Movies like Paykan (1969)
The best movies like Paykan (1969) are Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red (2022), Being James Bond (2021) and As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000). If Paykan hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBeyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022)7.0/10 from 246 votes
- NewestCome See Me in the Good Light (2025)Released 2025
Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red (2022)
A feature length documentary about the all-women team at the helm of Pixar's original feature, Turning Red. With unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to Director Domee Shi and her core leadership crew, this story shines a light on the powerful professional and personal journeys that brought this incredibly comical, utterly relatable, and deeply heartfelt story to the screen.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBeing James Bond (2021)
Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAs I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)
A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCome See Me in the Good Light (2025)
In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJoker: Put on a Happy Face (2020)
Featuring interviews with filmmakers and industry legends, discover the origins and evolution of The Joker, and learn why The Clown Prince of Crime is universally hailed as the greatest comic-book supervillain of all time.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDirected by John Ford (1971)
A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisVery Nice, Very Nice (1961)
Arthur Lipsett's first film is an avant-garde blend of photography and sound. It looks behind the business-as-usual face we put on life and shows anxieties we want to forget. It is made of dozens of pictures that seem familiar, with fragments of speech heard in passing and, between times, a voice saying, "Very nice, very nice." The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisExtremis (2016)
A purely observational non-fiction film that takes viewers into the ethically murky world of end-of-life decision making in a public hospital.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAvatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022)
An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisNo Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad (2013)
A documentary about the making of season five of the acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisObi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return (2022)
This special explores the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to the screen, as well as Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to their classic roles. Director Deborah Chow leads the cast and crew as they create new heroes and villains that live alongside new incarnations of beloved Star Wars characters, and an epic story that dramatically bridges the saga films.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like this42 Up (1999)
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007)
The definitive 3½-hour documentary about the troubled creation and enduring legacy of the science fiction classic 'Blade Runner', culled from 80 interviews and hours of never-before-seen outtakes and lost footage.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies 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 thisBlack Sheep (2018)
After the high-profile killing of Damilola Taylor, Cornelius' family move out of London. But when they discover their new town is run by racists, Cornelius takes a drastic step to survive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGirl Model (2011)
A documentary on the modeling industry's 'supply chain' between Siberia, Japan, and the U.S., told through the experiences of the scouts, agencies, and a 13-year-old model.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Curious Birth of Benjamin Button (2009)
A documentary about the making of David Fincher's 2008 film THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON. Virtually every element in the evolution of the Fincher's film is documented here, from the project's attachment to numerous other directors during the 1990s, to its shoot in 2006 and 2007 in New Orleans, to its complex, CGI-intensive postproduction process.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Last Repair Shop (2024)
In a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of this city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Making of 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' (1991)
Documentary of the making of the sequel to the popular Schwarzenegger film, The Terminator.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Curse of the Dragon (1993)
A 1993 documentary film about Bruce Lee. The film includes interviews from some of his fellow students and opponents who worked alongside him in his movies.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisULTRA III: Peter Kurten, Sadist & Mass Slayer (1982)
A video magazine put out by the Come Organization label. An in-depth documentary of the life & works of Peter Kurten, the monster of Dusseldorf, including previously unpublished pictures and information. With music by WHITEHOUSE, J.S.BACH & BEETHOVEN
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Electric Eye (2021)
An experimental short film, shot during the COVID-19 pandemic, made by one person. Using recorded scenes and archival footage, the short presents an unorthodox narrative to explore the themes of self-identification, identity, gender expression and androgyny.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Alice Guy's Dream (2022)
This is a short film about Alice Guy-Blaché, the first female director of fiction in cinema history. Alice Guy was Léon Gaumont's secretary at the beginning of the last century and she was the first woman to ever direct actors in front of the camera. In 1895, the Lumière brothers introduced to the world the "Cinématographe", the first camera. Léon Gaumont decided to sell this revolutionary new device. Fascinated, Alice asked her boss for permission to use the camera to make her own films. Mr. Gaumont agreed only under the condition that she “would be able to keep up with her mail.” This short film is a poetic reverie that Alice Guy might have had in her time if only society at the time hadn't presented her with so many challenges.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Wann ist der Mensch betrunken? (1957)
In order to determine the ability to drive after drinking alcohol, three men take various tests when sober and when drunk.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Siob (2025)
If a tree falls dead, does it cease to be alive? Like a deep breath in the forest, Siob explores the different textures of wood, from its life in nature to its rebirth as a musical instrument. And what if, in human hands, wood found its voice again?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Success (1969)
Piwowski’s most controversial documentary, a portrait of Czesław Niemen (1939-2004), an outstanding musician and vocalist, a year after the legendary song "Strange Is This World" was released.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Kirk Douglas (1966)
The 1966 visit of Hollywood movie star Kirk Douglas at the legendary Polish State Film School in Lódz.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Fire! Fire! At Last Something's Going On (1967)
Piwowski's documentary debut is a satirical reportage, referring to the poetics of the Czech school at the time. The starting point was an order from a film studio to join a project proposed by the Germans: what do teenagers in your country do on Saturday at 5 pm? Images from the lives of teenagers from Kętrzyn make up a contrasting slice of free time in a small town. Firemen maneuvering to start a fire outside working hours, bodybuilders training, choir rehearsal, dancing in Hitler's former headquarters...
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Biosphere! Time to Apprehend (1974)
A journalistic story inspired by Volodymyr Vernadsky about the genesis of life in the universe — from the physical elements of the primordial broth to the civilization of intelligent man.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Man Belongs to the Earth (1974)
Made for screening at the U.S. Pavilion at the 1974 World's Fair in Spokane Washington, USA, which had a Native-American environmental theme, MAN BELONGS TO THE EARTH depicts the history of air, water, and earth pollution, and how environmentalists are trying to solve these problems using various technologies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Paykan?
The closest matches to Paykan are Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red (2022), Being James Bond (2021) and As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Paykan?
Start with Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red (2022), the closest match to Paykan.
What is the highest-rated movie like Paykan?
Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022), rated 7.0/10 by 246 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Paykan?
Come See Me in the Good Light (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
How are movies similar to Paykan chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Paykan, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.