Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 178

We Were German Jews

1981

We Were German Jews

1981
In 1943 Herbert and Lotte Strauss made the courageous decision to escape from Germany and almost certain extermination in a Nazi concentration camp. This is a personal account of their dramatic flight, building a new life in the United States, and coming to terms with the Holocaust. "We Were German Jews" grapples with the torment of living with the legacy of the Holocaust. The film chronicles Herbert and Lotte Strauss' return visit to Germany. They were not trying to assuage any sense of guilt over having survived; they wanted to confront the past by going back to where they had lived before the onslaught that claimed most of their relatives. This understated, very personal story adds significantly to the body of evidence that explores human behavior in the face of genocide and insists that we remember the past and learn from it.
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.
In Memoriam (La derrota conviene olvidarla)

2018

In Memoriam (La derrota conviene olvidarla)

2018
Zero Position

2022

Zero Position

2022
8
From its shocking opening image of a bridge snapped in two, Zero Position crosses an eerie landscape fractured by dueling Russian separatist and Ukrainian forces. On this cinematic journey, there are no interviews or extensive explanations of the conflict between the opposing sides. Accompanied by an evocative soundscape, the film moves like a ghostly presence through a troubled region, pausing at heavily armed checkpoints and competing front lines. As the camera captures people scurrying past the aftermath of conflict, carrying plastic bags bulging with items gleaned from abandoned homes, we see the stark reality of a people caught in a borderland between East and West. Director Louie Palu's expressive, sparse and poetically delivered voiceover adds context to places the nightly news cameras don't take us, including an old coal mine and a family's home. Through its mood and atmosphere, Zero Position offers us an experiential look at a region on the brink of all-out war.
Near Death

1989

Near Death

1989
7
NEAR DEATH is a film about the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital. The film is concerned with how people face death. More specifically the film presents the complex interrelationships among patients, families, doctors, nurses, hospital staff and religious advisors as they confront the personal, ethical, medical, psychological, religious and legal issues involved in making decisions about whether or not to give life-sustaining treatment to dying patients.
His Parents

2024

His Parents

2024
7.3
The story of a couple whose child became a serial killer, convicted for 87 murders. Can they still love their son in the face of this unforgivable guilt? Can parents ever truly stop loving their child?
The Last Autumn

2020

The Last Autumn

2020
6
If the world has an edge, then it is almost certainly visible from Iceland. On the outermost cape, beyond which there is only the inhospitable Arctic Ocean, lies a farm belonging to Úlfar and his wife. This autumn will be the last time their grandchildren come from the city to drive the sheep back down from the hills. An almost tangible cinematic fabric that weaves a tale of an abandoned place where the mist clings to the steel-blue surface of the sea and where the occasional human visitor is sometimes welcome.
The King

2018

The King

2018
6.4
A cultural portrait of the American dream at a critical time in the nation’s history. Set against the 2016 American election, The King takes a musical road trip across the country in Elvis Presley's 1963 Rolls Royce.
The Worm Hunters

2011

The Worm Hunters

2011
5
An epic adventure into an underground science and an unstoppable passion. Earthworm scientists concoct a plan to find and name their ultimate discovery...the world's first Super Worm. Nothing will stop them as they travel to all corners of the world with spades, GPS worm locators and secret worm outing fluids to unearth their prize.
The Magic Plant

2020

The Magic Plant

2020
7
Medicinal cannabis, along with other magnificent natural pharmacopeia, may be the answer to reclaiming our freedom and mending our bodies. This new film takes us on a fantastic journey into the natural realm of plant healing.
The Booksellers

2020

The Booksellers

2020
6.9
What once seemed like an esoteric world now seems essential to our culture: the community of rare book dealers and collectors who, in their love of the delicacy and tactility of books, are helping to keep the printed word alive. D.W. Young’s elegant and entertaining documentary, executive produced by Parker Posey, is a lively tour of New York’s book world, past and present, from the Park Avenue Armory’s annual Antiquarian Book Fair, where original editions can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars; to the Strand and Argosy book stores, still standing against all odds; to the beautifully crammed apartments of collectors and buyers. The film features a litany of special guests, including Fran Lebowitz, Susan Orlean, Gay Talese, and a community of dedicated book dealers who strongly believe in the wonder of the object and the everlasting importance of what’s inside.
School Life

2017

School Life

2017
6.6
John and Amanda teach Latin, English and guitar at a fantastical stately home-turned-school. Nearly 50-year careers are drawing to a close for the pair who have become legends with the mantra: “Reading! ’Rithmetic! Rock ’n’ roll!” But for pupil and teacher alike, leaving is the hardest lesson.
United in Anger: A History of ACT UP

2012

United in Anger: A History of ACT UP

2012
6.9
United in Anger: A History of ACT UP is an inspiring documentary about the birth and life of the AIDS activist movement from the perspective of the people in the trenches fighting the epidemic. Utilizing oral histories of members of ACT UP, as well as rare archival footage, the film depicts the efforts of ACT UP as it battles corporate greed, social indifference, and government negligence.
The Recall: Reframed

2022

The Recall: Reframed

2022
Who actually bears the burden when we demand harsher punishment for a privileged white defendant?
Bertsolari

2011

Bertsolari

2011
The 'bertsolari' is a kind of minstrel sings and improvises verses in Basque. This oral tradition has evolved with the times and connecting with younger generations, getting to meet at the end of the last championship to 14 thousand people. An austere aesthetic art of surprising in this age of spectacle and special effects.
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

2021

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

2021
7.5
Take a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most influential children's show in television history. From the iconic furry characters to the classic songs you know by heart, learn how a gang of visionary creators changed the world.
Deus ex Machina: The Philosophy of 'Donnie Darko'

2016

Deus ex Machina: The Philosophy of 'Donnie Darko'

2016
6.2
The feature-length documentary about the making of the cult film favourite, "Donnie Darko".
VHS Massacre: Cult Films and the Decline of Physical Media

2016

VHS Massacre: Cult Films and the Decline of Physical Media

2016
5.3
This lively documentary explores the rise and fall of physical media from the origin of film all the way through the video store era into digital media, focusing on B-movie and cult films. With icons like Joe Bob Briggs (MonsterVision), Lloyd Kaufman (Toxic Avenger), Greg Sestero (The Room), Debbie Rochon (Return to Nuke 'Em High), Deborah Reed (Troll 2), Mark Frazer (Samurai Cop), James Nguyen (Birdemic) and many others.
Liberia: An Uncivil War

2004

Liberia: An Uncivil War

2004
7
Liberia, a nation burdened by its past. America, a nation with no memory at all." In Liberia, the summer of 2003 was pure insanity. A rebel army attempts to overthrow a government run by an indicted war criminal. Two armies engage in the final battle of a decade long civil war. Hundreds of innocent civilians die from mortar shells launched from afar and thousands more suffer hunger while the soldiers, mostly teenagers, keep the capital city under siege. The nation prays that America, the world's sole superpower, will put an end to the violence. Conceived in Washington in the early 1800s, its constitution written at Harvard, its founding fathers freed slaves who returned to Africa, Liberia is the one country in the world worthy of the title, Made in America. By the year 2000, Liberia, once considered the gem of Africa, was ranked last in the world for quality of life.
Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon

2008

Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon

2008
5.3
The outrageous story of 1970s porn icon Jack Wrangler, and how he rose to the top of the gay, and then straight, adult film industry.