Movies like What is AIDS? (1988)
The best movies like What is AIDS? (1988) are Howard (2018), Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022) and Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience (2016). If What is AIDS? hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedParis Is Burning (1991)8.0/10 from 579 votes
- NewestOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)Released 2026
Howard (2018)
Though legendary lyricist Howard Ashman died far too young, his impact on Broadway, movies, and the culture at large were incalculable. Told entirely through rare archival footage and interviews with Ashman’s family, friends, associates, and longtime partner Bill Lauch, Howard is an intimate tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent and a rousing celebration of musical storytelling itself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022)
Explore the evolution of Buzz Lightyear from toy to human in the making of Pixar’s Lightyear. Dive into the origin and cultural impact of everyone’s favorite Space Ranger, the art of designing a new “human Buzz,” and the challenges faced by the Lightyear crew along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVoyage of Time: The IMAX Experience (2016)
A celebration of the universe, displaying the whole of time, from its start to its final collapse. This film examines all that occurred to prepare the world that stands before us now: science and spirit, birth and death, the grand cosmos and the minute life systems of our planet.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHow to Survive a Plague (2012)
A story of two coalitions – ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) – whose activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition. Despite having no scientific training, these self-made activists infiltrated the pharmaceutical industry and helped identify promising new drugs, moving them from experimental trials to patients in record time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDownloaded (2013)
A documentary that explores the downloading revolution; the kids that created it, the bands and the businesses that were affected by it, and its impact on the world at large.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDavid Byrne's American Utopia (2020)
A filmed version of David Byrne's Broadway show, a unifying musical celebration that inspires audiences to connect to each other and to the global community.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Am Heath Ledger (2017)
The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNaqoyqatsi (2002)
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLemmy (2010)
Over four decades, Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister has registered an immeasurable impact on music history. Nearly 65, he remains the living embodiment of the rock and roll lifestyle, and this feature-length documentary tells his story, one of a hard-living rock icon who continues to enjoy the life of a man half his age.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Secret (2006)
Interviews with leading authors, philosophers and scientists, with an in-depth discussion of the Law of Attraction. The audience is shown how they can learn and use 'The Secret' in their everyday lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCapital in the Twenty-First Century (2019)
Film adaptation of French economist Thomas Piketty's ground-breaking global bestseller of the same name: an eye-opening journey through wealth and power.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLive Aid (1985)
Live Aid was held on 13 July 1985, simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, United States. It was one of the largest scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time: watched live by an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion, across 150 nations. "It's twelve noon in London, seven AM in Philadelphia, and around the world it's time for Live Aid...!"
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Irishman: In Conversation (2019)
Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino in conversation about The Irishman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisScotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (2018)
A deliciously scandalous portrait of unsung Hollywood legend Scotty Bowers, whose bestselling memoir chronicled his decades spent as sexual procurer to the stars.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006)
Featuring never-before-seen footage, this documentary delivers a startling new look at the Peoples Temple, headed by preacher Jim Jones who, in 1978, led more than 900 members to Guyana, where he orchestrated a mass suicide via tainted punch.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMore Brains! A Return to the Living Dead (2011)
Retrospective documentary about the making of the horror cult classic "The Return of the Living Dead."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026)
Experience the meteoric rise of Oasis through rare footage and untold stories as the band reunites for Oasis Live '25, chronicling their journey from Manchester streets to global rock stardom.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisParis Is Burning (1991)
Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women — including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisAvicii: True Stories (2017)
Documentary about the arena-packing Swedish DJ, chronicling his explosive rise to fame and surprising decision to retire from live performances in 2016.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisElstree 1976 (2015)
A documentary about ten very different lives connected by having appeared onscreen wearing masks or helmets in Star Wars.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPositive Gymnastik (2025)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Deconstructing the Myth of Aids (2003)
This informative and shocking two-hour documentary reveals over fifteen years of research from the world's leading AIDS scientists and researchers who unveil the truth behind the controversy surrounding HIV. Through this discovery process information is uncovered about the lack of "real" science behind what is accepted as official science. We are given the opportunity to witness and view respected authorities who come forward to challenge many of the uncertainties and "truths" about AIDS. This documentary will challenge those who claim to have discovered the cause of AIDS and who then sold to the world a highly inconsistent test as the absolute indicator of a fatal disease. A timeline through AIDS history presents inaccurate statements, questionable scientific evidence, and no real answers from the billions of global dollars spent on research.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
HIV=AIDS: Fact or Fraud? (1996)
One of the most powerful video documentaries of our time boldly reveals the modern medical-industrial complex’s dire descent into utter corruption. HIV/AID$ - A deadly and dangerous DECEPTION! This feature-length expose explains exactly how the 300-Billion-dollar AID$ fraud began, why HIV can NOT be the cause of AIDS, what the real causes could be, and who manipulates the public’s good intentions while poisoning hundreds of thousands with toxic drugs that cause the very disease they are supposed to prevent.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Sidosa (2026)
In 'Sidosa', the director and actor Eduardo Casanova makes the most intimate and significant revelation of his life: he has HIV. There is no precedent in Spain for a public figure to disclose that he is living with HIV — a step that organizations and activists have been calling for for years to help end the social stigma still associated with the virus.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Doug + Me (2026)
A short animated documentary about a filmmaker’s search to get to know the uncle she never met, whose death from AIDS led directly to her birth. Part thank-you note and part memorial, Doug + Me is both a look into a life and a reflection on the enduring ripples of legacies we all leave behind.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
But... Seriously (1994)
A documentary juxtaposing the events of the 20th century with the commentary of stand-up comedians.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Reframing AIDS (1987)
Through a series of interviews with leading British AIDS activists and cultural theorists, this documentary investigates the way in which AIDS has been used by the media and by the government to increase state harassment of gay men and lesbians, black people and women. Framing the problem in terms of a left politic, the tape reveals how both homophobia and puritanism have been responsible for the slow government response to AIDS.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Doctors, Liars, and Women: AIDS Activists Say No to Cosmo (1988)
Outraged by the controversial January, 1988 article in Cosmopolitan magazine, the women in the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, (Act Up, New York), organized the first AIDS demonstration focused on women. Doctors, Liars and Women:AIDS Activists Say No To Cosmo not only documents the efforts of the Women's Committee to organize this protest, it also serves as a how-to-guide for direct action.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
DiAna's Hair Ego: AIDS Info Up Front (1990)
A documentary film about AIDS and one unconventional woman's efforts to educate her small, Southern community. DiAna DiAna is a local hairdresser who transformed her beauty parlor into a center for AIDS and safe sex information.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
(In)Visible Women (1991)
Women who are HIV-positive discuss how they "came out" about their infection and became politically active.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like What is AIDS??
The closest matches to What is AIDS? are Howard (2018), Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022) and Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after What is AIDS??
Start with Howard (2018), the closest match to What is AIDS?.
What is the highest-rated movie like What is AIDS??
Paris Is Burning (1991), rated 8.0/10 by 579 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like What is AIDS??
Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like What is AIDS??
Yes: Howard (2018), Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022) and Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience (2016).
How are movies similar to What is AIDS? chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside What is AIDS?, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.