Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 122

A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps

2019

A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps

2019
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave young Americans the opportunity to serve their country in a new way by forming the Peace Corps. Since then, more than 200,000 of them have traveled to more than 60 countries to carry out the organization's mission of international cooperation. Nearly 60 years later, Americans-young and old alike-still want to serve their country and understand their place in the world; current volunteers work at the forefront of some of the most pressing issues facing the global community – yet the agency has struggled to remain relevant amid sociopolitical change.
Mahalia Jackson Sings the Songs Of Christmas

1997

Mahalia Jackson Sings the Songs Of Christmas

1997
Featuring over 40 minutes of vintage performances by the world's greatest gospel singer, this is Mahalia at her most powerful, singing the beloved songs of the holiday season.Originally intended as musical vignettes for CBS's 1960-61 television season, this beautiful footage has been digitally remastered for optimum sound and picture quality form the original 16mm Kinescopes.
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.
Bulky Trash

1991

Bulky Trash

1991
In early summer 1989, Helke Misselwitz portrays young musicians in a band who produce their music on other people’s waste items. The four boys call themselves "Bulk Rubbish" and they drum out their resentment, having grown up on the new housing estates of East Berlin. A straight-up picture of the GDR youth is presented here, which in no way conforms to the official image. The film crew concentrates on the observation of the boy Enrico and his mother Erika: when the mother marries in the West, her son decides to stay in East Berlin, bidding her farewell at the border-crossing. Only shortly after, the tables are turned again: as the events in Berlin leading up to the fall of the Wall are practically captured live from the film crew, Enrico insists on maintaining his cultural identity, even after the fall of the Wall. The "Bulk Rubbish" musicians want to remain citizens of their own state and perceive the looming reunification with scepticism.
The Resurrection of Jake The Snake

2015

The Resurrection of Jake The Snake

2015
7.5
A fallen professional wrestling superstar battles his past demons in a struggle to reclaim his life and the family that has given up on him.
The Klezmer Project

2024

The Klezmer Project

2024
8.3
A Jewish wedding cameraman falls in love with a klezmer clarinetist and pretends to be making a documentary in order to spend time with her. His fake project leads to a real journey through Eastern Europe in search of lost klezmer melodies and the remnants of Yiddish culture. A documentary-fiction hybrid. Winner of the Best First Feature Award at the Berlin Film Festival.
Jews of the Wild West

2022

Jews of the Wild West

2022
2
“Jews of the Wild West” is a feature-length documentary completed in December 2021. The independent not-for-profit project is produced by Electric Yolk Media and directed by award-winning filmmaker Amanda Kinsey. Through on-camera interviews, compelling footage, and historical photographs, the film tells the positive immigration story and highlights the dynamic contributions Jewish Americans made to shaping the Western United States.
Houdini: Unlocking the Mystery

2005

Houdini: Unlocking the Mystery

2005
7.3
This special program, hosted by renowned magician Lance Burton, explores the life and magic of the great escape artist through his most prized possessions--the Chinese Water Torture Cell, the Milkcan, his straitjackets and handcuffs, and lockpicks that were "key" to his handcuff escapes--all revealed to the public for the first time. HOUDINI also unlocks secrets of the man--brash showman, fierce competitor, loyal son and husband. Interviews include his great-nephew and the last surviving member of his magic troop.
Funny Ladies: A Portrait of Women Cartoonists

1991

Funny Ladies: A Portrait of Women Cartoonists

1991
Profiles on the creative processes of Dale Messick, Cathy Guisewite, Nicole Hollander, and Lynda Barry, preceded by a brief overview of early female comic strip artists.
The Man Who Invented The Vespa

2015

The Man Who Invented The Vespa

2015
7
Corradino D'Ascanio gave us three inventions that influenced the 20th century: the helicopter, the variable pitch propelled and the famous Vespa.
Broken Heart Land

2014

Broken Heart Land

2014
6.3
A conservative Oklahoma family is shattered when their gay teenage son commits suicide after a bitterly controversial town meeting discussing a proposal for Gay and Lesbian History Month. In their search to unravel the mystery behind his death, they discover a tragic secret, and begin to question their own civic responsibility as they undergo a harrowing transformation from private citizens to public defenders of their son's legacy.
Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk

2017

Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk

2017
7.4
Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk spans over 30 years of the California Bay Area’s punk music history with a central focus on the emergence of the inspiring 924 Gilman Street collective. This diverse group of artists, writers, organizers and musicians created a do-it-yourself petri dish that changed the punk scene... and the world at large.
With God on Our Side: George W. Bush and the Rise of the Religious Right in America

2004

With God on Our Side: George W. Bush and the Rise of the Religious Right in America

2004
With God on Our Side… is an excessive title about Christian church fundamentalism and how, like the Taliban, religious groups feel a God given right to institute a society of specific religious beliefs that not everyone shares.
CIA vs KGB: Battleground Berlin

2016

CIA vs KGB: Battleground Berlin

2016
5
For 50 years, Berlin was the symbol of the Cold War. The city at the heart of the intelligence war between the US and the Soviet bloc. Thousands of KGB or CIA, agents observed each other, cogs in the biggest information war in history.
Stonewall Uprising

2010

Stonewall Uprising

2010
5.8
Stonewall Uprising is a 2010 American documentary film examining the events surrounding the Stonewall riots that began during the early hours of June 28, 1969. Stonewall Uprising made its theatrical debut on June 16, 2010 at the Film Forum in New York City.The movie features interviews with eyewitnesses to the incident, including NYPD deputy inspector Seymour Pine. The film was produced and directed by documentarians Kate Davis and David Heilbroner, and is based on the book by historian David Carter, Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution. The title theme is by Gary Lionelli.
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer

2010

Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer

2010
6.2
An in-depth look at the rapid rise and dramatic fall of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.
Broadway Express

1961

Broadway Express

1961
Shot in 1959, Michael Blackwood’s first film Broadway Express is a portrait of New York City’s diverse population, as captured in the city’s subways during the evening rush hour and late at night. The film is a portrait of the city through the faces of the passengers held captive for the ride.
Pianoforte

2023

Pianoforte

2023
7.8
The world’s most talented young pianists compete in the International Chopin Piano Competition, held every five years in Warsaw, Poland. A rare behind the scenes look at the triumphant highs and crushing lows of competition, Pianoforte is both a testament to the remarkable power of music and an intimate coming-of-age portrait.
Anne Braden: Southern Patriot

2012

Anne Braden: Southern Patriot

2012
10
Anne Braden: Southern Patriot is a first person documentary about the extraordinary life of this American civil rights leader. Braden was hailed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail as a white southerner whose rejection of her segregationist upbringing was eloquent and prophetic. Ostracized as a red in the 1950s, she fought for an inclusive movement community and mentored three generations of social justice advocates. Braden’s story explores not only the dangers of racism and political repression but also the power of a woman’s life spent in commitment to social justice.
*smiles and kisses you*

2024

*smiles and kisses you*

2024
The relationship between a man and his life-size AI-animated doll is explored in this moving documentary. A clear eyed and open hearted take on machine learning and loneliness, in an age of algorithmic dating apps.