New Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 179

Bananas!*

2009

Bananas!*

2009
6.6
Juan “Accidentes” Dominguez is on his biggest case ever. On behalf of twelve Nicaraguan banana workers he is tackling Dole Food in a ground-breaking legal battle for their use of a banned pesticide that was known by the company to cause sterility. Can he beat the giant, or will the corporation get away with it?
Good Hair

2009

Good Hair

2009
6.6
An exposé of comic proportions that only Chris Rock could pull off, GOOD HAIR visits beauty salons and hairstyling battles, scientific laboratories and Indian temples to explore the way hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of the black community.
La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet

2009

La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet

2009
7.5
A film by Frederick Wiseman following the ins and outs of 7 ballets by the Paris Opera Ballet.
An American Journey: In Robert Frank's Footsteps

2009

An American Journey: In Robert Frank's Footsteps

2009
5.7
Paying tribute to Swiss photographer Robert Frank's groundbreaking 1958 book The Americans, French filmmaker Philippe Seclier retraces Frank's footsteps across America with camera in hand, capturing images of contemporary America 50 years later.
The Idiot Cycle

2009

The Idiot Cycle

2009
The Idiot Cycle investigates six major chemical companies—Dow Chemical, BASF, Bayer, Dupont, Astrazeneca and Monsanto—that are not only responsible for producing decades of cancer causing chemicals and pollution all across the globe, but also profit extensively from controlling cancer treatments and the production of drugs for those treatments. The irony is palpable. Also examined is how these very same companies own the most patents on genetically modified foods that have also never been tested for long-term health impacts like cancer. When there’s dioxin in every mother’s breast-milk, rivers throughout the world that no longer support life, cataclysmic environmental damage from industry and manufacturing—when do we say enough is enough?
Directors on Directing

2009

Directors on Directing

2009
A look at the development of film making and its contribution to the social and political times form the perspective of Black film makers.
With One Voice

2009

With One Voice

2009
1
This illuminating documentary explores the unity of humanity, featuring mystics from around the world, whose lives have been dedicated to answering the mysteries of existence.
Rio Breaks

2009

Rio Breaks

2009
10
RIO BREAKS is more than just a film about surfing. It follows the story of two best friends, Fabio and Naama, as they navigate their way between the pitfalls of life in the slums and the joys of surfing on their favorite beach. Their goal: to win the contest and become professional surfers. Thirteen-year-old Fabio and 12-year-old Naama live at Favela do Pavao, an enormous slum near Arpoador Beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pavao is home to Commando Vermelho (CV), or Red Command, one of Rio's most heavily armed drug gangs. It's the Red Command who sets the rules and regulates life in the community. Their presence is ubiquitous, with armed soldiers constantly patrolling the hills and regulating the various points of sale. Fabio lives in an area of the favela called Vietnam, the poorest and most violent part of the slum.
Pretend Not to See Me

2009

Pretend Not to See Me

2009
Life and art intersect on a spectacular Newfoundland farm where visual artist Colette Urban mounts thirteen art performances in the fields and barns of her property. Resilient, determined, self aware and funny, Colette embraces the transformative power of art as she restages the significant art performances of her thirty-year career. With the camera as her audience she transforms the quotidian into a playful world of the imagination with elaborate costumes and idiosyncratic self invented rituals.
What's the Matter with Kansas?

2009

What's the Matter with Kansas?

2009
5
In 'What's the Matter with Kansas?' a politically active Kansas megachurch splinters, moves to an amusement park, and when that fails, a Best Western motel. Meanwhile, an idealistic farmer revives Kansas' progressive tradition, taking his message all the way to Washington, D.C.
Plastic Planet

2009

Plastic Planet

2009
6.9
Werner Boote presents an up-close and personal view of the controversial and fascinating material that has found its way into every facet of our daily lives: plastic. He takes us on a journey around the globe, showing that plastics have become a threat for both environment and human health.
Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould

2009

Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould

2009
6.8
A documentary on the mysterious and influential pianist.
Gogol Bordello Non-Stop

2009

Gogol Bordello Non-Stop

2009
6.3
A vibrant chronicle of one of today's most notorious and revered live bands, Gogol Bordello Non-Stop follows Eugene Hütz s gypsy-punk brigade around the world as they spread their liberating libertine musical gospel. Filmmaker Margarita Jimeno tracks their raucous gigs from 2001 to 2006, from NYC to Italy, as the band rises from dingy basements to festival main-stages. The cast is a rotating circus of polyglot personalities from Israel, Russia and America, who dish on their music, their heritage, and their favored vices. Hütz, a sardonic mustachioed Ukrainian immigrant and the group ringleader, fuses his gypsy heritage with a love of punk rock and burlesque. Part carnival barker, social organizer, and poet, he s a mesmerizing presence on-stage and off. Gogol Bordello Non-Stop is an artful documentary that mixes flamboyant costumes, intricate dance choreography, a relentless beat and an explosive energy not seen since the dawn of rock n roll.
Capitalism: A Love Story

2009

Capitalism: A Love Story

2009
7.1
Michael Moore comes home to the issue he's been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world).
No Impact Man

2009

No Impact Man

2009
6.2
Follow the Manhattan-based Beavan family as they abandon their high consumption 5th Avenue lifestyle and try to live a year while making no net environmental impact.
Floored

2009

Floored

2009
6.1
Enter a world where pandemonium reigns and reckless ambition rules: the trading floors in the financial canyons of downtown Chicago. Here, men use strange hand signals to buy and sell everything from pork belly to soybeans while wearing the weight of our complex economy on their shoulders - along with their neon jackets. It's a physical, bruising place, one where a slight gain creates heroes, rich beyond what their high school educations should ever afford. But the wrong move on the wrong day can ruin lives. At a time when millions have lost fortunes in the fickle stock market and fear abounds about the faltering financial system, FLOORED is a gripping, honest look behind the curtain of the trading floor that few have ever seen
Videocracy

2009

Videocracy

2009
6.4
In a country where bella figura is a national pastime, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is the maestro of media manipulation. Having risen to political primacy with the aid of his Mediaset empire, he now controls 90% of the bel paese’s television channels including the state-run RAI network. Quantity, it seems, does not equal quality. Fed on a diet of semi-naked dancing girls, inane competitions and rickety reality shows built around the most ridiculous of premises, is it any wonder that Italians are becoming a nation of fame-hungry wannabes?
Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak

2009

Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak

2009
8
A loving look at one of the most cherished and controversial figures in children's literature, Maurice Sendak. In this deeply moving tribute, spend time with the man who spoke to children through his stories and illustrations in a way no one else could.
Earth Days

2009

Earth Days

2009
6.3
The story of our growing awareness and understanding of the environmental crisis and emergence, during the 1960s and '70s, of popular movement to confront it.
Zombie Girl: The Movie

2009

Zombie Girl: The Movie

2009
6.4
Emily Hagins is making a zombie movie. It's feature-length, it's bloody, and the zombies don't run. Just like it should be. But there's just one difference between her film and every other zombie movie you've ever seen. Emily is twelve.