Looking for movies about the Amazon Jungle? The largest rainforest in the world, at over 2.3 million miles squared, is home to over 5,000 species of known fish (including the infamous piranha!), over 1,800 species of known birds, and the largest river in the world. The unknown of this vast wilderness intrigues film directors and movie producers alike, often experimenting with stories about the mythical giant anaconda or the traditional healing powers of Amazonian shaman. Browse through our list of films about the Amazon jungle and set a few aside for your next Netflix binge!
The Embrace of the Serpent had a very successful year on its launch in 2016. The film won various film festival awards and was nominated at the Oscars for Best Foreign Picture. The movie is a beautifully depicted story of the relationship between Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and last survivor of his people, and two scientists who work together over the course of 40 years to search the Amazon for a sacred healing plant.
Another great movie, starring Sean Connery, tells the tale of an eccentric scientist working on a research project in the Amazon rainforest, for the large drug company he works for. When he believes he is close to finding the cure for cancer, he sends for a research assistant, who in his terms, is a “mere woman.” Eventually bulldozers get closer to the area in which they are conducting research so they learn to work together, and begin falling in love.
Based on a true story, after the son of engineer Bill Markham is abducted by an aboriginal tribe on the edge of the Brazilian rainforest, the engineer spends the next 10 years searching for him. When he finally finds him, he discovers that his son is part of a tribe which has raised him and molded him into a man. He does not want to leave.
An obsessed opera lover, Fitzcarraldo wants to build an opera in the jungle. To accomplish this he first has to make a fortune in the rubber business, and his cunning plan involves hauling an enormous river boat across a small mountain with aid from the local Indians.
A Spanish Jesuit goes into the Amazon jungle wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region. Robert DeNiro plays a slave hunter who is converted and joins in on the mission. When Spain sells the colony to Portugal, they are forced to defend all they have built against the Portuguese aggressors.
This is a story about Mincayani, a Waodani tribesman from the jungles of Ecuador. When five young missionaries, are speared to death by the Waodani in 1956, a series of events unfold to change the lives of not only the slain missionaries’ families, but also Mincayani and his people.
Alberto is a young Portuguese monarchist who in 1912 is exiled to Brazil. There, he is contracted by Velasco, a Spanish overseer, to work in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Alberto discovers a strange and wild world, in which the tribesmen, the fever and the madness of the men are daily dangers.
For those of you who enjoy cheesy horror flicks, Anaconda is for you. This movie is about a film crew who travel to the Amazon rainforest in order to shoot a documentary about the Shirishamas, a long-lost Indian tribe. The crew’s director, Terri Flores (Jennifer Lopez), gets taken hostage by a snake hunter who is going after the legendary, Giant Anaconda. Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, the movie was a box-office hit.
Amazonia is an educational film that takes place in the Amazon jungle. It follows the story of Sai, a capuchin monkey who was born and raised in captivity. After a plane crash, Sai finds himself alone and lost deep in the wilderness of the Amazon rainforest.
This is a documentary film about 8 people who travel from the Western world to live in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest for one month. They came to the jungle in hopes of finding a cure for their physical or personal illnesses that modern medicine did not heal. These men and women take part in powerful healing practices from traditional indigenous medicine men, who work with old plant remedies and spiritual disciplines.
Before his fellow countrymen took to the field to face Italy in the 2014 World Cup in Manaus, the host city in the Brazilian Amazon, his Showtime documentary, “David Beckham Into the Unknown,” premiered, following the retired footballer on a motorcycle journey of self-discovery in the Brazilian rainforest, traversing the Amazon on a quest for freedom and adventure. Beautifully-shot and directed by award-winning director Anthony Mandler, this humbling documentary portrays the impact a rainforest experience can have on all of us, no matter how rich or famous.
Have you seen any of these movies about the Amazon jungle? Feeling curious and hoping to visit the rainforest, perhaps on one of our Amazon river cruises? Contact us for more information.
While Rainforest Cruises aim to provide accurate and up-to-date information, we make no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information herein or found by following any link on this site. Rainforest Cruises cannot and will not accept responsibility for any omissions or inaccuracies, or for any consequences arising therefrom, including any losses, injuries, or damages resulting from the display or use of this information.
