Movies Similar to Orangutans: The Great Ape Escape

Wild Window: Bejeweled Fishes(2016)

Bejeweled Fishes captures the spectacular beauty of the myriad fishes inhabiting coral reefs of the Tropical and Eastern Pacific. This Wild Window was captured in the Maldives Islands, Fiji, the Philippines, Mexico, California, and Indonesia.

7.0

Ice Cold: Murder, Coffee and Jessica Wongso(2023)

This documentary delves into the unanswered questions surrounding the trial of Jessica Wongso — years after the death of her best friend, Mirna Salihin.

6.6

The Look of Silence(2014)

An optician grapples with the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-1966, during which his older brother was exterminated.

7.8

War Photographer(2001)

Documentary about war photographer James Nachtwey, considered by many the greatest war photographer ever.

7.5

Checkpoint Zoo(2024)

Checkpoint Zoo documents a daring rescue led by a heroic team of zookeepers and volunteers, who risked their lives to save thousands of animals trapped in a zoo behind enemy lines in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.

0.0

The Last Trimate(2008)

Narrated by Mel Gibson, The Last Trimate is a compelling account of the work of Birute Mary Galdikas -- who, alongside Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, is one of the three formidable women to have dedicated their lives to the great apes of the world -- she highlights the plight of the elusive 'red ape' and offers some hope for their survival as their very habitat is decimated at a startling rate.

0.0

Guilty(2017)

A film about convicted drug smuggler Myuran Sukumaran, who became an accomplished artist before he was executed by firing squad in Indonesia in April 2015.

6.0

Tawai: A Voice from the Forest(2017)

Explorer Bruce Parry visits nomadic tribes in Borneo and the Amazon in hope to better understand humanity's changing relationship with the world around us.

6.2

Earning Rupiah From Scrap Metal(2024)

Some Madurese choose to live outside their homeland, migrating to build a better life. Surabaya has become one of the destination cities for the Madurese people. They work hard, pursuing various professions. some of them are owning a scrap metal business.

9.0

Disenchanted Forest(2002)

We call them o-rang-u-tans, which literally means "forest persons" in the Malay and Indonesian languages. They are the only great apes native to Asia. Of all the apes, they are the closest to man in genetic makeup. And they face extinction. Two years in the making, the film is an intimate portrayal of the world of orangutans, the threats to their survival and the people committed to help them thrive. The film focuses on a recent discovery that orangutans do not rely on animal instinct for survival, but instead have a culture that they have preserved from generation to generation.

0.0

No image

Green(2009)

Her name is Green, she is alone in a world that doesn't belong to her. She is a female orangutan, victim of deforestation and resource exploitation. This film is an emotional journey with Green's final days. It is a visual ride presenting the treasures of rain forest biodiversity and the devastating impacts of logging and land clearing for palm oil plantations.

6.3

Rescue Me: International(2020)

In this moving and informative documentary, the rescue me team goes to the United Kingdom to exam a local home-grown cat rescue and a larger national organization.

0.0

Born to Be Wild(2011)

Born to Be Wild observes various orphaned jungle animals and their day-to-day behavioural interactions with the individuals who rescue them and raise them to adulthood. The film unfurls in two separate geographic spheres. Half of it takes place in the rain forests of Borneo, where celebrated primatologist Dr. Birute Galdikas assists baby orangutans; the other half takes place on the arid savannahs of Kenya, where zoologist Dame Daphne Sheldrick works with baby elephant calves.

7.0

Secret Lives of Orangutans(2024)

Follow a multi-generational orangutan family through their treetop triumphs and travails in this immersive documentary narrated by David Attenborough.

7.7

The Burning Season(2008)

Dorjee Sun, a young Australian Entrepreneur, believes there's money to be made from protecting rainforests in Indonesia, saving the orangutan from extinction and making a real impact on climate change. Armed with a laptop and a backpack, he sets out across the globe to find investors in his carbon trading scheme. It is a battle against time. Achmadi, the palm oil farmer is ready to set fire to his land to plant more palm oil, and Lone's orangutan centre has reached crisis point with over 600 orangutans rescued from the fires. The Burning Season is an eco-thriller about a young man not afraid to confront the biggest challenge of our time.

6.8

Zoofobia(2022)

The tragic death of a polar bear triggers the end of the Buenos Aires Zoo. A superhero lover lawyer asks a court to declare the orangutan Sandra a Non-Human Person and revolutionizes the planet. A very Argentine story, full of passions, embarrassing missteps and memorable characters.

8.7

Operation Orangutan(2015)

A rehabilitation centre in western Kalimantan in Borneo aims to rescue and rehabilitate injured and orphaned orangutans for release back into the wild.

7.0

Into the Inferno(2016)

With stunning views of eruptions and lava flows, Werner Herzog captures the raw power of volcanoes and their ties to indigenous spiritual practices.

7.0

Curiosity and Control(2018)

Curiosity and Control examines our complex relationship to nature itself. A multi layered look at the world of Museums of Natural History and Zoological gardens, with voices from historians, authors, architects and zoo managers. It raises questions about how we perceive nature and our contradictory behavior of caging what we fear may be lost.

7.0

The Act of Killing(2012)

In this chilling and groundbreaking documentary, former Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of various film genres, from gangster epics to musicals. As they recreate their past atrocities, the line between reality and performance blurs, exposing the lingering impact of Indonesia’s 1965-66 anti-communist purge and the unsettling psychology of its perpetrators.

7.7