Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 121

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.
Great Bear Rainforest: Land of the Spirit Bear

2019

Great Bear Rainforest: Land of the Spirit Bear

2019
8
Journey to a land of grizzlies, coastal wolves, sea otters and the all-white spirit bear - the rarest bear on earth - in the film Great Bear Rainforest. Hidden from the outside world, the Great Bear Rainforest is one of the wildest places left on earth. Found on Canada's remote Pacific coast, it is the last intact temperate rainforest in the world-a place protected by the region's indigenous people for millennia. Now, for the first time ever, experience this magical world in IMAX and giant screen theatres, and discover the land of the spirit bear.
Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II

1992

Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II

1992
5
An account of Black American soldiers in World War II who combated racism in the segregated military and on the home front.
Pressure Cooker

2008

Pressure Cooker

2008
7.8
A committed, passionate teacher tries to make all the difference in the lives of disadvantaged students.
Language Matters with Bob Holman

2015

Language Matters with Bob Holman

2015
10
There are over 6,000 languages in the world. We lose one every two weeks. Hundreds will be lost within the next generation. By the end of this century, half of the world's languages will have vanished. Language Matters with Bob Holman is a two hour documentary that asks: What do we lose when a language dies? What does it take to save a language?
J.R. “Bob” Dobbs and The Church of the SubGenius

2019

J.R. “Bob” Dobbs and The Church of the SubGenius

2019
5.6
What started out as an inside joke amongst two self proclaimed weirdos in Ft. Worth, Texas soon becomes much more than they bargained for. Frustrated by the rising consumer-driven culture, out-of-work pals Douglass St. Clair Smith and Steve Wilcox decide to turn their conservative southern ideology on its head and invent a new religion all their own. Spurred on by the overreach of religion and zealous televangelists of the day, the pair concoct religious monikers (Reverend Ivan Stang and Dr. Philo Drummond), a newly minted prophet (J.R. "Bob" Dobbs), and devise a crusade to expose the conspiracy of normalcy by using humor as the ultimate weapon.
A Film Unfinished

2010

A Film Unfinished

2010
6.4
Yael Hersonski's powerful documentary achieves a remarkable feat through its penetrating look at another film-the now-infamous Nazi-produced film about the Warsaw Ghetto. Discovered after the war, the unfinished work, with no soundtrack, quickly became a resource for historians seeking an authentic record, despite its elaborate propagandistic construction. The later discovery of a long-missing reel complicated earlier readings, showing the manipulations of camera crews in these "everyday" scenes. Well-heeled Jews attending elegant dinners and theatricals (while callously stepping over the dead bodies of compatriots) now appeared as unwilling, but complicit, actors, alternately fearful and in denial of their looming fate.
Jihad in Hollywood

2016

Jihad in Hollywood

2016
Once a successful Syrian actor, Jihad Abdo is now struggling as a refugee while trying to reinvent his life and rebuild his career.
This Mountain Life

2018

This Mountain Life

2018
6.8
A daughter and her 60-year-old mother embark on a 6 month, 2,300-kilometre ski trek through British Columbia’s rugged terrain.
A Thousand Girls Like Me

2018

A Thousand Girls Like Me

2018
8.2
When Khatera, a 23-year-old Afghan woman, forces her father to stand trial after a lifetime of sexual abuse, she risks her family, freedom, and personal safety to expose a judicial system that incriminates the very women who seek protection.
Playing God

2017

Playing God

2017
7
Witness firsthand the struggle of the charismatic and controversial US attorney who, since 9/11, has been charged with the impossible task of assigning a dollar value to life when compensating victims of America’s most tragic events.
Tintoretto: A Rebel in Venice

2019

Tintoretto: A Rebel in Venice

2019
8.1
Five hundred years after his birth, the life and career of the Italian Renaissance's last great painter is explored.
Black, White & Us

2019

Black, White & Us

2019
Explores racism in America through the lives of four white families who adopt African American children and must overcome their own inherent biases to become advocates. Is there a way to fix our country's racial divide? These transracial adoptive families just might provide the answer.
Forest for the Trees

2021

Forest for the Trees

2021
Award-winning war photographer Rita Leistner goes back to her roots as a tree planter in the wilderness of British Columbia, offering an inside take on the grueling, sometimes fun and always life-changing experience of restoring Canada’s forests. Leistner, who has photographed some of the world’s most dangerous places, credits the challenge of tree-planting for her physical and mental endurance. In Forest for the Trees, her first feature film, she revisits her past to share the lessons she learned. The film introduces us to everyday life on the “cut-block” and the brave souls who fight through rough terrains and work endless hours to bring our forests to life. The rugged BC landscape comes to life magically in Leistner’s photography, while the quirky characters and nuggets of wisdom shared around the campfire tell a sincere story of community.
Oliver Sacks: His Own Life

2021

Oliver Sacks: His Own Life

2021
7.6
Oliver Sacks: His Own Life explores the life and work of the legendary neurologist and storyteller, as he shares intimate details of his battles with drug addiction, homophobia, and a medical establishment that accepted his work only decades after the fact. Sacks was a fearless explorer of unknown mental worlds who helped redefine our understanding of the brain and mind, the diversity of human experience, and our shared humanity.
Strike a Pose

2016

Strike a Pose

2016
6.7
In 1990, seven young male dancers joined Madonna on her most controversial world tour. Their journey was captured in Truth or Dare. As a self-proclaimed 'mother' to her six gay dancers plus straight Oliver, Madonna used the film to make a stand on gay rights and freedom of expression. The dancers became paragons of pride, inspiring people all over the world to dare to be who you are. 25 years later, the dancers share their own stories about life during and after the tour. What does it really take to express yourself?
The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography

2017

The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography

2017
6.8
Portrait photographer Elsa Dorfman found her medium in 1980: the larger-than-life Polaroid Land 20x24 camera. For the next thirty-five years, she captured the “surfaces” of those who visited her studio: families, Beat poets, rock stars, and Harvard notables. As pictures begin to fade and her retirement looms, Dorfman gives Errol Morris an inside tour of her backyard archive.
Cynara

2023

Cynara

2023
2
After a break-in, a mother calls 911 seeking help for her disabled daughter, Cynara. Hours later, Cynara is dead, and her mother is the prime suspect in this gripping story of Canada's justice system on trial.
The Beginning of Life

2016

The Beginning of Life

2016
7.3
One of the greatest neuroscience breakthroughs is having discovered that babies are far more than a genetic load. The development of all human beings lies on the combination of genetics, the quality of the relationships and the environment they are set on. The Beginning of Life invites everyone to reflect: are we taking good care of this unique moment, which defines both the present and future of humankind?
A Bitter Legacy

2017

A Bitter Legacy

2017
A sobering look at the brutal treatment of Japanese-Americans before, during, and after WWII as well as the global repercussions that resulted.