Movies like Surviving the Drought (2008)
The best movies like Surviving the Drought (2008) are Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022), The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019) and A Toxic Love Story (2026). If Surviving the Drought hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedAfrican Cats (2011)7.4/10 from 268 votes
- NewestA Toxic Love Story (2026)Released 2026
Avatar: 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 thisThe Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019)
Go behind the scenes with stars, puppeteers and creators as they bring Jim Henson's magical world of Thra back to life in a sweeping fantasy series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Toxic Love Story (2026)
A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBoys State (2020)
This raucous journey into the heart of democracy captures an unusual rite of passage: 1,100 teenage boys from across Texas coming together to build a representative government from the ground up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAfrican Cats (2011)
African Cats captures the real-life love, humor and determination of the majestic kings of the savanna. The story features Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a once banished lion.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Mole: Undercover in North Korea (2020)
A real-life undercover thriller about two ordinary men who embark on an outrageously dangerous ten-year mission to penetrate the world's most secretive and brutal dictatorship: North Korea.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (2012)
Alex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all way to the Vatican.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEarth: One Amazing Day (2017)
An astonishing journey revealing the awesome power of the natural world. Over the course of one single day, we track the sun from the highest mountains to the remotest islands to exotic jungles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEx Libris: The New York Public Library (2017)
A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSouth of the Border (2009)
A road trip across five countries to explore the social and political movements as well as the mainstream media's misperception of South America while interviewing seven of its elected presidents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 this35 Up (1991)
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 this21 Up (1977)
After another 7 year wait, director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up! and 7 Plus Seven. 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 thisS4: The Bob Lazar Story (2026)
Over 35 years after Bob Lazar's revelations, this documentary exposes secrets of a facility the government still denies. Featuring Lazar's testimony, recreations, and new evidence, it reopens a case that continues to spark global curiosity
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisOrgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste (2022)
A sexual wellness company gains fame and followers, then members come forward with shocking allegations.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAvatar: Creating the World of Pandora (2010)
The Making-of James Cameron's Avatar. It shows interesting parts of the work on the set.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMy Mom Jayne (2025)
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDrew: The Man Behind the Poster (2013)
A documentary on legendary movie-poster artist Drew Struzan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHarmontown (2014)
A comedic, brutally honest documentary following self-destructive TV writer Dan Harmon as he takes his live podcast on a national tour.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 thisReturn of the Clouded Leopards (2012)
Two rare 6-week-old clouded leopard cubs are given to a filmmaker, giving him the opportunity of a lifetime to examine the secret lives of big cats.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Lions Rule (2020)
The Lion, Africa’s ultimate predator. They’re known as the kings of the jungle yet their homeland is an open grassland rather than rainforest. In the African plains prey-rich real estate can be hard to come by, and lions work together to ensure no one claims their territory and usurps their crown
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Big Cats: Fast and Dangerous (2012)
The vast savannah of the Serengeti. A large part of the genus Panthera lives here. Better known as the "actual big cat". They are among the largest cat species on earth. Among them is the lion, the true predator beneath the vast African sky. 'The King of Africa', male specimens of which weigh up to 270 kg, captured in breathtaking images that show the fascinating world of the big cats. Funny, tragic and spectacular recordings also document the fastest animal in the world, the cheetah, follow leopards on your trail and experience the first days of a black panther.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
The Leopard Son (1996)
The true story of the birth, growth and coming of age of a leopard cub in Africa's Serengeti plain. The journey of "The Leopard Son" begins at his mother's side where he discovers, through play, essential skills for survival in the wild. As it is with humans, there inevitably comes the day when a child must leave his mother to go out on his own.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Jaguar: King of the Jungle (2020)
The jaguar is the third largest of the big cats and pound for pound the most powerful. Our jaguar patrols a home range of over one hundred square kilometers in Brazil deep in the heart of the world's largest tropical rainforest.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
King of the Desert Lions (2018)
Meet the "Five Musketeers," five inseparable lion brothers raised in the ancient Namib Desert. When they eventually become independent from their mothers, they venture into the desert in search of their own kingdom--a journey fraught with treacherous terrain and conflict. Follow a remarkable desert coalition and see how one lion, despite hardship and loss, attempts to keep the legacy of the musketeers alive.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Cheetahs: Growing Up Fast (2017)
David Attenborough narrates this astonishing story of a wild cheetah family. Known for being fast, captivating and extremely elusive, cameraman Kim Wolhuter offers a new insight into their remarkable lives. For nearly two years, he walked alongside a wild cheetah mother and her young family to unravel in intimate detail what it takes to turn tiny cubs into accomplished predators
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Cheetahs: Fast Track to Freedom (2004)
For two years Simon King takes on the role of mother to two male cheetah cubs, Toki and Sambu, orphaned when their mother was killed by a lion
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Life on the Savannah: Big Cats (2010)
The vast east African savannah is the only place in the world where "big cats" -- lions, leopards and cheetahs -- can be seen in a single location. The abundant source of food is the reason why these cats, which reign at the top of the food chain, can survive. The endless grassland gives them life. This is the story of the animals on the savannah, the more than one hundred species of herbivores such as gazelles and buffalos, and the big cats standing at the top of the ecosystem
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Africa's Fishing Leopards (2015)
David Attenborough narrates the intimate story of a leopard mother and her two cubs. This very special family must survive in the wilds of Botswana alongside some less-than-friendly neighbours: lions, wild dogs and hyenas. The competition for food is tough, and if they are going to make it they must learn a new skill - they must learn to fish. This is an epic family drama. With them every step of the way is local cameraman Brad Bestelink. Brad's 18-month journey following the lives of these secretive big cats offers a rare glimpse into an otherwise hidden world
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Surviving the Drought?
The closest matches to Surviving the Drought are Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022), The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019) and A Toxic Love Story (2026). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Surviving the Drought?
Start with Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022), the closest match to Surviving the Drought.
What is the highest-rated movie like Surviving the Drought?
African Cats (2011), rated 7.4/10 by 268 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Surviving the Drought?
A Toxic Love Story (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Surviving the Drought?
Yes: Avatar: The Deep Dive - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2022), The Crystal Calls - Making The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019) and A Toxic Love Story (2026).
How are movies similar to Surviving the Drought chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Surviving the Drought, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.