Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy

Human Flow

2017

Human Flow

2017
6.9
More than 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes to escape famine, climate change and war, the greatest displacement since World War II. Filmmaker Ai Weiwei examines the staggering scale of the refugee crisis and its profoundly personal human impact. Over the course of one year in 23 countries, Weiwei follows a chain of urgent human stories that stretch across the globe, including Afghanistan, France, Greece, Germany and Iraq.
Manufacturing Chaos

2022

Manufacturing Chaos

2022
9
The journey of online disinformation, exploring how and why it's spreading at pace, and the potential implications for social cohesion and democracy.
American Dharma

2019

American Dharma

2019
6.5
A portrait of controversial Breitbart honcho and Donald Trump advisor, Stephen K. Bannon.
Coming Out

2016

Coming Out

2016
4.5
Following a series of gay teen suicides, a deeply closeted student confronts his repressed sexuality in search of acceptance from his family, community, and himself.
Pennywise: The Story of ‘It’

2021

Pennywise: The Story of ‘It’

2021
7.4
Thirty-plus years after its release, the popular two-part miniseries "It" and its infamous villain Pennywise live on in the minds of horror fans around the world. This documentary captures not only the buzz the "It" saga generated in 1990 but also the lasting impact it has had on an entire generation and the horror genre at large. Several years in the making, the film features exclusive interviews with many of the cult classic's key players, from cast members Richard Thomas, Seth Green, and Tim Curry, who portrayed the notorious monster clown Pennywise, to director Tommy Lee Wallace and special effects makeup artist Bart Mixon. The documentary also boasts a wealth of archival material and never-before-seen footage.
The Queen

1968

The Queen

1968
6.2
In 1967, New York City is host to the Miss All-American Camp Beauty Pageant. This documentary takes a look behind the scenes, transporting the viewer into rehearsals and dressing rooms as the drag queen subculture prepares for this big national beauty contest. Jack/Sabrina is the mistress of ceremonies, and their protégé, Miss Harlow, is in the competition. But, as the pageant approaches, the glamorous contestants veer from camaraderie to tension.
Casino Jack and the United States of Money

2010

Casino Jack and the United States of Money

2010
7.1
A probing investigation into the lies, greed and corruption surrounding D.C. super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his cronies.
Concerning Violence

2014

Concerning Violence

2014
7
Based on powerful archival material documenting the most daring moments in the struggle for liberation in the Third World, this documentary is accompanied by classic text from The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon.
Bowling for Columbine

2002

Bowling for Columbine

2002
7.5
This is not a film about gun control. It is a film about the fearful heart and soul of the United States, and the 280 million Americans lucky enough to have the right to a constitutionally protected Uzi. From a look at the Columbine High School security camera tapes to the home of Oscar-winning NRA President Charlton Heston, from a young man who makes homemade napalm with The Anarchist's Cookbook to the murder of a six-year-old girl by another six-year-old. Bowling for Columbine is a journey through the US, through our past, hoping to discover why our pursuit of happiness is so riddled with violence.
Casa Susanna

2022

Casa Susanna

2022
8
In the 50s and 60s, deep in the American countryside at the foot of the Catskills, a small wooden house with a barn behind it was home to the first clandestine network of cross-dressers. Diane and Kate are now 80 years old. At the time, they were men and part of this secret organization. Today, they relate this forgotten but essential chapter of the early days of trans-identity. It is a story full of noise and fury, rich in extraordinary characters, including the famous Susanna, who had the courage to create this refuge that came to be known as Casa Susanna.
The Transformation

1996

The Transformation

1996
Ricardo was once Sara, a homeless HIV positive transvestite, living in the underbelly of Manhattan. Today he is a churchgoing, married man, "saved" by a Dallas ministry. He has renounced his homosexuality, but is his conversion complete? Susana Aiken and Carlos Aparicio offer an intimate look at Ricardo's transformation.
One Word

2020

One Word

2020
A documentary about the impacts of climate change on the Republic of the Marshall Islands and its people. Most parts of the Marshall Islands are less than 5.9 feet above sea level. Forecasts predict the uninhabitability of the country by 2050.
The Congress

1989

The Congress

1989
7.8
For 200 years, the United States Congress has been one of the country's most important and least understood institutions. In this elegant, thoughtful and often touching portrait, Ken Burns explores the history and promise of this unique American institution. Using historical photographs and newsreels, evocative live footage and interviews with David Broder, Alistair Cooke, Cokie Roberts, Charles McDowell and others, the award-winning film chronicles the personalities, events and issues that have animated the first 200 years of Congress and, in turn, our country.
Raphael Revealed

2021

Raphael Revealed

2021
6
Marking the 500th anniversary of Raphael’s death, the greatest exhibition ever held of his works took place in Rome. Exhibition on Screen was granted exclusive access to this once-in-a-lifetime show. With over two hundred masterpieces, including paintings and drawings – over a hundred of which have been brought together for the first time – this major exhibition celebrates the life and work of Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino.
Freedom Summer

2014

Freedom Summer

2014
7.2
In the summer of 1964, more than 700 students descended on violent, segregated Mississippi. Defying authorities, they registered voters, created freedom schools, and established the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. Fifty years later, eyewitness accounts and never-before-seen archival material tell their story. Not all of them would make it through.
Food Matters

2010

Food Matters

2010
6.6
With nutritionally-depleted foods, chemical additives and our tendency to rely upon pharmaceutical drugs to treat what's wrong with our malnourished bodies, it's no wonder that modern society is getting sicker. Food Matters sets about uncovering the trillion dollar worldwide sickness industry and gives people some scientifically verifiable solutions for curing disease naturally.
Man with a Movie Camera

1929

Man with a Movie Camera

1929
7.8
A cameraman wanders around with a camera slung over his shoulder, documenting urban life with dazzling inventiveness.
The Wolfpack

2015

The Wolfpack

2015
6.8
Locked away from society in an apartment on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the Angulo brothers learn about the outside world through the films that they watch. Nicknamed ‘The Wolfpack’, the brothers spend their childhood reenacting their favorite films using elaborate home-made props and costumes. Their world is shaken up when one of the brothers escapes and everything changes.
You Belong to Me: Sex, Race and Murder in the South

2015

You Belong to Me: Sex, Race and Murder in the South

2015
6
In 1952 Ruby McCollum, a black woman, killed her white doctor in Live Oak, Fla after years of sexual abuse. The remarkable secrets and terrible truths revealed during her trial and incarceration haunted jurors and prosecutors for decades.
Moby Doc

2021

Moby Doc

2021
6.1
A surrealist biographical documentary about trailblazing electronic musician and animal rights activist Moby.

Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy

2017

2017

2022

2022

2019

2019

2016

2016

2021

2021

1968

1968

2010

2010

2014

2014

2002

2002

2022

2022

1996

1996

2020

2020

1989

1989

2021

2021

2014

2014

2010

2010

1929

1929

2015

2015

2015

2015

2021

2021