whole Wolfe mystique — the white suits that made him seem like he’d arrived from another planet. Yet Tom Wolfe was hipper than the hipsters, with feelers that allowed him to see all, and in 76 highly entertaining minutes “Radical Wolfe” packs in more or less everything you need to know about him. —OG    

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

In Estonia, in a log-cabin sauna nestled in a pretty woods by a lake, a group of women gather on and off through the changing seasons to sweat out their secrets and heal each other with heat, talk and arcane sauna-based rituals. The small smoky miracle of the movie is that it creates something so intangible, so lyrical, from the absolutely elemental: fire, wood, water and lots of naked female flesh. We don’t necessarily get to know the women as individuals, despite how intimate and sometimes harrowing their shared stories are. Instead, the director, Anna Hints, lets their soft chatter narrate a kind of choral experience of modern womanhood, operating on the most practical yet optimistic of assumptions: that with the application of enough heat and fellowship, everything painful can be soothed and everything dirty can be made clean. —JK   

Squaring the Circle: The Story of Hipgnosis

Anton Corbijn’s documentary about Hipgnosis, the legendary 1970s album-cover design team, is full of great stories about how pop music’s most indelible visual form arrived at all that unforgettably strange imagery. Only Hipgnosis could shoot a photo of a cow against a blue sky, put it on a Pink Floyd cover (“Atom Heart Mother”), and make it look like an act of mysterious profundity on a level with the works of Magritte. The two main creatives of Hipgnosis were the late Storm Thorgerson, the prickly visionary of the pair, and Aubrey “Po” Powell, the long-suffering partner who oversaw the execution of Thorgerson’s insane ideas. “Squaring the Circle” is nothing if not a testament to absurdly high record-company budgets in the ’70s, which couldn’t all be spent on analog tape and blow. The movie doesn’t ask what transpired after the story abruptly ends, amid financial ruin and changing tastes in 1982. But it’s clear that Corbijn, well-known for his own album design work, is a true believer, just like all of us who grew up in a golden age of album art and lament that it was the pictures that got smaller. —CW

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

It’s a lot funnier and more entertaining than you might think. Michael J. Fox tells his own story in “Still,” which director Davis Guggenheim treats as “a Michael J. Fox movie” by remixing clips from the Emmy-winning actor’s career with cleverly restaged scenes from his private life. The “Family Ties” and “Back to the Future” star was one of the most beloved personalities of the 1980s, and though his personal story has been overshadowed by his struggle with Parkinson’s disease (diagnosed when he was just 29), Guggenheim’s upbeat, ultra-polished documentary reminds us what a peppy and relatable actor Fox was — and is. The film presents him as a trouper, focusing on how he fought to hide his symptoms for years, burying himself in his work so as not to face his handicap head-on. Today, Fox is a good sport, cracking jokes about his tremors. And looking back, he always made it look easy, coming across as laidback and cool even while secretly stressed. He never wanted to be the poster boy for Parkinson’s, but if Michael J. Fox could sell Pepsi to a generation, he realized it was within his power to raise awareness of the disease he’d been dealt. —PD  

Sam Green has crafted a documentary the likes of which you’ve never heard before. Meant to be watched with headphones, this unique, immersive, audio-driven essay film invites audiences to reconsider their relationship to sound: how it works, what it can do and the way that specific noises can unlock memories or spark entirely new ones. The director investigates the source of certain sounds (like a tree falling in the forest), though he’s generally more interested in how we receive them, literally and emotionally. The film has an uncanny quality, yet it wouldn’t be as rewarding if not for its human subjects, such as the experimental musician Annea Lockwood, who once set a piano on fire to hear how it would sound, or Nehanda Abiodun, an African American revolutionary, holed up in Cuba, for whom the 1979 disco song “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” opens a wormhole of memory. —PD

20 Days in Mariupol

Offering a refresher in outrage on Ukraine’s behalf, Mstyslav Chernov’s bleak but essential film is a nerve-jangling piece of on-the-ground combat reportage. It’s built around a team of Associated Press correspondents who traveled to the port city of Mariupol on Feb. 24, 2022, the day Vladimir Putin launched the war. They assumed that this key city, just 30 miles from the enemy border, would be an early objective — the hunch was correct. Within hours, the bombs began to fall; the documentary is a strikingly immediate record of citizens under siege. The grotesque injustice of the situation is reinforced by our periodically hearing Russian leaders’ flat denials that civilians are being targeted, even as we spend 90 minutes witnessing apartment buildings, hospitals, and more reduced to charred ruins. There’s no sermonizing, just a punishingly up-close look at the toll of modern warfare on a population. “What did we do to deserve this? What are these people guilty of?” a mother asks — questions to which there can be no answer. —Dennis Harvey

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Best Documentaries 2023

For his latest film, acclaimed documentarian Davis Guggenheim focused his camera on Michael J. Fox, the beloved actor who gave us Alex P. Keaton, Marty McFly, and Teen Wolf , and the result was a thoughtful, intimate portrait of Fox’s personal and professional life that earned nearly universal acclaim and a spot at the top of our Best Documentary category.

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (2023) 99%

KOKOMO CITY (2023) 99%

20 Days in Mariupol (2023) 100%

The Disappearance of Shere Hite (2023) 100%

Beyond Utopia (2023) 100%

A Disturbance in The Force (2023) 100%

It Ain't Over (2022) 98%

The Pigeon Tunnel (2023) 96%

Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023) 94%

Joan Baez I Am a Noise (2023) 94%

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15 Travel Documentaries to Fuel your Wanderlust

Last updated on April 6th, 2023 at 09:35 pm

If there are travel documentaries being broadcast on British TV, we can guarantee we’ll be ready with remote control in hand. When we’re back home in London , we spend hours on the sofa, fuelling our wanderlust by watching others travelling the world.

For us, watching travel documentaries helps fill those gaps between trips. For an hour or so we’re transported somewhere far away from the normality of home. We reminisce of faraway places we’ve been to if filming locations are in countries we’ve already visited. Or we get excited and inspired if filmed in countries we are yet to discover. Both are just as enjoyable.

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Along with cookery shows and reality TV, there are so many travel documentaries to choose from. Via terrestrial TV, Sky, Netflix, Amazon or other online sites, they’ll be a documentary to satisfy anyone’s wanderlust.

We’ve picked 15 of our favourite travel documentaries from the more thoughtful travel subjects to less serious and humorous ways of seeing the world. Viewing access to these shows changes regularly so we’d suggest entering the title into Google to find which viewing platforms are currently available at the time of reading this post.

Regular guys Scott Wilson and Justin Lukach are bored. So what do they do? Take a road trip, of course. Departures follows them and their cameraman, Andre Dupuis, as they journey to countries all over the world. We love the non-premium feel of this show. It’s just three nice Canadian guys filming themselves travelling the world. They make an effort to visit hard to get to places and interact with locals wherever they go. This brings experiences that not all travellers get to do. Departures make the top of our travel documentaries list. 

Walking the Nile & Walking the Himalayas

Levison James Wood is a British Army officer and explorer. He’s best known for his extended walking expeditions in Africa and Asia. Over the course of nine months from 2013-2014, he undertook the first ever expedition to walk the entire length of the river Nile .

In 2015 he walked the length of the Himalayas. Both adventures were commissioned into four-part travel documentaries for Channel 4 in the UK. His journeys bring amazing landscapes, local interaction, massive highs and some disastrous lows.

Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer with Simon Reeve

Simon Reeve makes two “round the world” trips following the tropic of Capricorn in the Southern hemisphere and the tropic of Cancer in the Northern hemisphere . These two travel documentaries include visits to one or more countries, in Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean, Arabia and Hawaii. Simon explores daily life for locals, tourists and wildlife, as well as the history, culture and politics which all prove quite varied.

Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild

New Lives in the Wild is a television series on UK’s Channel 5 hosted by adventurer Ben Fogle . The series is about meeting people who live in some of the most remote locations on earth. More often than not, these are western families or individuals who have had enough of the big city rat race. They’ve escaped to remote parts of the world to set up new lives in the wild.

Examples are the Alaskan wilderness, a Polynesian Island and the Arizonian desert. These are courageous and inspirational people who Ben stays with for a few days to learn how they live so remotely.

World’s Most Dangerous Roads

World’s Most Dangerous Roads is a British BBC TV series first aired in 2011. Two celebrities per episode are filmed as they journey by a 4×4 vehicle along roads considered among the world’s most dangerous. Episodes include the Death Road in Bolivia and the Ho Chi Minh trail in Vietnam . Many of the chosen celebrities are comedians so some humour is added to what otherwise is a fascinating and educational watch.

Long Way Round

In 2004, Ewan McGregor , Charley Boorman and cameraman Claudio von Planta, travelled from London to New York City on a motorbike. In the process, they created some awesome travel documentaries. The journey visited thirteen countries, starting in the UK, then passing through France, Belgium, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Canada, and the USA, ending in New York City for a cumulative distance of 18,887 miles (30,396 km).

They take the time to visit a variety of sights and landmarks while travelling, including the Church of Bones in the Czech Republic, the Mask of Sorrow monument in Magadan, Russia, and Mount Rushmore in the USA. They, of course, encounter many hurdles along the way. It wouldn’t be a great adventure without them.

Top Gear: Road Trip Specials

This one’s a bit of a wild card as Top Gear does not usually fall in the travel documentaries category. However, we love the Top Gear road trip specials. Why? Because they take place in some incredible world locations. Typical Top Gear antics include driving around Africa trying to find the source of the Nile, going off road from Bolivia to Chile and getting across the length of Vietnam on two wheels with a budget of just $1000. We know a lot of what happens is scripted but we still can’t help but enjoy these adventurous episodes.

An Idiot Abroad

An Idiot Abroad is a British travel documentary / road trip comedy television series broadcast on Sky 1. It’s  created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and starring Karl Pilkington . The ongoing theme is that Pilkington has no interest in global travel, so Merchant and Gervais make him travel to the Seven Wonders of the World while they stay in the UK and monitor his progress.

Most of each episode focuses on Pilkington’s humorous reactions to cultural differences and idiosyncrasies in the countries he visits. He also gets set hilarious tasks, often not related to why he believed he was there. The silliest of our travel documentaries but well worth a watch. 

Asian Provocateur

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan is sent by his mother on a ramshackle odyssey around his parents’ homeland of Sri Lanka in an attempt to connect him with his roots. Romesh is the kind of guy who likes his home comforts and finds friendliness uncomfortable so Sri Lanka is not his ideal place to visit. As he quotes, ‘I was a bumbling Englishman in a Sri Lankan disguise’, so you can imagine the funny situations he gets himself into.

Our Guy in India

Motorbike racer  Guy Martin buys a Royal Enfield motorbike at a Delhi market, gets a traditional Hindu blessing and sets off on a 1000-mile motorbike trip.  Guy explores a rarely-seen side of modern India as he heads to one of the world’s maddest bike races. He travels through various parts of the country coming across all kinds of interesting people and sights on the way. Does he win the race at the end? You’ll have to watch to find out.

The Mekong River with Sue Perkins

TV presenter Sue Perkins embarks on a life-changing, 3,000-mile journey up the Mekong , South East Asia’s greatest river, exploring lives and landscapes on the point of dramatic change. It’s a really interesting watch, learning how 1000s of people live on and around one of the world’s great rivers. There’s plenty of smiles and tears as Sue listens to the locals stories and changing way of lives.    

The Secret Caribbean with Trevor McDonald

The newsreader and journalist, Sir Trevor McDonald embarks upon a stunning and epic journey across the Caribbean. From the Bahamas in the North to his birthplace Trinidad in the south, uncovering the sun-kissed islands along the way.

In this three part series, Sir Trevor visits The Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, Barbados, Grenada and Trinidad. It’s an unforgettable expedition as he experiences the huge contrasts in cultures and lifestyles these islands have to offer.

Travel Man 48 hours

If you’re looking for more laughs with your travel documentaries then Travel Man is the British documentary series for you. It features presenter Richard Ayoade , travelling to a different location each episode with a celebrity guest. Ayoade takes a ruthless approach to getting the maximum from each city break. Cramming as much as he possibly can in 48 fast and funny hours. His unique presenting style has us laughing through every episode.

Charley Boorman by Any Means

By Any Means , also known as Ireland to Sydney by Any Means , is a television series following Long Way Round star Charley Boorman . Travelling from Wicklow , Ireland, to Sydney , New South Wales, Australia, it features him completing the journey using 112 modes of transport and only travelling by plane when absolutely necessary. A real epic adventure!

Joanna Lumley’s Trans-Siberian Adventure

Joanna Lumley embarks on the world’s greatest train journey for this three-part documentary series. Travelling from East to West, she departs from Hong Kong across 5,777 miles of both Asia and Europe. Joanna travels through seven time zones, taking in an immense panorama of vistas and cultures, people and places, before her final arrival in Moscow.

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72 Dangerous Places to Live, Dark Tourist, and more: Sate your wanderlust with the best travel shows and documentaries on Netflix

You'll love these amazing travel documentaries.

Traveling is something that many people wish they could do more of. Whether you lack the time, money, or know-how to travel the world, though, it can be comforting to watch others do it from the comfort of your couch. A great travel show or documentary can be a wonderful escape and a reminder that the world is much bigger than the tiny slice of it you live in every day. What’s even better is that many great travel documentaries on Netflix, if you’re willing to go looking for them.

These documentaries will deliver stunning panoramic shots of the U.S. National Parks , as well as plenty of international wonders, and a little bit of good food as well. If you like all kinds of docs, travel or not, we’ve got you covered with Netflix documentaries (or maybe you’re just really into crime docs and action flicks). We also have an overall guide on the best Netflix movies and the best Netflix shows .

72 Dangerous Places to Live (2016)

Down to earth with zac efron (2020), the chef show (2019), street food collection (2020), tales by light (2015), dark tourist (2018), midnight asia: eat dance dream (2022), jack whitehall: travels with my father (2017), lorena, light-footed woman (2019), the world's most amazing vacation rentals (2021), our planet (2019), salt fat acid heat (2018), editors’ recommendations.

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Documentaries come in so many different shapes and sizes that any movie fan can find one they're interested in. Documentaries can be about your next great travel destination, the best ways to find and appreciate great food, or about a murder case that has been unsolved for decades. What unites great documentaries are the stories they tell and the powerful emotions they evoke. The best documentaries on Netflix also come with the same diversity described here.

It can definitely be overwhelming trying to find the best titles from among their expansive library, though, so we've decided to do some of that for you. These Netflix documentaries are sure to fascinate and entertain any audience. If you're caught up on all of these, you can also check out the best movies or TV shows to watch on Netflix.

For more than a decade now, there have been plenty of great Netflix shows to stream. If you're an animation fan, that's especially true, because, in addition to housing some of the best anime series in the world, there's a wide variety of cartoons on Netflix for adults and kids alike. If you're looking for the best place to watch cartoons online, you really don't need to look much further than Netflix.

Whether you're looking for action, some adult-oriented comedy, or a great animated show that the entire family can enjoy, the streamer has got you covered. Some of these series are ones that Netflix has produced, while others were acquisitions, but what unites them all is that every fan of animation will love them. Here are Netflix cartoons to add to your must-watch list.

The best sci-fi shows are able to capture the imagination of audiences with the perfect amount of realism, while also dissociating from reality enough to entertain and thrill. There are plenty of sci-fi movies on Netflix that are well worth checking out, but if you’re in the mood for something that will take a little bit longer to consume, you may be looking for a series. To find the best show for you, we've done the hard work of looking through all of Netflix's many options to find the best options. Below are the greatest sci-fi TV shows on Netflix. Once you’re done watching any of these sci-fi TV shows, you may want to check out the best sci-fi movies of all time.

Dark (2017)

New Documentaries Coming to Netflix in Fall 2023

All the documentaries and docu-series we know that are coming to Netflix for the remaining months of 2023.

Illustration by What’s on Netflix – Pictures courtesy of Netflix

Over the years, Netflix has built a huge library of documentaries and docu-series. In fact, that library is now over 700 titles strong, and there’s more to come in the Fall of 2023. Here’s a preview of all the announced documentaries still set to release in 2023. 

Want to see what new scripted movies Netflix has in store for the remaining months of 2023? You can find our regularly updated Fall 2023 movie preview guide .

Please note: This list was compiled using available information and all titles subject to change. Netflix has not officially released its own list of unscripted documentaries for Fall 2023 – we will update if they do.

Dated Documentaries Coming in Fall 2023

Heart of invictus.

Coming to Netflix : August 30th

Picture: Netflix

Coming to Netflix from the Archewell Productions output deal is the new documentary sports series looking into the Invictus Games, which is a special event put on for ex-veterans who often have wounds from the battlefield.

The new five-episode series seeks to tell the stories of these athletes from the early days of training through to the big day.

Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones

This new four-part documentary series is a travel show at heart, with host Dan Buettner navigating the world in pursuit of ways to live longer and perhaps even happier.

Visiting places like Japan, Italy, and Greece, you’ll tag along with Buettner’s investigation into the diet, behavior, and lifestyles of those living the longest, most vibrant lives.

Coming to Netflix : September 6th

Picture: Netflix / Sky Nature

Narrated by Tom Hardy, this nature documentary series looks at some of the world’s most well-known and formidable predators.

Please note that this documentary is only expected on Netflix regions outside the United Kingdom.

Scout’s Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America

Pictures: Netflix

From the director of The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez and the executive producer of the award-winning The White Helmets, this investigative documentary looks into whistleblowers, survivors, and former employees of the Boy Scouts of America and the attempts to cover up systematic child sexual abuse.

Spy Ops (Season 1)

Coming to Netflix : September 8th

Over the course of multiple episodes, you’ll get to hear the inside story behind some of the world’s most secretive organizations such as MI6 from the UK and the CIA. You’ll hear how they’ve operated throughout history and how they operate today.

Coming to Netflix : September 13th

From BBC Studios and the director behind Netflix’s Last Chance U and Cheer comes a new sports documentary following the Ohio Valley Wrestling gym based out of Louisville, Kentucky. The gym has trained some of the all-time wrestling greats, including John Cena and Dave Bautista.

Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons (Season 7)

Coming to Netflix: September 15th

Now one of Netflix’s longest-running documentary series of all time, Raphael Rowe is back to explore new prisons. Locations in season 7 include Finland, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, and the Solomon Islands.

The Saint of Second Chances

Coming to Netflix : September 19th

From Morgan Neville and Jeff Malmberg, this new documentary that Netflix picked up for release over the summer will feature the narration of Jeff Daniels and stars Charlie Day as the subject of the doc Mike Veeck.

Mike Veeck, the son of legendary Major League Baseball owner Bill Veeck, managed to blow up his father’s career and then spent the next few decades learning the value of a second chance.

Who Killed Jill Dando ?

Coming to Netflix : September 26th

Produced in the United Kingdom, this documentary looks into a national tragedy that occurred in the late 1990s when a TV presenter was murdered.

Coming to Netflix: September 27th

Produced by Amblin Television, this documentary series looks to the stars and the growing collection of evidence of UFO sightings from across the globe.

It is a four-part series that will house interviews with top scientists, military officials, and those who have experienced contact with extraterrestrial life.

Coming to Netflix : October 1st

Picture: Luchina Fisher

Having completed the rounds at various film festivals, Netflix acquired Luchina Fisher’s docu-short in June 2023.

The LGBTQ documentary has the following synopsis:

“On a fishing trip with Matthew Shepard’s father, five disparate dads discuss their love, hopes and fears for their trans kids in this short documentary.”

The Devil on Trial 

Coming to Netflix : October 17th

Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

This new documentary feature seeks to retell the strangest cases in US history. Arne C. Johnson of Brookfield, CT, arrived at Danbury Superior Court to face justice for his crime of the stabbing to death of Alano Bono, with his attorney arguing that he did it on behalf of the devil.

Christopher Holt directs. 

Life on Our Planet (Season 1)

Coming to Netflix : October 25th

This new eight-part limited series takes a look into the history of the planet Earth. It details some of the species that have gone extinct over the years and how we evolved.

Amblin Television produces with Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer. Morgan Freeman provides the narration and uses groundbreaking technology from Industrial Light & Magic to bring the old animals to life.

Coming to Netflix : November TBD

Netflix has two documentaries in 2023 looking into two of the biggest action stars in Hollywood history. It began with the mini-series Arnold earlier in the year, and next to be profiled will be Sylvester Stallone.

Per Netflix, “the retrospective documentary offers an intimate look at the Oscar-nominated actor-writer-director-producer, paralleling his inspirational underdog story with the indelible characters he has brought to life.”

The documentary will make its world premiere first at the Toronto Film Festival .

Undated Netflix Original Documentaries Confirmed for Fall 2023

Beckham / david beckham.

Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

Some huge soccer football stars have been profiled on Netflix over the years, with Neymar being perhaps the biggest. Next up is the legendary England player who found success in the States in his later year in the sport.

Set to be a multi-part series, the series will look into the star’s roots from growing up in East London and how he progressed through his career.

Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul

From Amblin Television, this documentary series tells the story of the controversial e-cigarette company that began as a small tech startup to disrupt the billion-dollar tobacco industry. It soon came under intense scrutiny.

R.J. Cutler directs the mini-series.

FIFA World Cup: The Greatest Show on Earth

Photo by Richard Sellers/Getty Images

Originally scheduled for release over the Summer, it looks like Netflix’s first major documentary with FIFA in partnership has been delayed to later in the year.

The series, produced by Fulwell 73, gives a behind-the-scenes look at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022 with access to all 32 teams.

Robbie Williams

Photo by Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

Following Netflix’s documentaries on British pop groups and artists such as Lewis Capaldi and WHAM! in 2023, Netflix will be diving into Take That and solo-singer star Robbie Williams.

Joe Pearlman (the director of the aforementioned Capaldi doc) for this new series looking into the singer’s 30-plus years in the limelight.

Stamped from the Beginning

Multiple projects were at one point being developed using the works of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. One of the first to emerge will be Stamped From The Beginning, which is due to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September.

The new feature-film documentary, directed by Roger Ross Williams, uses testimony from leading scholars and animation to explore “the history of anti-Black racist ideas.”

Untitled US Women’s Soccer Docu-series

Directed by Rebecca Gitlitz, this multi-episode documentary follows the US Women’s National Team’s recent World Cup journey.

World War II: From the Frontlines

Pictures: Getty Images

John Boyega will narrate this new six-part World War II series that comes from British outfit 72 Films.

The series, featuring rare WW2 footage, is described as” a moving and innovative series which plunges the viewer directly onto the frontlines of WW2.”

International Documentaries Coming in Fall 2023

• Rosa Peral’s Tapes – September 8th – Spanish true-crime documentary of a woman who was convicted after murdering her parter aided by an ex-lover.
• Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso – September TBD – Indonesian documentary looking into the trial of Jessica Wongso.
• Vasco Rossi: Living It – September TBD – Italian doc covering rock star Vasco Rossi and his successful career over the decades.

We’ll keep this post updated throughout the coming months as and when we learn of more upcoming documentaries. Let us know if we’ve missed any in the comments down below.

Founder of What's on Netflix, Kasey has been tracking the comings and goings of the Netflix library for over a decade. Covering everything from new movies, series and games from around the world, Kasey is in charge of covering breaking news, covering all the new additions now available on Netflix and what's coming next.

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Margaret’s Travel Treats: 10 of the Best Travel Documentaries to Feed a Curious Mind

by Carolyn Ray | Jul 7, 2021

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Last updated on August 7th, 2022

(Lead Image Photo Credit: B@rmaley via Shutterstock)

Travel documentaries on walking, trains, gardens and more to ease your border blues

Curated by Carolyn Ray, JourneyWoman Publisher

and In June, we hosted our first Community Call with Australia and New Zealand (and happily, women from North America, London and other parts of the world attended too!) We talked about many topics, and spent a few minutes discussing films and documentaries. After our call, Margaret Byrne, a long-time JourneyWoman in Australia, sent me a beautiful spreadsheet with almost 80 films listed and asked that we share it with you.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been binging on as many of these as I can – clearly there is a market for British celebrities to host travel shows! 

Although some countries’ borders are open to travellers, many are not, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada. This list of Margaret’s top picks is for you – the women with the border blues!  (If you haven’t met Margaret yet, she’s also one of our Facebook Group moderators!)

Note that while many of these are on paid video streaming services such as Amazon, Netflix, Apple TV, BBC you can also find them on YouTube.

All video credits:BBC, YouTube, ITV

JourneyWoman Margaret Byrne in Australia 

1. Joanna Lumley’s Travels 

Joanna Lumley is probably best known for her role in the BBC’s Absolutely Fabulous series. Today, however, you can find the British actress travelling the world. (And at age 75, she’s showing us how it’s done!) 

I watched her trek to the Arctic Circle to see the Northern Lights (2008) – ‘the true wonder of the world,’ as she puts it.  

Other shows include Joanna Lumley’s Hidden Caribbean,  Joanna Lumley:The Search for Noah’s Ark, Joanna Lumley’s Nile and Joanna Lumley’s Greek Odyssey.  The most recent is Joanna Lumley’s Silk Road Adventure, a four-part travelogue covering eight countries  from 2018.

All are available on Netflix and other platforms, although there may be an additional charge.

2. Micheal Palin’s Travels  

We know English actor Sir Michael Edward Palin best for his role in Monty Python or a Fish Called Wanda, but since 1980 he has been making travel documentaries. His new career as a travel writer for the BBC has taken him to the North and South Poles, the Sahara, the Himalayas, Brazil,  Eastern Europe and most recently North Korea in 2018.

Some of his documentaries include: Around the World in 80 Days, Full Circle, Himalaya with Michael Palin, Sahara with Michael Palin,  Michael Palin’s New Europe and Brazil with Michael Palin.

I enjoyed Pole to Pole , which documented a 245-day, 50,000-mile trip taken by Palin and a film crew around the rim of the Pacific Ocean in 1995 and 1996, beginning on the Diomede Islands between Alaska and Russia.  Wait until you get to the part with the swarm of black flies!

Read more about him on his website here . 

3. Julia Bradbury: Walking 

Julia Bradbury is a television presenter and outdoor walking enthusiast who has dedicated her career to sharing beautiful walks from all over the world. 

I particularly like her walks, as she discusses the importance of walking and how it can help to relieve stress and anxiety. Even 20 minutes is enough to lower stress levels! 

Read more on Julia’s website here . 

4. Michael Portilio: Railway Journeys

Next on my list of documentaries to watch is Michael Portillo’s railway journeys on the great train routes of Europe, as he retraces the journeys featured in George Bradshaw’s 1913 Continental Railway Guide. Portillo is called “a weirdly compelling host” by the Guardian ‘s Stuart Heritage, who says “Portillo got this job because undiluted joy for railways radiates from his very being.” So there. That is a beautiful thing, is it not? 

The series includes Great Australian Railway Journeys, Great American Railroad Journeys, Great British Railway Journeys, Great Continental Railway Journeys, Great Canadian Railway Journeys and Great Asian Railway Journeys. Most appear to be available on Apple TV.

For more on the series visit BBC’s website.

5. Monty Don’s Gardens 

Monty Don is the UK’s leading garden writer and broadcaster. He has been making TV programs for over 20 years on a range of topics, including gardening. He has been lead presenter of the BBC’s Gardener’s World since 2003 and since 2011 the program has come from his own garden, Longmeadow, in Herefordshire.

His documentaries chronicle his visits to the world’s gardens in Japan, France, Italy and my favourite – Paradise Gardens, which took me back to Spain and Morocco. I wish I had understood the importance of gardens before visiting! (The photo shows the fountain in the gardens of the Generalife Palace, La Alhambra, Granada). 

More here: Monty Don Website and for upcoming virtual events check here .

6. Ewan McGregor + Charley Boorman: Long Way 

Having just watched Halston on Netflix, I was interested to see the ‘real’ Ewan McGregor and he didn’t disappoint. After the first episode of Long Way Up (on Apple TV) , I was hooked. Maybe it’s the eco-friendly approach to travel, or the electric Harleys – but travelling from Ushuaia to the US is also my dream travel experience. (I just want to do it in the opposite direction). This is less of a travelogue and more about the challenges of travelling with electric vehicles, but still entertaining nonetheless.

In addition to narrating nature documentaries, other series in his travels with his friend Charley includes:

Long Way Round  ( LWR ), which documents the 19,000-mile (31,000 km) journey from London to New York City on motorcycles in 2004-2005.

Long Way Down  documents a 2007 motorcycle journey from Scotland through 18 countries in Europe and Africa to Cape Town in South Africa. 

To learn more visit Apple TV.  

7. Sir Tony Robinson: Ancient Tracks  

In Britain’s Ancient Tracks with Tony Robinson, Tony walks along Britain’s oldest roads to find the truth behind the megaliths, burial sites, ley lines and hidden caves along their path, and connect the clues they have left hidden in the British landscape.

There are seven episodes, which were aired in 2016-2017. These are great b because they’re all about walking, hiking and being outdoors. 

You can watch them on YouTube here . 

Women Who Shaped Toronto: the Resilient Women of St John’s Ward

Myseum of Toronto has created a virtual tour to celebrate the Toronto’s history and the resilient women who helped build the city.

8. Bill Nighy: Railway Journeys

Actor Bill Nighy may be best known as rocker Billy Mack in Love Actually (one of my favourite films ever!) or as Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean — but he has found a new role as documentary host on The World’s Most Scenic Railway Journeys. 

This series follows trains through some of the most scenic landscapes in the world. If you love railways and train travel, you’ll soon be yearning to go on one of these scenic railway journeys. 

Episodes feature Norway, Bavaria, Canada, New Zealand, Austria and Taiwan is upcoming.

Learn more here .

9. Susan Calman: Scotland

Comedian Susan Calman uncovers some untold tales behind Scotland’s most historic locations and share the in-depth history, characters and treasures hidden in these stunning spots. Watch a preview of Secret Scotland. Susan Calman starts her journey around Edinburgh and Scotland’s stunning East Coast.

 You can watch the preview and additional episodes here .

10. Simon Reeve 

Simon Reeve is a bestselling author and presenter of the acclaimed BBC TV travel series Tropic of Capricorn, Equator, Places That Don’t Exist and Meet the Stans. In the 2008 BBC TV series Tropic of Capricorn Simon traveled around the line marking the southern border of the tropics. His accompanying book, also called Tropic of Capricorn, is published by BBC Books. In the BBC series Equator, Simon headed east around the planet, passing through troubled areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America. In Places That Don’t Exist, Simon traveled through a group of unrecognized nations – countries so obscure they don’t officially exist. And in Meet the Stans, Simon visited the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Simon’s books include: Tropic of Capricorn: circling the world on a southern adventure The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism’ – a New York Times bestseller published in 1998 One Day in September: the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and Israeli revenge operation ‘Wrath of God’, which accompanied an Oscar-winning documentary movie of the same name. Simon has received a One World Broadcasting Trust award for an ‘outstanding contribution to greater world understanding’.

Others on Margaret’s list:

• Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations and Parts Unknown 
• Billy Connolly: Made in Scotland, Journey to the Edge of the World, World Tour of Australia, Route 66, Tour of England 
• Britain’s Great Cathedrals 
• Home or Away
• Escape to the Country 
• The Story of India 
• The Man in Seat Sicty-One
• Flavours of Poland 
• Penelope Keith’s Village of the Year 
• An Idiot Abroad 
• Australia with Julie Bradbuy 
• Stephen Fry in America 
• Ken Burns: The National Parks 
• Francesco’s Italy Top to Top 
• Globe Trekker
• Travels with My Father (Carolyn’s addition!) 

We also have a list of movies to inspire travel. Click here to read the article! 

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Carolyn Ray

As the CEO and Editor of JourneyWoman, Carolyn is a passionate advocate for women's travel and living the life of your dreams. She leads JourneyWoman's team of writers and chairs the JourneyWoman Women's Advisory Council and Women's Speaker's Bureau. She has been featured in the New York Times, Toronto Star and Zoomer as a solo travel expert, and speaks at women's travel conferences around the world. In March 2023, she was named one of the most influential women in travel by TravelPulse and was the recipient of a SATW travel writing award in September 2023. She is the chair of the Canadian chapter of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), board member for the Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance (CHEA) in support of Black and Brown businesses, a member of Women's Travel Leaders and a Herald for the Transformational Travel Council (TTC). Sometimes she sleeps. A bit.

I LOVED this page on travel documentaries. Thank you!

I would add to this list Brook Silva Braga’s “A Map for Saturday.”

So happy to see The Long Way series included. The two of them take you to non touristy spots. Long Way up is traversed with electrical Harleys. No small feat. You will find out what is the most dangerous country for the two of them.

The Netflix series, Extreme Engagement also takes you off the beaten path to eight countries. It is a reality show with a different bend. No short changes on the scenery shots. Lots of laughs.

I’m familiar with quite a number of the recommended resources but lots more to seek out, so thank you, my travel appetite is reawakening after the Covid hiatus. I’ve been travelling within Australia during the past few months as even that was curtailed due to state border closures. But some overseas adventures await!

We always strive to use real photos from our own adventures, provided by the guest writer or from our personal travels. However, in some cases, due to photo quality, we must use stock photography. If you have any questions about the photography please let us know. Disclaimer: We are so happy that you are checking out this page right now! We only recommend things that are suggested by our community, or through our own experience, that we believe will be helpful and practical for you. Some of our pages contain links, which means we’re part of an affiliate program for the product being mentioned. Should you decide to purchase a product using a link from on our site, JourneyWoman may earn a small commission from the retailer, which helps us maintain our beautiful website. JourneyWoman is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you! We want to hear what you think about this article, and we welcome any updates or changes to improve it. You can comment below, or send an email to us at [email protected] .

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The Travel Show

Join the Travel Show team on a journey of discovery as they explore new destinations around the globe and uncover hidden sides to some of the world’s favourite vacation hotspots. Encounter unique people, places and cultures and experience stunning landscapes, bustling cities and incredible adventures in the planet’s most fascinating locales.

Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby

Stream five seasons of Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby with BBC Select and go behind the scenes of the world’s most impressive hotels. With access to every inch of these stunning locales, our hosts work alongside hotel staff and rub shoulders with guests to see what it takes to run such unique places and offer unforgettable experiences and unfathomable luxury. There are sumptuous suites, exquisite cuisine and scenery that money can’t buy.

Bettany Hughes' Grand Tour: From Paris to Rome

In the 18th century, those seeking culture and an artistic education would take a ‘grand tour’, exploring Europe’s rich heritage and cuisine. In this delightful travel documentary series historian Bettany Hughes follows in their footsteps, visiting such wonders as the museums of Paris and Rome, the canals of Venice, the cuisine of Florence and Milan and the glorious vistas of the Amalfi coast.

Grand Indian Hotel

Enjoy an exclusive stay at some of the most jaw-dropping hotels in India, run by the award-winning luxury Oberoi Hotel Group, as they open their doors to cameras for the very first time. Witness unprecedented opulence, glamor and the extraordinary lengths hotel staff go to in the name of ‘guest obsession’ which aims to offer the very highest level of personal service.

Buckingham Palace with Alexander Armstrong

It’s one of the world’s most famous buildings. A British royal residence for over 250 years that is steeped in intrigue, love, tragedy, extravagance and madness. But few ever get to go behind the scenes. Actor and comedian Alexander Armstrong explores the history of the Royal Family and Buckingham Palace in this marvelous documentary, revealing joy and scandal that took place behind closed doors.

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The Year in Review: MagellanTV’s Top Documentaries of 2023

2023: the year of the series.

Hello there, MagellanTV Community! 

We’ve made it once again. Our annual voyage around the Sun is coming to a conclusion, and it’s time to reflect on all we’ve done. A lot has happened in our world and our lives, but still, we pushed forward. We found time to explore, time to learn, and time to grow. And the trip around our brilliantly bright local star wasn’t the only journey we made. Through the documentaries we’ve watched, we’ve traveled across space and time, learning each step of the way. 

And we sure did watch a lot. Just about half a million hours were streamed by the worldwide MagellanTV community this year across over 150 countries — everywhere from the Å land Islands to Z imbabwe. As is tradition, we’ve analyzed our data to identify the most streamed and liked documentaries that our members — including you — have watched in 2023.

So, what were the favorites? Well, one thing is crystal clear: this year was all about the docuseries. Members loved binge-watching and immersed themselves in stories across many installments. Every title that topped the list was a multi-episode documentary. Which ones have you seen? And which are you about to watch?

#1 Space & Science: Cosmic Journeys

Are you ready for some Cosmic Journeys ? This member-favorite series takes viewers through the vastness of space in an ever-expanding collection of shorts, with new episodes added regularly. Our universe is more extensive than even Galileo could have imagined, and events of great power and impact occur constantly. Now’s your chance to watch — from exploding stars to a space-time rip. This series is so out of this world that it comes as no surprise that it placed at the top of the list of this year’s Space and Science documentaries.

Runner Up: Space: The New Frontier

Find out how technology and our ever-evolving understanding of the planet we live on drive our grand quest to explore space in this super-engaging documentary from producer — and MagellanTV contributing writer — Andrew Thomson.

#1 War & Military: History Uncovered

Ready for some new interpretations of the past? Our War & Military aficionados spent the past year revisiting critical moments in history to uncover the whole truth. This isn’t your usual War & Military documentary. Instead of simply reviewing well-known facts or recreating famous battles, this series takes viewers down an alternative route to the past. In four episodes, explore the revealing details of key moments of the 20th century to reassess modern judgments.

Runner Up: Civil War: The Untold Story

Civil War documentaries? We have plenty of them. But here’s a unique look into the causes and intricacies of the storied conflict.

#1 History: Civilizations’ Legacy

What is the mantra of the year's Top History pick? — “Understand the present by digging into the past.” We don’t know about you, but this is something that both our history-buffs and our future-obsessed team members in the office can agree on. Ready to join the conversation? This series offers a unique look into history by combining past and present research to unlock the whole story. Over eight episodes, you’ll travel to the present versions of the world’s most ancient cities to understand the past. Some of the links between past and present may even surprise you. 

Runner Up: Time Team

Join the legendary Tony Robinson and the “Time Team” as they dig, research, and unveil everything from Paleolithic remnants to recent oddities.

#1 True Crime: Murder Maps 4K

Ready to open some case files and solve their mysteries? Have we got the series for you! If you’ve seen our top true crime round-ups, this top pick will come as no surprise to you. It has it all — puzzling crimes in the London area, interviews with experts discussing forensic evidence, and a plethora of episodes. While some cases are high-profile, others you may only discover through this series. Either way, each episode takes true crime lovers on a worthwhile adventure, where they will explore historic misdeeds and trace the evolution of forensics along the way.

Runner Up: Forensics 4K

Focusing on real-life cases in New Zealand, forensic science combines clever investigation techniques to solve criminal mysteries.

#1 Nature: Wildest Africa 4K

What’s not to love about this year’s #1 Nature selection? With epic natural spectacles and staggering beauty galore, this member-favorite explores havens of biodiversity in stunning 4K. Every detail of the African landscape is captured, from the incredible details on the tiniest ant to jaw-dropping aerial tours of some of the largest waterfalls. It’s an adventure like no other. May we recommend streaming this one to your television? The bigger the screen, the better.

Runner Up: Shark Gordon

For Ian "Shark" Gordon, life doesn't get much better than encountering a magnificent shark. Take a dive with him … if you dare.

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Their Kids Were Going Blind, So Adventurous Parents Took Them On A Journey Around the World: Remarkable ‘Blink' To Premiere At Telluride

EXCLUSIVE: About 50 minutes into Blink , the National Geographic documentary that's about to make its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, the Pelletier-Lemay family boards a gondola in Ecuador and begins a spectacular descent down a steep mountainside. But then the gondola jerks to a sudden stop.

The film directed by Edmund Stenson and Oscar winner Daniel Roher ( Navalny ) documents the family's incredible travels around the world – hiking in the Himalayas, hot-air ballooning in Egypt, surfing in Indonesia, on safari in Namibia. But on the gondola, the adventure comes to a perilous halt: hour after hour passes. The light fades to total darkness, with no sign of rescue.

"Why did it have to be us?" one of the kids asks with growing alarm. "This can't be real. It's a nightmare."

The enclosing darkness stands as a larger metaphor for the family from Québec. They have embarked on this global journey because three of their four children are going blind: Mia, age 11, Colin, 6, Laurent, 4; only Léo, age 9, has been spared the incurable genetic condition retinitis pigmentosa. Parents Sébastien Pelletier and Edith Lemay conceived the voyage as a way to fill their kids with extraordinary visual memories before Mia, Colin, and Laurent lose their sight completely.

Walt Disney Studios will release the film in 150 theaters in the U.S. and Canada beginning October 4. Watch the Blink trailer below.

"It’s a testament to familial strength and resilience in the face of adversity," Stenson says of the story. "Yes, the diagnosis is visual impairment-specific, but it’s really a more broad story about what do you do when the world throws you something? How do you respond? How do you react?"

Pelletier and Lemay financed the trip through family savings, eschewing fancy accommodations in favor of hostels and stays with host families. One-percenters they are not.

"They’re solidly middle class," Roher notes. "They were able to prioritize this because it meant so much to them and their family, and facilitate this trip in a way that they could afford because they’re not absolutely wealthy people. There’s no intergenerational wealth here. And I think that’s reflected in both their trip and the experiences that they were able to share with their children — being in the culture, being in people’s homes, [the kids] meeting kids their own age, really feeling like they are connecting with a different place at the most intimate level."

The children created a bucket list of things they wanted to see and do: watch a desert sunset, drink juice while riding a camel, go horseback in Mongolia, make friends in other countries, sleep on a train. That “to-do” list shaped the itinerary.

"It was always the kids that would, for the most part, lead the parents," observes Stenson. "I think it’s beautiful that it was the kids that offered that to the parents."

Roher, who was occupied promoting Navalny as Blink was being filmed — and about to start a family with his wife, filmmaker Caroline Lindy — ceded the role of trekking with the Pelletier-Lemay family to his longtime friend and film collaborator, Stenson.

"As we were in production for this film, I became a father and it was sort of this stunning coincidence that I was making a film about parenthood and the lengths the parents will go to for their children while Caroline and I were starting our family," Roher tells Deadline. "And that’s one of the primary reasons why Ed did the bulk of the principal photography and traveling with the family because Caroline and I welcomed our baby boy Gideon into the world. But it was very special and meaningful to sort of get this master class on parenting via the dailies that were coming in that I was screening and spending time with from home while Ed was off on this wonderful adventure."

It wasn't just the adventurous quality, but the character-driven nature of Blink that drew National Geographic's eye to the project.

"We came on board about 18 months ago," notes Carolyn Bernstein, EVP of global scripted content and documentary films for NatGeo. "The film team had been shooting just for a few months at that point. And we had gotten to know Daniel and his producers, Diane Becker and Mel Miller, on the campaign trail when we were out with Fire of Love and they were out with Navalny . And even though we were competitors technically, we all became really good friends and kind of constant companions. It was really fun. And once they won the Oscar for Navalny and beat us, I said, I must have Daniel’s next film. So, we came on board."

Bernstein adds, "I always say that our brand is focused, but it contains multitudes. We talk about gripping stories that inspire a deeper connection to our world. I can’t think of a better example than Blink ."

National Geographic has premiered some of its most acclaimed documentaries at Telluride, including Free Solo , which went on to win the 2019 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature; The Rescue and Torn in 2021, and The Mission last year.

"I think, honestly, it’s as much about the appeal of Telluride for our filmmakers as it is the appeal for us," Bernstein says of unveiling films in the Rocky Mountain enclave. "There’s something particularly special about world premiering at a festival that is really a kind of pure celebration of cinema, of the power of storytelling. Not only are you in this incredibly beautiful place, but for the filmmakers, they’re really surrounded by other best-in-class filmmakers, whether you’re a doc filmmaker or narrative, whether you’re first time or incredibly veteran. Everyone is mixing and mingling and connecting with one another in a way that feels unusual and special."

The Pelletier-Lemay family will be on hand for the Telluride premiere, along with the filmmaking team, including Roher, Stenson, and producer Diane Becker. (To avoid any risk of re-traumatizing the family, they may wish to skip the 12-minute vertiginous gondola ride that links Mountain Village at higher elevation with Telluride in the box canyon below).

"There’s no better place to premiere this film than at Telluride. It was our first pick from the very beginning," says Roher. "It’s a dream come true for both of us."

Adds Stenson, "It was always the dream to be at a place that was so representative of the family too, for this adventurous kind of excitable family. It just felt like the perfect place. I know the family too are dreaming of it and to be there with them and celebrate with the whole team, it’s incredible."

Watch the Blink trailer below.

More from Deadline

• Leo Woodall & Dustin Hoffman To Star In Crime Thriller 'Tuner' From 'Navalny' Oscar Winner Daniel Roher
• Disney Entertainment Television Lays Off 140; National Geographic Heavily Impacted

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The Best Films of 2023 … So Far

For too much of film history, the first half of the year has often been forgotten as people make their top ten lists when the calendar actually turns over. It’s a product of studios scheduling high-profile projects in a season that’s often kinder regarding awards, along with that little thing called recency bias. But this might be changing. The last Best Picture winner was a March 2022 premiere, and 2023 has been rich with artistic quality over its first six months. This list was once going to be around 15 titles but easily expanded to 20 and then 25. Honestly, we had to cut some excellent films from it. So consider this just a sample of what the writers of RogerEbert.com have loved so far this year, with new capsule reviews, links to the originals, and information on where to watch them. Catch up with these 25 movies. And don’t forget them in six months. 

We all know how this story of rich people getting richer ends: Michael Jordan ’s deal with Nike is almost as legendary as his career with the Bulls. Somehow, director and uncredited co-screenwriter Ben Affleck keeps it surprising with superb structure, impeccable casting, and performances. (Though Jordan does get some credit as his one request was that Viola Davis play his mother, Deloris, and of course, Davis is dazzling as always.) It’s also important to point out that 2023 is the year of movies about the art of the deal, with consumer product origin stories featuring Blackberry smartphones, Beanie Babies, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Tetris, and more. On the surface, “Air” is about sneakers named for a basketball player. But it has a subtle, deeper origin story, especially meaningful during a writer’s strike with the possibility of an actors’ strike. “Air” is the first film from a new company formed by Affleck and Matt Damon that promises to give a percentage to the people who work on films as Nike did for Jordan, giving cinematographers, designers, and sound technicians a share in the profits of the work they help to create. The medium is the message. ( Nell Minow )

Now streaming on:

“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”

Not only is Kelly Fremon Craig’s marvelous screen adaptation of iconic author Judy Blume ’s 1970 masterpiece my favorite film of the year thus far, but it’s also the first movie I’ve seen five times during its initial theatrical run. This resulted in me wanting to share the picture with as many friends and family members as possible, including my grandma—a lifelong movie buff—who told me as tears streamed down her face that this is the sort of film that can make the world a better place. For over half a century, Blume has busted stigmas regarding the female experience that the current governor of her home state appears hell-bent on reinforcing, and writer/director Craig has masterfully captured the timeless humanity of her work in every frame. The ensemble contains brilliant turns from Rachel McAdams , Kathy Bates , and a revelatory Elle Graham , though it is Abby Ryder Fortson ’s extraordinary portrayal of the titular heroine’s adolescent bewilderment and spiritual yearning that makes this film a cinematic gift for the ages. Indeed, Abby told me during our interview that the conversations sparked by this movie are ones “we need to have in order to let people know, if nothing else, that they’re not alone.” (Matt Fagerholm )

“ Asteroid City ”

In a time when people think they know Wes Anderson enough to develop AI systems that try to replicate his work, his “Asteroid City” proves not only that his voice and style can’t be duplicated or recycled but that it keeps evolving. In this multilayered ensemble piece about an in-universe televised production of a play about an alien sighting at an astronomy convention in a deserted town during the ‘50s, Anderson reflects on life as an artist. “Asteroid City” is as inviting and quirky as most of Anderson’s films, but the humor is consistently hilarious, swaying between upbeat and dark. The ensemble cast all pour incredible soulfulness into their immersive performances; Jason Schwartzman , Tom Hanks , Jefferey Wright, Scarlett Johansson , and Jake Ryan (who I can only imagine Anderson went giddy over that he found a miniature Schwartzman) are standouts. But the film’s boldest quality lies in Anderson’s existential exploration of life, asking how artists can continue to make art with purpose when processing a significant tragedy. It’s as if the pandemic had Anderson wrestling with an existential crisis, and writing this script was his only outlet. “Asteroid City” is as humanely complex and sincere as his best work. ( Rendy Jones )

“ The Eight Mountains ”

The other day, while filling my car with gas, I was enjoying standing there in the cool misty morning, enjoying the quiet and peace. Suddenly the screen on the gas pump blazed into life with jingles and manic voices, all commercials. I was a captive audience. You can’t “opt-out” of these. I resented this. I can’t even have a minute alone to myself without being advertised to! This is all part of a larger cultural refusal to allow space for contemplation and stillness. Sometimes quiet and even emptiness leave room for depth of feeling and thought. Current movies sometimes act like that gas pump, afraid to allow the audience a moment to think. 

What does this have to do with “The Eight Mountains”? The film’s slow rhythm, its quietness, and gentleness, and its resistance to high-pitch emotions or even conflict took an attitude adjustment at first, even for me, who watches all kinds of movies of every pace imaginable. The film forces you to slow down. I was captured by the visuals, the cinematography, the music, and the way it told the story of a 40-year friendship between two very different men ( Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi ). Co-directed by Charlotte Vandermeersch and Felix van Groeningen, based on a best-selling novel, “The Eight Mountains” has the patience to allow for things in the audience, giving us space and time to be with our own thoughts. This “allowing” space is all too rare. I see a lot of films, and some are forgettable, others are terrible. Some are flawed but likable, and some are very good. It’s rare that a film expands in your consciousness after you’ve seen it, sticking with you, images floating by, a part of you already. “The Eight Mountains” is one of those films. ( Sheila O’Malley )

“ Full Time ”

Laure Calamy delivers a powerhouse performance in “Full Time,” a sharp observational drama set in and around Paris. Her force of presence in the role of Julie Roy, a stressed single mother of two who travels each day from the city to the suburbs, is essential to writer/director Éric Gravel’s breathless, furiously focused strain of social realism; both actor and filmmaker achieve an astonishing intimacy and credibility in their depiction of not only the quotidian rhythms of Julie’s domestic and working-class life but the social, psychological, and moral tensions that its economics impose. Entirely reliant upon public transportation to get to the five-star hotel where she works as the head chambermaid, and also to an interview for a job at a marketing firm that would better suit her skill set, Julie faces a hectic week even before a transit strike shuts down the city’s trains and buses, making her day-to-day existence even more fraught with obstacles. The film’s supply-chain drama informs Julie’s increasingly frantic movements—her all-consuming initiative and inner life governed by a sense of pressurized individualism—while remaining at its periphery; in Gravel’s cutting social analysis, her political and personal considerations of labor are suppressed by its constancy.

( Isaac Feldberg )

“ Godland ”

In “Godland,” writer/director Hlynur Pálmason uses the history of Iceland’s colonial past to craft a transfixing meditation on life’s many oppositions. At its center is the relationship between Danish priest Lucas, on a mission to build a Lutheran church in a rural southeast settlement, and his soulful Icelandic guide Ragnar ( Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson ), who the colonizers continually belittle. As they make their journey together, cinematographer Maria von Hausswolff captures the beauty–and the harshness–of this unspoiled land, capturing its raging ocean waves, peaceful waterfalls, and glowing lava in richly textured 35mm shot in Academy ratio. This framing choice adds both intimacy and distance to the film as if it were composed of thousands of vacation slides. This same sensation is echoed in the way Pálmason films his actors, often centering their bodies, positioning their faces to look squarely at the camera, as if they too were about to be photographed by Lucas. Through these two characters, Pálmason contemplates the complex tension between Denmark and Iceland, the Church and the natural world, life and death. The title, “Godland,” is presented at the beginning and end of the film in Danish and Icelandic, probing the audience to contemplate these ever-present dualities of life in a colonized state. ( Marya E. Gates )

“ How to Blow Up a Pipeline ”

Daniel Goldhaber ’s thriller is relentless because it has to be. It conveys the urgency of its creator that he felt on reading the non-fiction book of the same name by Andreas Malm . Working with writers Ariela Barer and Jordan Sjol , Goldhaber took the study of extreme action to stem environmental trauma and fictionalized it into a riveting story of eight people drawn together by their extreme desire for change. Working back and forth to unpack a complex story of young people with different motives but similar goals, Goldhaber has made a film that simultaneously works as a character study, cultural commentary, and intense thriller. It’s not a movie that preaches; it pulses and hums with the understanding that we are long past the time when talking will save the future. It’s reductive to label this film as a call to violent action. Goldhaber isn’t interested in that kind of exact moral supposition. He merely understands that people need to do something more than talk about change that never comes. We don’t need to literally blow up anything to understand that lack of some kind of action will doom us. And we need to start asking ourselves what this kind of dread is doing to young people in this country, who are so increasingly frustrated by the world around them that something feels like it might explode inside them. ( Brian Tallerico )

“ Infinity Pool ”

“Infinity Pool” wouldn’t really work as a black comedy or a horror movie if its creators weren’t so committed to their depraved vision of bougie privilege run amok. This sort of eat-the-rich satire requires a full head of teeth and an appetite to match, and writer/director Brandon Cronenberg thankfully brought both. Set at a tacky vacation resort in the imaginary third-world country of Li Tolqa, “Infinity Pool” seems more like a natural extension of the to-the-molars style that Cronenberg previously established in both the hypno-hypochondriac psychodrama “Antiviral” and then the body-mod bloodbath “Possessor.” In “Infinity Pool,” “ The Northman ” star Alexander Skarsgard delivers another all-in turn as James Foster , a violently hungover and creatively blocked writer who stumbles into the wrong crowd, led by Mia Goth’s femme fatale out-of-towner Gabi Bauer, and then gets stuck with them after he commits manslaughter, and then pays top dollar to clone himself to avoid the death penalty. The numbing bender that ensues wouldn’t be as compelling if Cronenberg—and cinematographer Karim Hussain , and production designer Zosia Mackenzie , and special makeup artist Dan Martin —weren’t so maniacally focused on representing James’s physical and spiritual bottoming out. Many try, but few succeed at being this fanatically vicious. ( Simon Abrams )

“ John Wick: Chapter 4 ”

In almost any other circumstance, beginning a film with a direct visual homage to one of the most famous moments of “ Lawrence of Arabia ” might come across as wildly cheeky at best or an act of insane hubris at worst. “John Wick: Chapter 4,” however, proves itself more than capable of covering that particular check. In this continuation of this saga about the enormously resourceful hitman on the run ( Keanu Reeves , whose laid-back soulfulness continues to mesh beautifully with the insane violence he deals out), director Chad Stahelski takes us around the world, brings in an impressive supporting cast of series regulars (including Laurence Fishburne , Ian McShane , and the late Lance Reddick ) and newcomers (such as the legendary Donnie Yen in a scene-stealing turn) and offers one knockout set piece after another over two solid hours. That is all prelude for its extended Paris-set finale, the most astonishing burst of sustained action to hit the screen since “ Mad Max: Fury Road ”—an orgy of pure cinema that pays homage to the likes of De Palma and Keaton and manages to continually top itself. And it does so in such a seemingly effortless manner that when it’s all over, you may resent most other new action films—even the good ones—for a long time to come for their comparative lack of ambition and execution. ( Peter Sobczynski )

“ Judy Blume Forever ”

At first glance, “Judy Blume Forever” is your typical bio-doc about the life of a person whose name you might recognize from your old summer reading list. But this documentary blossoms into something poignant for today as well as a celebration of its subject, beloved author Judy Blume. The film is a nostalgic trip back to those awkward tween years normalizing the questions kids may have about God and periods, it’s a time capsule of when women had to struggle to pursue their own careers separate from their husbands, and it’s a call to fight book censorship, which Blume has done so for decades. With the recent release of the movie adaptation of Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret , Davina Pardo & Leah Wolchok ’s colorfully-illustrated documentary is an ideal companion piece, rich in heart, a revealing story time with the author on her sources of inspiration. Readers and fans of all ages will be delighted to learn Blume is a kid-at-heart, now eager to share personal memories and rally against the increased calls to prohibit kids from reading what they want. ( Monica Castillo )

“ Knock at the Cabin ”

Lots of people understandably take issue with M. Night Shyamalan’s latest, a moody, claustrophobic apocalypse thriller liberally adapted, let’s say, from Paul G. Tremblay’s novel. After all, it’s a film that posits, at least on its surface, that our salvation from a very Christian-looking apocalypse comes from the ritual killing of a queer person. But contrary to that (quite surface, in my estimation) reading, “Knock at the Cabin” feels like a thought experiment testing the purity and strength of queer love and resilience—fighting to stay ourselves in a world that hates us and what we’ll do to save the little corners of happiness we find. If that read doesn’t move you, consider it one of Shyamalan’s leanest and most stylish genre exercises to date. Jarin Blaschke ’s cinematography turns a humble woodland cabin into a tesseract of skewed perspectives, and Dave Bautista and Ben Aldridge give impressive performances that constantly teeter between sensitivity and savagery. ( Clint Worthington )

“ Master Gardener ”

With his motif of men journaling, journaling, journaling, Paul Schrader has long chased a movie adapted from a book that didn’t exist, a book whose careworn spine they could feel in their hands, annotated, pages bent to make communing with its best passages all the easier. I would argue he’s succeeded twice; once in his script for “ Taxi Driver ,” his perverse revision of Catcher in the Rye , and now with “Master Gardener,” his tale of a white supremacist whose external humanity and fascist tattoos have to vie for conclusive proof of his soul’s true direction. Joel Edgerton plays Narvel Roth, a perfect literary name and fittingly a construct, a man that a neo-Nazi invented to escape his past. He has shaved himself to a fine point, a man who exists to say “yes” when people ask him for anything and ensure that acres of flowers don’t die on his watch. Schrader has found a vessel for his lifelong spiritual agony that’s genuinely on the precipice of something risky and dangerous. ( Scout Tafoya )

“ Past Lives ”

Woven from delicate whispers of truth, Celine Song ’s debut feature summons an incandescent yearning for the paths untraveled, for the versions of ourselves lost to the passage of time in order to give birth to who we were meant to become. Nora ( Greta Lee ) and Hae Sung ( Teo Yoo ), the central childhood sweethearts turned strangers over many decades and across thousands of miles, are not involved in a love triangle of dueling suitors. Instead, they reunite to mourn a precious shared past that didn’t bloom into a future together. But whether the hand of destiny or the randomness of circumstance is to blame for their multiple separations, the distant memory of who they once were to each other remains alive within them. For Nora, however, this bond exists not as romantic interest but as an anchor that holds together all the moving parts of her identity. The miracle of Song’s debut and the swoon-worthy performances within it is that they give a cinematic body to sentiments so layered and ambivalent they could seem nearly impossible to articulate on screen with such emotional precision. Thankfully for our hearts, the film’s tear-inducing conclusion brims with empathy for every character’s resolution. ( Carlos Aguilar )

“ Polite Society ”

“Polite Society” begins and ends with a spin kick. The feature debut from “We Are Lady Parts” creator Nida Manzoor explodes with energy, color, and movement, telling the story of a martial arts-obsessed British-Pakistani teenager named Ria Khan ( Priya Kansara ) who shifts into action-hero mode after her older sister Lena ( Ritu Arya ) gets engaged to a wealthy doctor who’s too perfect to be real. The obvious touchstone here is Edgar Wright and “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World,” with whom Manzoor shares a knack for heightening familiar situations with bold, stylized filmmaking. But Manzoor’s sensibility leans more feminist and punk—dig that X-Ray Spex song over the end credits—giving her take on the coming-of-age action comedy an infectious sense of rebellion and fun. ( Katie Rife )

“ Rye Lane ”

Raine Allen-Miller’s incredibly enjoyable feature debut proves the power of likable leads. It’s such a simple formula, and Hollywood keeps failing to get it right. Two people that viewers not only want to spend time with but want to see end the film happy. It’s that simple. And from nearly the first frames of this film, we find ourselves rooting for the happiness of Dom ( David Jonsson ) and Yas ( Vivian Oparah ). As they walk through the vibrant neighborhood around Rye Lane Market, their backstories become clear, mostly how they still suffer from broken hearts. They make each other stronger. Yas helps Dom confront his toxic ex-girlfriend; Dom helps Yas do the same. It’s an incredibly lean film in terms of plot, but we feel the growth in these characters that needed someone to help them get over the latest speedbump in their young lives. Jonsson and Oparah are charming, funny, and clever in ways that people only really are in movies like this, but it doesn’t matter. We take the journey with them. Because we want to see where they’re going next. ( Brian Tallerico )

“ Sam Now ”

Built from home movies and family interviews spanning 24 years, director Reed Harkness’ documentary tells the engrossing true story of how he and his younger stepbrother Sam, a frequent subject of his backyard filmmaking experiments, set out to find Sam’s mother Jois, who had disappeared without explanation. The movie’s opening section makes viewers squirm in anticipation of a tragic murder story. But “Sam Now” deftly moves on to a more mundane but still wrenching question: What happens when a parent decides they no longer wish to be a parent and would prefer to become a pariah by pursuing their own happiness? Steven Spielberg told a version of this tale in his semi-autobiographical family story “ The Fabelmans ,” but Harkness achieves comparable complexity and power on a much smaller scale, using a mix of consumer-grade and semi-professional equipment to record sensitive questions and honest answers, and set competing narratives against each other without telling that any of them are morally correct. The most remarkable thing about this film isn’t the filmmaking itself, which is extraordinary, but the tough yet empathetic way it presents the feelings of everyone involved as being equally valid, though impossible to reconcile to everyone’s satisfaction. ( Matt Zoller Seitz )

“ Sanctuary ”

Playful in its beginning and sobering in its final moments, Zachary Wigon ’s feature film debut is one for the ages. It couldn’t come at a better time, since Hollywood appears to be deterred by sex, kink, and anything in between. “Sanctuary” oozes with tension, with Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott lighting up the screen with a chemistry lost on most modern on-screen couples. “Sanctuary” is a tightrope walk of a battle of the sexes, with Qualley playing a dominatrix and Abbott playing an heir to a hotel conglomerate who desperately seeks to break off their relationship. The two play off each other marvelously, dodging earnest admissions of what could be called love for quick jabs meant to hurt the other player in the sick game they’ve cultivated for themselves. In the wrong hands, the film’s one-location setting could quickly become a gimmick, but here it allows Qualley and Abbott to fully delve into their characters, leaving them bare upon the screen. They’re pressed so tightly against mirroring hotel walls that it feels like they may crawl through the screen to get away from each other, but by the end of the ordeal, they fall back into each other’s embrace. What begins as an erotic thriller slowly unravels into a fine romantic comedy and shapes into one of the best films of 2023. ( Kaiya Shunyata )

“ Showing Up ”

From the housewife trapped in a malaise in “ River of Grass ” to two strivers in the American West in “ First Cow ,” the people who live on the margins of the margins have long fascinated Kelly Reichardt . It would therefore seem odd that her newest film, “Showing Up,” set in the cozy confines of a Seattle art school, would take notice of a part-time sculptor and arts administrator. What makes the distant Lizzy ( Michelle Williams ) so interesting? Through Reichardt and Jon Raymond’s taut script, buoyed by one of Williams’ most idiosyncratic performances, “Showing Up” reveals how this woman subsists on a kind of margin: Her pleasant artist parents are ignorant of the pains felt by their children; her brother ( John Magaro ) is battling mental health issues. But it’s the economy that diminishes creatives to the point of turning them into landlords, and which demonstrates how the interpersonally rigid Lizzy deserves our time and empathy. As does Reichardt’s quiet, observational eye. She courses through this world—the grounds of the art school, the meditative community that populates it—with the nimbleness of Lizzy’s fingers. The wonderful calibration by Williams and Reichardt in “Showing Up” makes it their most intense, richest, and thematically modern collaboration. ( Robert Daniels )

“ Sick of Myself ”

The big laughs from Kristoffer Borgli ’s “Sick of Myself” are select, knowing, and usually followed up with a sinking gut feeling. They’re all from the fantasy of Signe ( Kristine Kujath Thorp ), who wears our need for spectators in the facial skin disease she has knowingly given herself. When not bandaged up, her mug is colonized with freakish red veins and bulbous sores; Signe hopes these side effects from an illegal Russian drug will get her pity, attention, and real estate in people’s minds. Writer/director Borgli (whose next project is an A24, Ari Aster-produced film starring Nicolas Cage ) doesn’t follow up these acts with scenes of her posting updates on Twitter—that would be too on-the-nose for this tactful movie that’s kind of horrific, kind of funny, and mighty Scandinavian about a cultural hunger within us all like Alex’s psychopathy in “ A Clockwork Orange .” Borgli’s plotting is too high-minded to simply punch down, and Thorp creates an essential compassion, making us feel every little victory that comes in Signe’s body-destroying, wish-fulfilling journey. To match its shock and awe, cinematographer Benjamin Loeb often embraces slow zooms, as with one of its biggest gag-inducers: Signe, surrounded by art in a museum, is finally the subject of a photo shoot that could make her an iconoclast. The camera gets closer and closer. And then she starts bleeding from the head. ( Nick Allen )

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse”

The Oscar-winning “ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ” was a blast of pop-art cleverness, rattling the prematurely ossified bones of big-budget Hollywood animation, which seems increasingly stuck in a Pixar-DreamWorks witty-bobbleheads rut. The bigger, wilder, more propulsive sequel builds on the original’s innovations, sending teenage hero Miles Morales on an interdimensional adventure that doubles as a tour of Marvel comics art styles (and textures; some of the characters even seem to have been cut from paper) and offers a clever series of thought prompts for young viewers who may not have considered how comics art relates to painting, drawing, sculpture, and architecture from earlier times (the Guggenheim sequence, complete with Banksy joke, should be shown in museums). Along the way, the movie embroiders its genuinely moving story with subtle affirmations that we all have the same basic needs and desires underneath it all, despite superficial differences of race, culture, and gender identity that bad guys twist to pit us against each other. This is a classic second installment in a grand fantasy trilogy, right up there with “The Two Towers” and “ The Empire Strikes Back .” ( Matt Zoller Seitz )

“ STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie ”

It could have been an eat-your-vegetables movie: a mawkish documentary about an inspirational figure overcoming adversity. Instead, “STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie” feels more like a celebration: of this actor’s talent, drive, and powerful ability to connect with the audience despite the ravages of Parkinson’s disease. Fox’s candor about his condition only makes him more compelling. At 62, he maintains the boyish charm and infectious energy that made him a superstar in the 1980s. And the impeccable comic timing remains intact, even if it takes him a beat or two longer sometimes to deliver that perfect zinger. The jokes are often at his own expense as he looks directly into director Davis Guggenheim ’s camera and discusses his life and career, from his early struggles to the heights of fame and acclaim he achieved between TV’s “Family Ties” and the “ Back to the Future ” movies and beyond. Working with the brilliant editor Michael Harte , Guggenheim cleverly uses clips from Fox’s substantial filmography to illustrate the tales the actor tells. And Fox’s narration from his memoirs helps create the intimate sensation that he’s speaking exclusively to us. “Still” is thrilling. ( Christy Lemire )

“ A Thousand and One ”

A.V. Rockwell’s “A Thousand and One” (winner of this year’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize) is an atomic bomb of a feature debut. Inez ( Teyana Taylor ) is fresh out of Rikers Island, and in order to reunite with the son she left behind, she kidnaps him from the foster care system to raise him herself. Houseless, jobless, and uncertain, Inez and young Terry are carried forth only by their unconditional love and tenacity against the odds. Taking place over the 1990s and 2000s, the film examines the development of an unbreakable bond that is constantly tested by a changing New York City. “A Thousand and One” pulses with poignancy in every second of its runtime. Taylor is soul-stirring as Inez, hitting every beat of tender care and tough love. There isn’t a question that this film is birthed out of adoration for Black families, and for Taylor and Rockwell’s native NYC itself, which functions as a character in its own right. With phenomenal photography, first-class performances, and the love and light and Blackness itself, “A Thousand and One” boasts an unforgettably emotional coming-of-age between a mother and son. ( Peyton Robinson )

“ Tori and Lokita ”

The movies made by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne may be quiet, but that doesn’t mean they’re not angry. The Belgian filmmaking team is composed and canny enough to understand that their statements against a grotesquely cruel and hateful world don’t need to be shouted. This story of two children, African migrants trapped in a web of exploitation as they seek to find a place in today’s Europe, is, like all their movies, plain in its artfulness and implacable as a mathematical proof. The opening scene, in which the older Lokita wilts as she negotiates a Q&A about her background, struggling to give the answers that will get her what she needs, is a remarkable microcosmic view of the banality of man’s inhumanity to man. If this remarkable movie is more heartbreaking than most Dardenne pictures, that’s due to the gut-wrenching performances by Pablo Schils and Joely Mbundu in the title roles. ( Glenn Kenny )

“ The Year Between ”

Alex Heller gives her all to “The Year Between,” a writer/director/actor debut that takes some of the wildest chances of any noteworthy comedy so far this year. That’s all extra impressive given the true inspiration: Heller was diagnosed with bipolar disorder while in college and moved back in with her Illinois suburb family. With Heller’s hilariously indignant lead performance at the center, putting her less brash parents and young siblings on further edge as she balances her emotions and brain chemicals, it’s a bold crowd-pleaser that leads with unsentimental empathy and hard-earned levity. Boasting one emotionally fine-tuned scene after another, “The Year Between” displays a fresh storytelling talent, with the on-screen endorsement of J. Smith Cameron and Steve Buscemi (who play her parents, adding to the film’s uniquely warming family dynamic) and the behind-the-scenes advocacy of Kenneth Lonergan . Heller is one of the most promising Chicagoland filmmakers in some time, and considering how many leaps she lands with this acrobatic debut, it’s an exciting wonder what she’ll pull off in her second movie, or tenth. ( Nick Allen )

“ You Hurt My Feelings ”

For any cinephile, one of the sweetest treats is getting the privilege to see one of your favorite filmmakers enter their Late Period. This is not strictly a function of age or the size of one’s filmography. It has more to do with a filmmaker zeroing in on exactly what it is they do better than anyone and discarding everything else. With her seventh feature film, “You Hurt My Feelings,” filmmaker Nicole Holofcener feels like she’s reached her Late Period. Guided by her muse Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Holofcener’s dark comedy manages to plumb the unspoken fears of a seemingly successful Manhattan couple in a fashion typically reserved for horror. As usual, Holofcener has a musician’s ear for dialogue and a knack for plotting that puts her relatably human characters in increasingly painful situations. And yet this is a departure for her. Anger, specifically women’s anger, has always been the secret fuel of Holofcener films. But it doesn’t drive “You Hurt My Feelings.” She’s instead tapped into a broader range of feelings without sacrificing humor, landing on the divine abilities to forgive and reconcile. This may be her best work, but for what comes next. ( Brandon David Wilson )

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Entertainment, errol morris examines migrant family separation with nbc news in ‘separated’.

Lindsey Bahr

Associated Press

2023 Invision

FILE - Filmmaker Errol Morris poses for a portrait to promote his film, "The Pigeon Tunnel" a documentary about John le Carr, during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Sept. 12, 2023. Morris' latest film, "Separation," premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

VENICE – Filmmaker Errol Morris turned his lens toward the U.S. government’s border policies and family separation in the documentary “Separated,” which premiered at Thursday at the Venice Film Festival .

The Trump administration separated thousands of migrant parents from their children as it moved to criminally prosecute people for illegally crossing the Southwestern border. Minors, who could not be held in criminal custody with their parents, were transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Facing strong opposition, Trump eventually reversed course in 2018, days before a federal judge in San Diego halted the practice and ordered immediate reunification in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.

According to figures released by the Department of Homeland Security, 3,881 children were separated from their families from 2017 to 2021.

The film, which is not in competition at the festival, is based on journalist Jacob Soboroff's book “Separated: Inside an American Tragedy.” Morris, the Oscar-winning documentarian behind the Robert S. McNamara film “The Fog of War,” made “Separated” in collaboration with NBC News Studios, Participant, Fourth Floor and Moxie Pictures.

Though focused on what transpired during the Trump administration, it begins with several voices of American presidents speaking about immigration.

“This is not just a problem of the Trump administration, though Trump escalated it to new levels of horror,” Morris said. “There has to be a better way.”

The film was intended it to be both an exploration of the “terrible misdeeds of our recent past” and a “cautionary tale for the future,” he wrote in a director’s statement.

Soboroff, a correspondent with NBC News, said that as a journalist he’s not “here to advocate for one particular policy decision or another.” Their hope, though, is for it to not happen again.

“Separated” includes a dramatic recreation of a family separation, brought to life by actors Gabriela Cartol and Diego Armando Lara Lagunes, as well as interviews with Elaine Duke, the former acting head of the Department of Homeland Security, an employee of the Office of Refugee Resettlement and whistleblower Jonathan White.

“We want people to be able to remember what happened and internalize the truth,” Soboroff said.

On his first day in office in 2021, President Joe Biden issued an executive order to reunite families that were split up. Two years later , the task force had reconnected nearly 700 children with their families; nearly 1,000 remained separated from their families.

The film, which runs only 93 minutes, does not yet have distribution. The moderator asked if they hoped that it might be acquired, and seen, before November's U.S. presidential election .

“To me it’s essential that this comes out before the election,” Morris said. “I want this to come out before the election with the hope that it could make a difference.”

For more coverage of the 2024 Venice Film Festival, visit https://apnews.com/hub/venice-film-festival .

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Governor Little Appoints New Member to Idaho Travel Council August 29, 2024

NEWS RELEASE:   For Immediate Release

Contact: Laurie McConnell Idaho Commerce-Tourism Development 208.287.0781 [email protected]

Governor Little Appoints New Member to Idaho Travel Council The Idaho Travel Council advises Idaho Commerce on tourism policy and grant awards

BOISE, Idaho (August 29, 2024) — Governor Brad Little has appointed Angela Osborne, of Moscow, ID, to the Idaho Travel Council (ITC) representing Region 2 (North Central Idaho).

Osborne began her career at the Best Western Plus University Inn in Moscow in 1991. In her current role as Sales Manager, she inspires guests to bring their meetings and events to Moscow. These responsibilities have given her experience in many areas of hotel operation, including catering, front desk, events, housekeeping, accounting and human resources.  Osborne believes this diversity of job skills allows her to know the challenges guests experience when traveling and planning events and how best to overcome them.

During her time at the Best Western Plus University Inn, Osborne represented the hotel as a member of the North Central Idaho Travel Association, holding several board positions. She also actively supports the Moscow Chamber of Commerce’s tourism efforts in promoting their events and programming.

“I look forward to helping highlight Idaho as an amazing tourist destination with all its unique and diverse attractions,” says Osborne. “There is truly something for everyone in Idaho and I look forward to inspiring more people to come see this for themselves.”

A lifelong Idaho native, Osborne has experienced and enjoyed many areas of Idaho from Boise to the Silver Valley. She attended Boise State University, the University of Idaho and Washington State University, ultimately receiving degrees in Business-Management Information Systems and Humanities.

In her spare time, Osborne is an avid reader and enjoys spending time with her family and numerous pets. She is a strong supporter of Vandal and Cougar athletics and enjoys attending as many games as possible.

“We are excited to welcome Ms. Osborne to the Idaho Travel Council,” said Idaho Commerce Director Tom Kealey. “Her broad hospitality background and familiarity with the state will be an asset to the council and Visit Idaho’s mission to position Idaho as an exceptional travel and recreation destination.”

The Idaho Travel Council’s primary purpose is to advise the Idaho Department of Commerce-Tourism Development activities and programs. The council also awards grants to applicants of the Idaho Regional Travel and Convention Grant Program. Additionally, council members work closely with tourism organizations and businesses in Idaho on viable marketing opportunities and ways to represent their interests to state government.

The Idaho Travel Council consists of eight Governor-appointed members: seven members each representing one of Idaho’s development regions, and one member appointed at-large.

Click here for a full list of council members. 

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