Popular Documentary Movies on Hoopla - Page 4

Tower

2016

Tower

2016
7.6
Combining archival footage with rotoscopic animation, Tower reveals the action-packed untold stories of the witnesses, heroes and survivors of America’s first mass school shooting, when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others.
Mountain

2017

Mountain

2017
6.9
An epic cinematic and musical collaboration between SHERPA filmmaker Jennifer Peedom and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, that explores humankind's fascination with high places.
Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

1991

Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

1991
7.5
For 50 years radio dominated the airwaves and the American consciousness as the first “mass medium.” In Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio, Ken Burns examines the lives of three extraordinary men who shared the primary responsibility for this invention and its early success, and whose genius, friendship, rivalry and enmity interacted in tragic ways. This is the story of Lee de Forest, a clergyman’s flamboyant son, who invented the audion tube; Edwin Howard Armstrong, a brilliant, withdrawn inventor who pioneered FM technology; and David Sarnoff, a hard-driving Russian immigrant who created the most powerful communications company on earth.
Bluebird

2019

Bluebird

2019
6.3
Discover the origin stories of megastars like Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift while following emerging singer-songwriters as they chase their dreams inside The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville’s accidental landmark that has altered the course of music history.
Sacro GRA

2013

Sacro GRA

2013
6
After the India of Varanasi’s boatmen, the American desert of the dropouts, and the Mexico of the killers of drugtrade, Gianfranco Rosi has decided to tell the tale of a part of his own country, roaming and filming for over two years in a minivan on Rome’s giant ring road—the Grande Raccordo Anulare, or GRA—to discover the invisible worlds and possible futures harbored in this area of constant turmoil. Elusive characters and fleeting apparitions emerge from the background of the winding zone: a nobleman from the Piemonte region and his college student daughter sharing a one-room efficiency in a modern apartment building along the GRA.
Tokyo Idols

2017

Tokyo Idols

2017
6.7
This exploration of Japan's fascination with girl bands and their music follows an aspiring pop singer and her fans, delving into the cultural obsession with young female sexuality and the growing disconnect between men and women in hypermodern societies.
Shepard & Dark

2012

Shepard & Dark

2012
5.5
An indelible portrait of the complex relationship between playwright and actor Sam Shepard and his close friend Johnny Dark as they prepare forty years of their correspondence for publication, stirring up old memories both good and bad.
Quintessentially Irish

2024

Quintessentially Irish

2024
6.4
A celebration of all things Irish, from sweeping landscapes to traditions and quirky sense of humor.
Vampir Cuadecuc

1972

Vampir Cuadecuc

1972
6.1
An atmospheric essay, which is an alternative version of Count Dracula, a film directed by Jess Franco in 1970; a ghostly narration between fiction and reality.
GasHole

2010

GasHole

2010
6.2
Documentary film about the history of Oil prices and the future of alternative fuels. The film takes a wide, yet detailed examination of our dependence on foreign supplies of Oil. What are the causes that led to America turning from a leading exporter of oil to the world's largest importer?
Our Nixon

2013

Our Nixon

2013
6.4
Never before seen Super 8 home movies filmed by Richard Nixon's closest aides - and convicted Watergate conspirators - offer a surprising and intimate new look into his Presidency.
The YouTube Effect

2023

The YouTube Effect

2023
4.8
YouTube has garnered over 2.3 billion users and is worth up to $300 billion. At its center is its algorithm, something that threatens to destroy not only the platform, but the entire Internet.
The Unbelievers

2013

The Unbelievers

2013
6.5
Scientists Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss travel the globe promoting a scientific worldview and the rational questioning of religious belief.
Rhyme & Reason

1997

Rhyme & Reason

1997
7
A study in the world of hip-hop, done mostly with interviews, in order to see why it is as popular as it is today and what the future holds.
The Mole Agent

2020

The Mole Agent

2020
7.8
When a daughter becomes concerned about her mother's well-being in a retirement home, private investigator Romulo hires Sergio, an 83-year-old man who becomes a new resident—and a mole inside the home, who struggles to balance his assignment with becoming increasingly involved in the lives of several residents.
Teenage

2013

Teenage

2013
6.2
Teenagers did not exist before the 20th century. Not until the early 1950s did the term gain widespread recognition, but "Teenage" offers compelling evidence that teenagers had a tumultuous effect on the previous half-decade.
Radioman

2012

Radioman

2012
5.7
The extraordinary story of 'Radioman', a New York film set mascot who overcame homelessness and alcoholism to become a fixture of the New York film industry, with over 100 small parts to his name.
Immediate Family

2022

Immediate Family

2022
7.4
If you listen to 1970s pop music, you’ve undoubtedly heard these guys play, but do you know their names? This documentary highlights five talented men—Danny, Leland, Rus, Waddy, and Steve— who shunned the spotlight for themselves yet enjoyed decades of success as session musicians on iconic tracks. Interviewees include their collaborators James Taylor, Don Henley, Lyle Lovett, Jackson Browne, Phil Collins, Carole King, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards, Steve Jordan, and dozens more who take us behind the scenes on the songs that shaped an era.
Hollywood Signs

2022

Hollywood Signs

2022
1.5
A documentary that celebrates autograph collecting, collectors, and our obsession with celebrities. It focuses on autograph dealing, the history of the autograph, autograph conventions, celebrities' point of view, and, of course, the folks whose lives revolve around autographs. Hollywood Signs is a love letter to a world with characters you definitely don't see every day.
Prescription Thugs

2016

Prescription Thugs

2016
6.4
Americans consume 75% of the world’s prescription drugs. After losing his own brother to the growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse, documentarian Chris Bell sets out to demystify this insidious addiction. Bell’s examination into the motives of big pharma and doctors in this ever-growing market leads him to meet with experts on the nature of addiction, survivors with first-hand accounts of their struggle, and whistleblowers who testify to the dollar-driven aims of pharmaceutical corporations. Ultimately his investigation will point back to where it all began: his own front door.