Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 18

The Session Man

2025

The Session Man

2025
The story of highly gifted pianist and unsung hero, Nicky Hopkins, who played with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks and many more.
Finding Dawn

2006

Finding Dawn

2006
Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh puts a human face on a national tragedy: the murders and disappearances of an estimated 500 Aboriginal women in Canada over the past 30 years. Explores the deep historical, social, and economic factors that contribute to this epidemic of violence against Native women.
My Best Fiend

1999

My Best Fiend

1999
7.3
A film that describes the love-hate relationship between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, the deep trust between the director and the actor, and their independently and simultaneously hatched plans to murder one another.
Totally Under Control

2021

Totally Under Control

2021
6.8
This documentary puts a spotlight on the White House’s failed response to the global pandemic and how it could have been prevented. Featuring damning testimony from public health officials and hard investigative reporting, director Alex Gibney reveals a system-wide collapse caused by a profound dereliction of presidential leadership.
Nanook of the North

1922

Nanook of the North

1922
7.1
This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.
Through the Night

2021

Through the Night

2021
8
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.
Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power

2019

Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power

2019
6.8
The views and thoughts of Canadian writer Margaret Atwood have never been more relevant than today. Readers turn to her work for answers as they confront the rise of authoritarian leaders, deal with increasingly intrusive technologies, and discuss climate change. Her books are useful as survival tools for hard times. But few know her private life. Who is the woman behind the stories? How does she always seem to know what is coming?
Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan

2020

Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan

2020
8.1
A celebration of the Irish punk/poet Shane MacGowan, lead singer and songwriter of The Pogues, that combines unseen archive footage from the band and MacGowan’s family with original animations.
Another Body

2023

Another Body

2023
6.7
A college student searches for justice after she discovers deepfake pornography of herself circulating online.
Vito

2011

Vito

2011
6.9
In the aftermath of Stonewall, a newly politicized Vito Russo found his voice as a gay activist and critic of LGBTQ+ representation in the media. He went on to write "The Celluloid Closet", the first book to critique Hollywood's portrayals of gays on screen. During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, Vito became a passionate advocate for justice via the newly formed ACT UP, before his death in 1990.
20 Days in Mariupol

2023

20 Days in Mariupol

2023
8
As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war's atrocities.
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble

2016

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble

2016
6.9
Follow several talented members of the ensemble as they gather in locations across the world, exploring the ways art can both preserve traditions and shape cultural evolution.
Taliban Takeover

2021

Taliban Takeover

2021
The Taliban take over Afghanistan, and the threat of ISIS and Al Qaeda intensifies. On the ground, reporter Najibullah Quraishi (Leaving Afghanistan, Taliban Country) investigates uncertainty and fear among the Afghan people and revisits the lead-up to the U.S. defeat and the Taliban’s return.
Becoming Iconic

2018

Becoming Iconic

2018
5.2
Baker's journey in completing Nicolas Cage's "Inconceivable" and exclusive interviews with top directors recounting their experiences with their first films.
An Honest Liar

2014

An Honest Liar

2014
7.1
An Honest Liar tells the incredible story of the world-famous magician, escape artist, and world-renowned enemy of deception, James 'The Amazing' Randi. The film brings to life Randi's intricate investigations that publicly exposed psychics, faith healers, and con-artists with quasi-religious fervor. A master deceiver who came out of the closet at the age of 81, Randi created fictional characters, fake psychics, and even turned his partner of 25 years, Jose Alvarez, into a sham guru named Carlos.
Film: The Living Record of Our Memory

2022

Film: The Living Record of Our Memory

2022
8.3
Why are we still able, today, to view images that were captured over 125 years ago? As we enter the digital age, audiovisual heritage seems to be a sure and obvious fact. However, much of cinema and our filmed history has been lost forever. Archivists, technicians and filmmakers from different parts of the world explain what audiovisual preservation is and why it is necessary. The documentary is a tribute to all these professionals and their important work.
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

2008

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

2008
6.9
Fueled by a raging libido, Wild Turkey, and superhuman doses of drugs, Thompson was a true "free lance, " goring sacred cows with impunity, hilarity, and a steel-eyed conviction for writing wrongs. Focusing on the good doctor's heyday, 1965 to 1975, the film includes clips of never-before-seen (nor heard) home movies, audiotapes, and passages from unpublished manuscripts.
Cat Daddies

2022

Cat Daddies

2022
6.3
Man has a new best friend in this heartwarming portrait of nine men whose lives have been forever changed by their proud love of cats.
Dark Matter

2019

Dark Matter

2019
World-renowned snowboarders Travis Rice and Elias Elhardt team up with legendary director Curt Morgan for a celebration of space and time filmed in the deep backcountry of Alaska, exclusively on location at Tordrillo Mountain Lodge.
Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels

1996

Shirley Maclaine: Kicking Up Her Heels

1996
6.4
Shirley MacLaine was the product of a strict middle-class background from which she and her brother, the future actor Warren Beatty, escaped into the fantasy world of show-biz. Her ballet training and her long-legged pixie charm led to rapid success on Broadway in musical comedy. Inevitably, Hollywood called and by 1955 Shirley was cast in Hitchcock's "The Trouble With Harry." It wasn't too long before the fine dramatic roles also came to her opposite the most popular leading men of the time, like Fred MacMurray, Jack Lemmon, Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood and Robert Mitchum.