Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 140

City of Gold

2016

City of Gold

2016
6.3
As the unabashed cradle of Hollywood superficiality and smoggy urban sprawl, Los Angeles has long been condemned as a cultural wasteland. In the richly penetrating documentary odyssey City of Gold, Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold shows us another Los Angeles, where ethnic cooking is a kaleidoscopic portal to the mysteries of an unwieldy city and the soul of America.
Disturbing the Peace

2009

Disturbing the Peace

2009
6.5
"Disturbing the Peace" is a documentary of an incident during Tan Zuoren's trial on August 12, 2009. Tan Zuoren was charged with inciting subversion of state power. Chengdu police detained witnessed during the trial of the civil rights advocate, which is an obstruction of justice and violence. Tan Zuoren was charged as a result of his research and questioning regarding the 5.12 Wenchuan students' casualties and the corruption resulting poor building construction. Tan Zuoren was sentenced five years to prison.
Rickover: The Birth of Nuclear Power

2014

Rickover: The Birth of Nuclear Power

2014
Dive into the life of the father of the nuclear Navy: Hyman Rickover. Combative, provocative, and blunt, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover was a flamboyant maverick and a unique American hero. When few thought it possible, then-Captain Rickover harnessed the power of the atom to drive the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, whose trip under the polar ice pack was one of the great adventure stories of the 1950s. Later, Rickover built the world's first nuclear aircraft carrier and the first commercial nuclear power plant at Shippingport, PA. Rickover's achievements made him into a national celebrity, and he appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Many wonder whether America can maintain its technological pre-eminence and whether we can still build and manage large-scale projects. To understand these issues, Rickover considers the story of the man who created the nuclear Navy as well as the civilian nuclear power industry: Hyman G. Rickover.
Olancho

2017

Olancho

2017
Music brings joy, but what if your life is at risk when you perform? In Olancho, the most anarchic province of Honduras, the most murderous country in the world, criminal cartels love to vie for the best musicians. Then they have to sing the praises of the most powerful drug baron until a rival calls for them.
The Elephant 6 Recording Co.

2023

The Elephant 6 Recording Co.

2023
5.7
The unique inside story of the collective creative evolution behind the sounds of 1990s psychedelic rock bands Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, and The Apples in Stereo — the founding groups behind the Elephant 6 collective, as well as a host of other artists — with inspirational resonance for today’s music makers, and music lovers everywhere.
Donor Unknown

2011

Donor Unknown

2011
1
All JoEllen Marsh knew about her biological father was that he was Donor 150; but she wanted to know anything and everything she could about her father’s genealogy. Thanks to a social networking website called the Donor Sibling Registry designed specifically for donor offspring, that becomes a possibility. Marsh slowly unravels Donor 150′s side of her family tree; meeting, one-by-one, her new-found siblings and discovering a plethora of uncanny genetic similarities. (Donor 150 must have had some damn strong genes!) Marsh and her siblings would like to meet the man from whom these common genes were inherited. A New York Times article about Marsh caught Donor 150′s eye, and the rest is history…
Through the Night

2021

Through the Night

2021
5.7
When one’s sole focus is to provide for their children, the stakes are extremely high. The need for multiple jobs to make ends meet has become a common reality for many families in this country, which leads to a very important question: who looks after the children while their parents work? Through the Night examines the economic and emotional toll affecting some American families, told through the lens of a 24-hour daycare center in Westchester, New York. At the center of it all is Nunu, the primary caregiver and a hero to many families in need of a safe space to bring their children.
The Blinding of Isaac Woodard

2021

The Blinding of Isaac Woodard

2021
In 1946, Isaac Woodard, a Black army sergeant on his way home to South Carolina after serving in WWII, was pulled from a bus for arguing with the driver. The local chief of police savagely beat him, leaving him unconscious and permanently blind. The shocking incident made national headlines and, when the police chief was acquitted by an all-white jury, the blatant injustice would change the course of American history. Based on Richard Gergel’s book Unexampled Courage, the film details how the crime led to the racial awakening of President Harry Truman, who desegregated federal offices and the military two years later. The event also ultimately set the stage for the Supreme Court’s landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, which finally outlawed segregation in public schools and jumpstarted the modern civil rights movement.
The Hobby: Tales from the Tabletop

2024

The Hobby: Tales from the Tabletop

2024
5.5
Are games the meaning of life? The Hobby is a funny, affectionate, character-driven portrait of the massive subculture of modern board games, featuring a fascinating and diverse group of subjects who find deep meaning in “meaningless” pursuits.
Mardi Gras: Made in China

2005

Mardi Gras: Made in China

2005
8
This examination of cultural and economic globalization follows the life-cycle of Mardi Gras beads from a small factory in Fuzhou, China, to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and to art galleries in New York City.
Empire of the Nude: The Victorian Nude

2001

Empire of the Nude: The Victorian Nude

2001
The Victorian era is often cited for its lack of sexuality, but as this documentary reveals, the period's artists created a strong tradition surrounding the classical nude figure, which spread from the fine arts to more common forms of expression. The film explains how 19th-century artists were inspired by ancient Greek and Roman works to highlight the naked form, and how that was reflected in the evolving cultural attitudes toward sex.
In the Name of Gerry Conlon

2023

In the Name of Gerry Conlon

2023
7.5
Two months before his death, the central figure of "The Guildford Four" Gerry Conlon meets Lorenzo Moscia to recount his remarkable life, from falsely imprisoned to world-famous human rights activist.
Black Patriots: Heroes of the Revolution

2020

Black Patriots: Heroes of the Revolution

2020
8
A documentary chronicling the role of Black heroism in America's Revolutionary War.
Born to Fly

2022

Born to Fly

2022
7.3
A child prodigy from Louisiana, who shares his father's passion for the unique sport of pole vaulting, must overcome his difficulty with handling failure in order to achieve his dream of becoming the greatest in history.
The Imaginary Solutions of Thomas Chimes

2007

The Imaginary Solutions of Thomas Chimes

2007
The Imaginary Solutions of Thomas Chimes presents a conversation with the artist as he reminisces about his career, influences and artistic intuitions. Director of the museum, Anne d'Harnoncourt, joins Chimes to revisit the galleries of Thomas Eakins, Duchamp and Van Gogh, all of whom were deeply influential throughout his artistic journey. Just as many other American artists, Chimes spent time in Paris and discovered writers such as Antonin Artaud, James Joyce and most notably Alfred Jarry, whose writings on pataphysics dominated Chimes' work for two decades.
Convento

2010

Convento

2010
6.2
A Dutch family left Holland to transform a 400 year old monastery into a home, artist's workshop, and nature preserve. Filmed entirely in remote village in Portugal, Convento bends the rigid structure of documentary filmmaking, blurring the lines of information and surrealism Featuring the renowned kinetic artist Christiaan Zwanikken and his family.
El Caballo Español; El Origen

2024

El Caballo Español; El Origen

2024
Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted

2025

Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted

2025
8
Legendary musician Swamp Dogg, alongside housemates Moogstar and Guitar Shorty, has transformed his home into an artistic playground. Together they navigate the tumultuous music industry, and forge a unique and inspiring path across time and space.
Dark Suns

2019

Dark Suns

2019
6.6
An epic investigation into countless murders in Mexico. Presented in chapters, the film unfolds methodically through unsettling testimonials, sketching a portrait of an entire country transformed into a gigantic mass grave thanks to a climate of impunity established by both criminal gangs and state authorities.
Over the Limit

2018

Over the Limit

2018
7.1
Margarita Mamun, an elite Russian rhythmic gymnast, is struggling to become an Olympic champion. It is the most important year of her career and her last chance to achieve the ultimate goal, the gold Olympic medal. The film creates a captivating portrait of a young woman who is desperately trying to handle her own ambitions and meet the expectations of the official Russian training system.