VICE.com, change is necessary, but I'll miss who you once were!
These are the best documentaries from VICE. You should watch them in case they vanish like their staff and website will.
Last week, Vice.com announced that its laying off hundreds of staff, dropping its website, and aiming to produce for other outlets. This is the culmination of a series of disastrous turns for a company that was once the most promising and refreshing, but also the result of gritty content appealing less to Gen Z than Gen X.
Once upon a time, Vice was fearlessly honest, As example, they showed the dark side of Ukraine, but, when the war started, they did a 180 degree as if another MSM channel.
I was disappointed at the sellout, and perturbed at James Murdoch (son of Rupert Murdoch) and George Soros’ hedge fund getting involved. Nevertheless, I still found something interesting things to watch.
I will miss ‘The Short List’ which featured great international documentaries that we’d likely not get to see on Netflix etc. I’m also full of respect for their investigative programs which involved brave women such as Hind Hassan, Isobel Yeung, and Paola Ramos.
In case Vice’s Youtube channel also vanishes, I’m recommending these great documentaries for your next binge watch.
SHORT DOCUMENTARIES
Africa:
Asia:
Europe - Ukraine:
Life Inside Putin’s Crimea (2019)
Corruption in Ukraine (2016)
Middle East:
Middle East - Israel/Palestine:
South America:
Who Killed Alberto Nisman? - In Search of Truth in Argentina
Undercover In Guyana: Exposing Chinese Business in South America
USA:
DOCUMENTARIES
The Bubble: Golf, booze, boomers and guns in a gated community in Florida that should be stamped: Made Only in the USA. A fascinating trip into sociology.
The Mayor: A darkly comedic look at what it takes to be Musa Hadid, the beloved Mayor of Ramallah, during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Showgirls of Pakistan: 100% culture shock, a jarring entry into the dangerous underground world of three dancers in a religious country.
Ghosts of Aleppo: Embedded with the Islamic Front in Syria.
Faceless: The Daughter, the Believer, the Student and the Artist - 4 characters at the crossroads of protests and deportation in Hong Kong.
Unforgivable: A gang hitman commits the ‘crime’ of coming out as gay and falling in love inside a terrible Salvadorean prison.
Not Going Quietly: Ady Barkan’s devotion in the face of a debilitating disease, 'Not Going Quietly' exposes the fragile state of U.S. healthcare.
Arica: Boliden, the Swedish mining company, poisoned a town in Northern Chile by dumping toxic waste. The survivors seek justice.
Pleistocene Park: A Russian scientist introduces a variety of large herbivores into a section of Siberia in attempt to rebuild the ancient subarctic steppe grassland.
Donut King: The unlikely story of a Cambodian refugee arriving in America in 1975, and building a multi-million-dollar empire.
Press Gazette does a good job with the history of Vice - ‘From Murdoch money to bankruptcy in a decade’. And I was inspired to make this post after listening to the latest podcast episode of Dispatches from Clown World (only free to listen today, Feb 29).
Vice.com, don't R.I.P. Do what you were best at.
Thank you for pulling this list together. Personally, I prefer speedreading articles or transcripts to watching videos as keeping on top of 130+ subs is tough. However, am not averse to watching certain "gems" and you have assembled / curated an ornate crown for posterity. Bravo