New Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 243

Banished

2007

Banished

2007
7.5
A look at three U.S. cities, which were part of many communities that violently forced African American families to flee in post-reconstruction America.
Heavy Water: A Film for Chernobyl

2007

Heavy Water: A Film for Chernobyl

2007
6
On April 26th, 1986, reactor four at Chernobyl nuclear power station explodes, sending an enormous radioactive cloud over Northern Ukraine and neighbouring Belarus. The danger is kept a secret from the rest of the world and the nearby population who go about their business as usual. May Day celebrations begin, children play and the residents of Pripyat marvel at the spectacular fire raging at the reactor. After three days, an area the size of England becomes contaminated with radioactive dust, creating a 'zone' of poisoned land. Based on Mario Petrucci's award-winning book-length poem (split over two books), 'Heavy Water: a film for Chernobyl', and the shorter version 'Half Life: a Journey to Chernobyl", tells the story of the people who dealt with the disaster at ground-level: the fire-fighters, soldiers, 'liquidators', and their families.
Glorious Exit

2007

Glorious Exit

2007
Jarreth Merz, an actor of Swiss and Nigerian origins living in Los Angeles, ends up facing his roots when he is been told that his father is dead. Following the Nigerian tradition, in fact, the eldest son has to take care of the funeral of his father. But who is this unknown father? Why does Jarreth feel a moral obligation towards a family he hardly knows and who has never really been interested in him? Jarreth begins a journey to discover his father through the tales of the people who knew him and a country that doesn’t belong to him even if it is part of his life. Confronting himself with traditions that challenge his beliefs, from Los Angeles to Nigeria Jarreth will face this decisive chapter of his life and the changes that will follow.
They Turned Our Desert Into Fire

2007

They Turned Our Desert Into Fire

2007
Reporting the devastation, forced displacement, and genocide in Darfur should be a story with daily coverage. Mere mention of the word "Darfur" should set off a passionate exchange, or at least the question, "What can be done?". Unfortunately, the people of Darfur struggle with a problem common to so many victimized by geo-political realities: how to overcome the willful indifference of powerful government and media interests who find their story unimportant or merely inconvenient. With images and first-hand accounts, filmmaker Mark Brecke shares his experience of the Darfur crisis with Amtrak train passengers journeying eastward on a three day trip to Washington D.C. Their reactions, interwoven with hard facts and expert opinion, raise the central question in They Turned Our Desert Into Fire - Why does the public not understand the severity of this crisis and how can the world continue to do nothing?
Vija Celmins: 4 Decades

2007

Vija Celmins: 4 Decades

2007
Best known for her drawings of the ocean and the galaxies of the night sky, Vija Celmins has solidified herself as one of the most important artists of the postwar generation. Stepping back from painting in order to explore her photorealistic drawing style, Celmins creates spectacularly precise renderings of the natural world. In her forty year retrospective at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, Celmins recalls her beginnings in abstraction, her choices of subject matter after freeing herself of the New York School influence, and her later immersion in what must be termed her great master drawings.
Hans Haacke: 4 Decades

2007

Hans Haacke: 4 Decades

2007
Hans Haacke is a key figure in contemporary art whose work intersects with conceptual, pop, minimal and land art. The artist is particularly known for his research into the hidden economies and politics of the art world and the repressed histories of places and peoples. Haacke's strong political, cultural and social concerns are reflected in his installations, texts and sculptures.
Jarlmadangah: Our Dream

2007

Jarlmadangah: Our Dream

2007
Situated south of Derby in the West Kimberleys, Jarlmadangah is a unique community often hailed as 'a model community' for its many social and cultural achievements. At the centre of the story are two brothers, John and Harry Watson, Elders in the Nyikina and Mangala nations. The community was first formed in 1987 when John and Harry Watson set out to establish Jarlmadangah as a focus for strong family ties, traditional language, law and culture, with the main aim of passing these onto the next generations of young people in the two nations.
Ngat is Dead: Studying Mortuary Traditions

2007

Ngat is Dead: Studying Mortuary Traditions

2007
What do anthropologists mean when they claim to study the cultural traditions of others by participating in them? This film follows the Dutch anthropologist Ton Otto, who has been adopted by a family on Baluan Island in Papua New Guinea. Due to the death of his adoptive father, he has to take part in mortuary ceremonies, whose form and content are passionately contested by different groups of relatives. Through prolonged negotiations, Ton learns how Baluan people perform and transform their traditions and not least what role he plays himself. The film is part of long-term field research, in which filmmaking has become integrated in the ongoing dialogue and exchange between the islanders and the anthropologist.
Bob Marley: Up Close and Personal

2007

Bob Marley: Up Close and Personal

2007
7
Get to know the inspiring creative journey of the influential King of Reggae, as told by some of the closest people in his inner circle.
Standing Silent Nation

2007

Standing Silent Nation

2007
When the Oglala Sioux Tribe passed an ordinance separating industrial hemp from its illegal cousin, marijuana, Alex White Plume and his family glimpsed a brighter future. Having researched hemp as a sustainable crop that would grow in the inhospitable soil of the South Dakota Badlands, the White Plumes envisioned a new economy that would shrink the 85% unemployment rate on the Pine Ridge Reservation. They never dreamed they would find themselves swept up in a struggle over tribal sovereignty, economic rights, and common sense.
The Art of Francis Bacon

2007

The Art of Francis Bacon

2007
This film explores many of his key canvases which have been newly filmed in HDTV. The works are complemented solely with Bacon’s own words, recorded by Derek Jacobi. The artist’s biography is outlined, but the focus is on his ideas: his thoughts about his work, his reflections about how and why he paints. The result is a rigorous and revealing portrait of one of the few artists who has truly changed the way we see and understand ourselves.
My Nose

2007

My Nose

2007
This personal documentary reveals the complexities of a single woman living in a beauty-obsessed world with her original yet imperfect nose. It's a tale that anyone who has ever obsessed over their own "imperfection" will easily relate to MY NOSE explores filmmaker Gayle Kirschenbaum's mother's preoccupation with her nose, the intricacies of the mother/daughter relationship, and asks what drives people into the plastic surgeon's office. Will she live happily ever after with the nose I was born with? Will she end up having a nose job? And how will her decision affect their relationship? Official Selection at dozens of festivals including the Miami Jewish Film Festival and the UK Jewish Film Festival.
Dinosaur Eggs and Babies

2007

Dinosaur Eggs and Babies

2007
Recent discoveries of dinosaur eggs, nests, and even embryos, are providing new evidence to unlock the mysteries of dinosaur reproductive behavior. This educational program explores the mysteries of dinosaur reproduction with animation and interviews with renowned dinosaur experts including Robert Bakker, Philip Currie, Mark Norell, and others. Were dinosaurs social animals? Did they care for their young? What was life like for baby dinosaurs? These are some of the intriguing questions addressed in this informative program.
I Just Wanted to Be Somebody

2007

I Just Wanted to Be Somebody

2007
4.5
Newsreels, commercials, and home movies are used to study the life and influence of Anita Bryant.
Incest: A Family Tragedy

2007

Incest: A Family Tragedy

2007
An intense documentary investigating the dark and hidden world of sexual molestation of children by trusted family members or friends.
Funeral Chants from the Georgian Caucasus

2007

Funeral Chants from the Georgian Caucasus

2007
A short film set in the mountainous province of Svaneti, documents the performance of polyphonic men’s funerary laments common to the region.
Revolution '67

2007

Revolution '67

2007
6
Documentary - A focus on the six-day Newark, N.J. riots in July 1967: they began as spontaneous revolts against poverty and police brutality and ended as fateful milestones in America's struggles over race and economic justice. - Amiri Baraka, Carol Glassman, Tom Hayden
The Zen Mind

2007

The Zen Mind

2007
8
In the last fifty years the culture of Zen has spread far beyond Japan. Zen centers and zen retreats have sprung up throughout America and Europe. When Dogen, the founder of Soto Zen, brought Zen to Japan from China 800 years ago, it quickly took root and became an integral part of Japanese life. Yet what do we know about zen practice in Japan today? The Zen Mind is a fascinating journey across Japan to explore zen in its natural habitat.
Who's Afraid of Kathy Acker?

2007

Who's Afraid of Kathy Acker?

2007
7
Documentary tracing the extreme life of outlaw writer, performance artist and punk icon, Kathy Acker. Through animation, archival footage, interviews and dramatic reenactments, director Barbara Caspar explores Acker's colorful history, from her well-heeled upbringing to her role as the scribe of society's fringe.
American Crusaders

2007

American Crusaders

2007
Documentary - A harrowing exploration of the rapid rise of American religious fanaticism after 9/11. This film explores an emerging ultra Right Wing mass movement seeking dominion over all aspects of contemporary American society. The film weaves archival video, contemporary Christian Nationalist movement propaganda (recruiting videos, apocalyptic/military videogame imagery, etc.) and original investigative material) to create an intense examination of the totalistic mindset and its will to power.