Ten must-watch documentaries in Academic Video Online

A 2025 study of second-year undergraduates found that discipline-focused documentaries supported critical thinking and visual literacy, encouraging deeper analysis and ethical reflection. Study* author Daniel Pearce of University of Hertfordshire observed that documentaries are more popular and respected than ever.

Documentaries continue to have positive impact in the classroom. They align with trends toward multimodal literacy—supporting learners accustomed to visual media. They can enrich discussions, bridge theory with real-world scenarios and are highly accessible through platforms such as Academic Video Online from ProQuest.

Academic Video Online is a collection of more than 80,000 videos curated specifically for academia, that faculty across disciplines can integrate into their teaching. Within its documentaries there are nearly 900 from the education documentary powerhouse Film Platform. Film Platform is renowned for thought-provoking, academically relevant and emotionally resonant documentaries to support learning outcomes.

Film Platform Documentaries Enable Classrooms to:

• • Introduce activist Dolores Huerta to inspire the next generation of students on racial and labor justice as well as share how she navigated the issues of her time to promote social change. (Dolores)
  • Showcase Dr. Paul Farmer, Dr. Jim Yong Kim and Ophelia Dahl to explore how a team of doctors and activists created a community health model out of their passion for healing and compassion for people that have saved millions of lives in the developing world. (Bending the Arc)
  • Provide an intimate look at the refugee crisis through human stories showing the personal impact it places on individuals, families and cultures across the globe. (Human Flow)

These are just a few ways Film Platform documentaries inspire, engage and inform. Here are seven more that you’ll want to share on your campus:

Seven More Great Evergreen Film Platform Documentaries in Academic Video Online

• • How to Survive a Plague (Health Policy)
    A gripping account of HIV-positive activists who changed the course of AIDS treatment through fearless advocacy.
  • Resilience (Psychology)
    Explores how childhood trauma impacts lifelong health—and the science behind healing toxic stress.
  • A Place at the Table (Social Work)
    Examines food insecurity in America through the lives of families struggling to feed their children.
  • The Hunting Ground (Criminal Justice)
    A searing exposé on sexual assault on college campuses and the fight for justice by survivors.
  • Inequality for All (Business & Economics)
    Robert Reich breaks down how economic inequality threatens the middle class and democracy itself.
  • Chasing Ice (Environmental Studies)
    Follows a photographer’s mission to capture undeniable evidence of climate change in the Arctic.
  • Food, Inc. 2 (Food Studies)
    A powerful sequel that exposes the unchecked corporate control of our food system and explores innovative solutions for a more sustainable future.

How to Maximize Classroom Engagement Through Documentaries

Here are some tips to share with faculty on how to get the most from classroom documentary experience.

• • Select with purpose: Choose films that directly map to course objectives. Faculty can filter the wealth of Film Platform documentaries by discipline and keyword.
  • Facilitate reflection: Use guided questions, discussions or assignments post-viewing.
  • Encourage student choice: Allowing students to help pick content boosts participation. Discuss a selection of documentaries in class and let students make the final decision on the content for the class to watch.
  • Build visual literacy: Teach students to analyze documentary techniques, narrative framing and visual rhetoric.

Curious to Explore Further?

If you're looking to support faculty access to films that challenge, inspire and inform, Academic Video Online and its inclusion of Film Platform documentaries is worth a closer look.

Request a trial of Academic Video Online to explore the collection and see how it supports your campus in the classroom and beyond.

* Pearce, Daniel. “Using Documentaries in the Classroom to Develop Critical Thinking Skills”. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, no. 37, Sept. 2025, doi:10.47408/jldhe.vi37.1716.