Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 103

The Discoverers

1993

The Discoverers

1993
4.8
The advance of civilization has always depended on the few courageous individuals who are willing to risk reputation and life to seek out the new. This program chronicles the story of some of the world's pathfinders and innovators in a variety of fields, from Madame Curie and Sir Isaac Newton to Albert Einstein. Archival photographs, film clips, interviews, re-enactments, and scholarly commentary are used to tell the story of the discoverers.
T'Ain't Nobody's Bizness: Queer Blues Divas of the 1920s

2013

T'Ain't Nobody's Bizness: Queer Blues Divas of the 1920s

2013
The 1920s saw a revolution in technology, the advent of the recording industry, that created the first class of African-American women to sing their way to fame and fortune. Blues divas such as Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Alberta Hunter created and promoted a working-class vision of blues life that provided an alternative to the Victorian gentility of middle-class manners. In their lives and music, blues women presented themselves as strong, independent women who lived hard lives and were unapologetic about their unconventional choices in clothes, recreational activities, and bed partners. Blues singers disseminated a Black feminism that celebrated emotional resilience and sexual pleasure, no matter the source.
Her War, Her Story: World War II

2022

Her War, Her Story: World War II

2022
Explore the stories of women caught up in World War II, from the American Home Front to Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland. Included in this hour-long film are also the personal stories of the incredible women who served in a war that proved women were equal to men when it came to patriotism, service, or in some cases, self-preservation during watershed moments which called for steadfastness.
The Politics of Hate

2017

The Politics of Hate

2017
8
At 16 he became the leader of the Chicago Area Skinheads, later a white supremacist punk band. But when Christian Picciolini started a family, he began questioning his far right views. This timely doc explores a changing Western political climate, chronicling the rise of the far right in the US and Europe, and giving alarming insights into the ways the alt-right movement operates.
Imagine: John Lennon

1988

Imagine: John Lennon

1988
6.8
The biography of former Beatle, John Lennon—narrated by Lennon himself—with extensive material from Yoko Ono's personal collection, previously unseen footage from Lennon's private archives, and interviews with David Bowie, his first wife Cynthia, second wife Yoko Ono and sons Julian and Sean.
Audrey

2020

Audrey

2020
7.2
An unprecedented and intimate look at the life, work and enduring legacy of British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).
Hollywood on Trial

1976

Hollywood on Trial

1976
5.5
A detailed look at the events leading up to the blacklisting of Hollywood writers and artists. In October 1947 nineteen Hollywood personalities were subpoenaed by the House Committee on Un-American Activities to testify about their knowledge or possible involvement in the American Communist Party. The first ten to be called refused to cooperate, claiming their first amendment rights, were cited for contempt of Congress and sent to prison. They became known as the "Hollywood Ten" and this is their story.
SELANDIA: The ship That Changed the World

2012

SELANDIA: The ship That Changed the World

2012
8
The Ship that Changed the World is a historical drama about the birth of the world's first ocean-going diesel-powered ship Selandia. A groundbreaking invention that changed the world forever. The film shows Selandia and the creators receiving worldwide acclaim. But for two of them success was short-lived. They died under mysterious circumstances shortly after the maiden voyage of Selandia. On the brink of the World War, and with Germany and England showing great interest in this invention, is it too farfetched to believe that these deaths were more than coincidental. - Written by Michael Schmidt-Olsen
BIT X BIT: In Bitcoin We Trust

2019

BIT X BIT: In Bitcoin We Trust

2019
7
Futurists, enlightening the minds of the many for the acceptance of a digital value exchange system focused on prosperity and transforming our world.
Resistance Is Life

2017

Resistance Is Life

2017
5.8
Eight-year-old Evlin characterizes the resilience of Kobane's resistance against ISIS forces through her experience in a refugee camp on the Turkish-Syrian border.
Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the American Drive-in Movie

2013

Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the American Drive-in Movie

2013
7.7
Once a vibrant part of American culture, drive-ins reached their peak in the late 1950s with almost 5,000 dotting the nation. Although drive-ins are experiencing a resurgence, today less than 400 remain. In a nation that loves cars and movies, why haven't they survived? April Wright's lovingly made documentary, filled with archival images of hundreds of open and closed drive-in theaters, interviews with theater owners, operators and cinema luminaries attempts to answer that question.
Riders of the Purple Sage: The Making of a Western Opera

2020

Riders of the Purple Sage: The Making of a Western Opera

2020
Follow a classically trained composer as he adapts a dime novel masterpiece into a grand opera. In 1912, Zane Grey's Riders of the Purple Sage flew off bookshelves around the world and today is considered iconic. A century later, Craig Bohmler and a team of musicians, singers, and painters translate cowboy culture and the beauty of the west into the realm of Puccini and Verdi.
End of the Art World

1971

End of the Art World

1971
This is the debut documentary made by Alexis Krasilovsky, author of "Women Behind The Camera" (Praeger, 1997). Shot on 16mm in 1971, the film covers much of the New York avant-garde of the time.
Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins

2019

Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins

2019
7.4
Molly Ivins was six feet of flame-haired Texas trouble. She was a prescient political journalist, best-selling author, and Bill of Rights warrior. She took no prisoners, leaving both sides of the aisle laughing and craving more of her razor-sharp wit. It's time to raise hell like Molly!
Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet

2012

Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet

2012
7.6
When doctors diagnosed 19-year-old rock star Jason Becker with Lou Gehrig's Disease, they said he would never make music again and that he wouldn’t live to see his 25th birthday. 22 years later, without the ability to move or to speak, Jason is alive and making music with his eyes.
Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal

2024

Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal

2024
8
Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal tells the dramatic and inspiring story of the ordinary women who fought against overwhelming odds for the health and safety of their families. In the late 1970s, residents of Love Canal, a working-class neighborhood in Niagara Falls, New York, discovered that their homes, schools and playgrounds were built on top of a former chemical waste dump, which was now leaking toxic substances and wreaking havoc on their health. Through interviews with many of the extraordinary housewives turned activists, the film shows how they effectively challenged those in power, forced America to reckon with the human cost of unregulated industry, and created a grassroots movement that galvanized the landmark Superfund Bill.
Rock Hudson's Home Movies

1992

Rock Hudson's Home Movies

1992
3.3
In this revisionist documentary, actor Eric Farr re-creates the character of Rock Hudson in order to take a look back at his films. It compares the actor's screen (and public) image with his real life and shows certain scenes, lines and situations in his films to insinuate that Hudson may have been gay.
The Gardener

2018

The Gardener

2018
7.2
Created over 75 years and three generations, Les Quatre Vents stands as an enchanted place of beauty and surprise, a horticultural masterpiece of the 21st century. See how Frank Cabot gave birth to one of the greatest gardens in the world.
Chau, Beyond the Lines

2015

Chau, Beyond the Lines

2015
6.1
A man disabled by Agent Orange dares to dream.
This One's for the Ladies

2019

This One's for the Ladies

2019
4
This documentary explores the sexual and social identity of contemporary black America through intimate, eye opening and often hilarious accounts from women and men who find love and community in the underground world of exotic dancing.