Movies Like Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib

If you liked Vanishing Kings: Desert Lions of the Namib (2015), a documentary movie directed by Will Steenkamp and Lianne Steenkamp, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
African Cats (2011)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
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…
2
Living with Leopards (2024)
★ 7.6/10Also documentary
A film crew follows two leopard cubs as they make the fascinating journey from infancy into adulthood in this up-close-and-personal nature documentary.
3
Ghost Elephants (2026)
★ 7.6/10Also documentary
In Angola's mist-shrouded highlands, three KhoiSan master trackers embark on a spiritual quest to rediscover the legendary "ghost elephants" of Lisima, creatures presumed lost but remembered in ancestral trance…
4
The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos (2008)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
In the remote and forgotten wilderness of Lake Natron, in northern Tanzania, one of nature's last great mysteries unfolds: the birth, life and death of a million crimson-winged flamingos.
5
Elephant (2020)
★ 7.7/10Also documentary
Disneynature’s Elephant follows African elephant Shani and her spirited son Jomo as their herd make an epic journey hundreds of miles across the vast Kalahari Desert. Led by their great matriarch, Gaia, the family…
6
14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (2021)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
In 2019, Nepalese mountain climber Nirmal “Nims” Purja set out to do the unthinkable by climbing the world’s fourteen highest summits in less than seven months. (The previous record was eight years). He called the…
7
Chimpanzee (2012)
★ 7/10Also documentary
A nature documentary centered on a family of chimps living in the Ivory Coast and Ugandan rain forests. Through Oscar, a little chimpanzee, we discover learning about life in the heart of the African tropical forest…
8
The Last Lions (2011)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
In Botswana's Okavango Delta, an ostracized lioness and her two cubs must fight alone to survive - overcoming all manner of hazards. Their only defense is to escape to Duba Island -- and with that, an unknown future…
9
Our Planet: Behind the Scenes (2019)
★ 7.7/10Also documentary
Years spent recording footage of creatures from every corner of the globe is bound to produce a bit of drama. Here's a behind-the-scenes look.
10
The Elephant Queen (2019)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
Embark on an epic journey of family, courage, and coming home in this feature-length documentary. Join Athena, the majestic matriarch, as she leads her elephant herd across an unforgiving African landscape filled with…
11
As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
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.
12
Jane (2017)
★ 7.5/10Also documentary
Drawing from never-before-seen footage that has been tucked away in the National Geographic archives, director Brett Morgen tells the story of Jane Goodall, a woman whose chimpanzee research revolutionized our…
13
Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
A documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
14
Powaqqatsi (1988)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
An exploration of technologically developing nations and the effect the transition to Western-style modernization has had on them.
15
A Toxic Love Story (2026)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
16
21 Up (1977)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
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…
17
28 Up (1985)
★ 7.5/10Also documentary
Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they've found their place in the world.
18
The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button (2009)
★ 7/10Also documentary
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…
19
Naqoyqatsi (2002)
★ 6.2/10Also documentary
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
20
Cameraperson (2016)
★ 6.7/10Also documentary
As a visually radical memoir, CAMERAPERSON draws on the remarkable footage that filmmaker Kirsten Johnson has shot and reframes it in ways that illuminate moments and situations that have personally affected her. What…