Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 134

Monir

2017

Monir

2017
This documentary looks at the life and work of Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, who first garnered attention in the 1970s when she pioneered contemporary forms of geometric mirror works. Monir created an artistic language that was informed by traditional Iranian craft and architecture; formative years spent in New York in the 1940s and 50s and ongoing conversations with some of the 20th century's most experimental artists were also part of Monir's artistic universe. The film takes an intimate look at the artist's life and her practice, and explores how she has become one of the most innovative and influential artists working in the Middle East today. From her method of constructing mirror mosaics, to uncovering her past following the political changes in her own country and her subsequent migration to New York, and an artistic renewal sparked by her return to Tehran after an absence of 25 years, it offers an inspiring chronicle of Monir at the peak of her career.
Siberian Tiger Quest

2012

Siberian Tiger Quest

2012
Embark with conservation ecologist Chris Morgan on a great challenge: to find and film the Siberian tiger.
Food, Inc. 2

2024

Food, Inc. 2

2024
6.9
Filmmakers Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo reunite with investigative authors Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser to take a fresh look at our efficient yet vulnerable food system.
Why Knot

2014

Why Knot

2014
3.2
Why do human beings get married in almost every society in the world? Why do we cheat? Why is monogamy so important to a relationship and why does infidelity cause so much grief? These are some of the questions acclaimed documentary filmmaker Dhruv Dhawan confronts in his next feature length documentary which explores why human beings evolved cultures of marriage and monogamy that are rife with infidelity. As he attends various lavish weddings occurring within his family, Dhruv is pestered to follow suit but is haunted by his family’s history of infidelity, as well as his own and embarks on a personal quest to discover the origins of marriage, the reasons for monogamy and the pain of infidelity as he tries to mediate an open relationship with the woman he loves. Dhruv’s search takes us on a journey into the biology of sex, the history of patriarchy and the politics of monogamy told through the lives of scientists, swingers, adulterers and Dhruv’s own family.
Breaking Habits

2019

Breaking Habits

2019
7.2
A former corporate executive fleeing a bad marriage becomes a cannabis farmer, forms a company called Sisters of the Valley and takes on the persona of a nun, Sister Kate.
The Good Breast

2016

The Good Breast

2016
Four strikingly different women undergo treatment at a comprehensive breast center presided over by the inimitable and searingly honest veteran surgeon Dr. Lauren Schnaper. She believes that fear, ignorance, and pink-ribbon culture are fueling an explosive rate of unnecessary mastectomies in America. Blending medical archival footage with extensive 'collateral damage' suffered by our four women - repeated loss of implants, blood infections caused by multiple surgical procedures, cosmetic nipple exchanges, reactions to cadaver's skin that is used to house breast implants - we learn that breast reconstruction post-mastectomy is no 'boob job.' As Dr. Schnaper advocates breast conservation and debunks breast cancer myths, so the myth of St. Agatha, the Sicilian martyred saint of the breast, offers a commentary on our own confused contemporary moment.
Okurimono

2024

Okurimono

2024
4
After a 20-year absence, Noriko returns to Nagasaki to clear out her mother’s home. In doing so, she finds letters that reveal a family secret intertwined with the memory of the peninsular town’s inhabitants. In reconstructing this family story, Okurimono gradually develops into a grace-filled meditation on the passage of time and the legacy we leave behind.
Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes

2018

Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes

2018
6.7
Alexis Bloom charts the rise and fall of the late Republican Party booster and controversial Fox News mogul who went down in flames amid multiple sexual harassment allegations.
For They Know Not What They Do

2019

For They Know Not What They Do

2019
6
When the Supreme Court legalized marriage equality, the backlash by the religious right was swift, severe, and successful. Karslake’s documentary looks at four faith-based families with LGBTQ children caught in the crosshairs of sexuality, identity, and scripture.
California Dreams

2017

California Dreams

2017
6.3
Five unique individuals in pursuit of a big life change. Through auditions set up in small towns across Southern California, the film shows genuine characters with big Hollywood aspirations who, for various reasons, have never had the opportunity to pursue their dreams.
Adventure Never Ends: A Tabletop Saga

2023

Adventure Never Ends: A Tabletop Saga

2023
From dungeon-like basements to worldwide phenomenon, ADVENTURE NEVER ENDS: A TABLETOP SAGA explores how tabletop role-playing games have fought their way through decades of trial by fire to emerge at the height of pop culture- now shaping and bringing together millions of lives through storytelling. The film takes a behind the curtain look at an open community of fans, as well as youth programs who use tabletop role-playing games to promote socialization, team building, and empathy.
NOVA: Ground Zero Supertower

2013

NOVA: Ground Zero Supertower

2013
7
NOVA returns to Ground Zero to witness the completion of One World Trade Center.
Everybody Knows... Elizabeth Murray

2016

Everybody Knows... Elizabeth Murray

2016
This tribute to the dynamic artist Elizabeth Murray, an intrinsic figure in New York's contemporary art landscape from the 1970s until the early 2000s, highlights her struggle to balance personal and family ambition with artistic drive in a male-dominated art world. It also addresses her later battle with cancer, at the peak of her career.
Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes

2023

Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes

2023
The Drum Waltzes explores the life and music of legendary drummer, activist Max Roach, his creative peaks, personal struggles and re-inventions from the Jim Crow to Civil Rights eras, from heady days of post-war jazz to hip hop and beyond.
This World Is Not My Own

2023

This World Is Not My Own

2023
6
Chewing gum sculptures, a wealthy gallerist, a notorious murder case, and the segregated south - it's all part of Nellie Mae Rowe's boundless universe. This World Is Not My Own reimagines this self-taught artist's world and her life spanning the 20th century.
Hidden Heroes

1999

Hidden Heroes

1999
Two Canadian women return to the Netherlands to recount the terrifying ordeal they experienced as children at the hands of the Nazis, and to connect with the individuals and families who risked their lives to save them.
Tupac Shakur: Thug Immortal

1997

Tupac Shakur: Thug Immortal

1997
2
THUG IMMORTAL is an intimate look at Tupac's life told through never-before-seen footage and interviews with his close friends, revealing an artist who grew up a thug, but one who soon tired of that lifestyle and its trappings, revealing a Tupac far different from the one most of America knows.
Gut Renovation

2013

Gut Renovation

2013
4.5
Su Friedrich's personal essay charting the destruction of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. After living in the neighborhood for 20 years, the filmmaker was one of many who were forced out after the city passed a rezoning plan allowing developers to build luxury condos where there were once thriving industries, working-class families, and artists. Filmed over many years, it is a scathing portrait of one neighborhood's demolition and transformation.
Tested

2015

Tested

2015
A diverse group of 8th graders in New York City vie for a coveted spot in one of the city's elite public schools by taking a single standardized test.
Into the Current: Burma's Political Prisoners

2012

Into the Current: Burma's Political Prisoners

2012
Into the Current tells the story of Burma's unsung heroes -its prisoners of conscience -and the price they pay for speaking truth to power in a military dictatorship.