Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 191

Battle of Dunkirk: From Disaster to Triumph

2018

Battle of Dunkirk: From Disaster to Triumph

2018
7.4
Relive the bravery of the Dunkirk veterans in defenseless boats crossing the English Channel to rescue the stranded soldiers from the inferno through their uplifting stories of heroism in a battle that changed the course of WWII.
Punitive Damage

1999

Punitive Damage

1999
The story of New Zealander Helen Todd's law suit against an Indonesian general that she pursued after her son, Kamal, was shot dead in the Dili massacre in East Timor.
Sweet Sorghum

1978

Sweet Sorghum

1978
In Sweet Sorghum we are introduced to the filmmaker's daughter, Rosie, (now in her early twenties) as she reflects on her childhood spent among the Hamar herdsmen, an isolated people of southwestern Ethiopia. The film reveals the intimacy of shared family life and childhood relationships between the Hamar, Rosie and her brother. We learn about the important role sorghum plays in the Hamar diet, how the sorghum is harvested and the different ways it can be prepared. The practicality of the design of cooking utensils is shown.
This Stained Dawn

2021

This Stained Dawn

2021
10
Detailing the preparation of the multi-city Aurat March (Women's March) in Pakistan, This Stained Dawn tells the story of a feminist movement asserting itself in the country's urban spaces through the eyes of the march's organisers.
Stylebender

2023

Stylebender

2023
8
An intimate look at Israel Adesanya, the Nigerian born New Zealand based MMA champion, which goes beyond the ring and delves deep into an unlikely fighter's journey. Exploring themes of masculinity, bullying and even the healing power of dance, this documentary is a poignant examination of the complex, exciting and sometimes controversial person known as 'The Last Stylebender.'
The Feeling of Being Watched

2018

The Feeling of Being Watched

2018
6.9
Journalist Assia Boundaoui sets out to investigate long-brewing rumors that her quiet, predominantly Arab-American neighborhood was being monitored by the FBI.
Children of the Arctic

2014

Children of the Arctic

2014
9
Children of the Arctic is a portrait of five Native Alaskan teenagers growing up in Barrow - the northernmost community in the United States. As their climate and culture undergo profound changes, they strive to balance being modern American kids and the inheritors of an endangered way of life.
Uneven Ground: The Melissa Witt Story

2023

Uneven Ground: The Melissa Witt Story

2023
Determined to find answers, LaDonna Humphrey and her team spent eight years on a journey like no other. Never before seen case files, interviewing witnesses, potential suspects, and working alongside retired detectives to find justice.
Silent Shakespeare

2000

Silent Shakespeare

2000
A BFI collection of 7 short films from the USA, England and Italy scored for Piano, Guitar and String Quartet.
Woolly

2024

Woolly

2024
The director follows her sister Rakel as she takes over the family farm; she will be the fourth generation to run the farm. With her wife Ida, she is packing up her life as a musician and heading north. Rakel is enthusiastic, but she is also aware that there is a lot she doesn’t know how to handle. Her wife Ida has never lived on a farm before and will also have to find her place in this new everyday life and this unfamiliar work. Rakel’s father has been a farmer for 40 years and knows the challenges ahead of her: years when spring never arrives, summers with significant losses to predators, poor harvests, and sheep on the run.
The Day That Lasted 21 Years

2012

The Day That Lasted 21 Years

2012
7.6
Stunning espionage documentary on the US conspiracy that led to the 1964 Brazilian coup d'état. John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson original White House tapes, and CIA Top Secret documents reveal how the US government planned to overthrow Brazilian elected president João Goulart.
Inside the Uvalde Response

2023

Inside the Uvalde Response

2023
Drawing on real-time, firsthand accounts and using official bodycam and audio, FRONTLINE, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reconstruct the chaotic response to the Uvalde school shooting and examine the missteps.
Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise

1980

Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise

1980
6.2
Robert Mugge filmed jazz great Sun Ra on location in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. between 1978 and 1980. The resulting 60-minute film includes multiple public and private performances, poetry readings, a band rehearsal, interviews, and extensive improvisations. Transferred to HD from the original 16mm film and lovingly restored for the best possible viewing experience.
Starless Dreams

2017

Starless Dreams

2017
8
Heavy snow falls from the sky as heavily-armed guards patrol the walls of an Iranian centre of correction and rehabilitation. Inside, the girls are waiting at the food counter. Among them are underage mothers and others who are married. All of them ended up here after becoming involved in crime. Drug dealing, assault, murder. Yet instead of cold-blooded criminals we discover friendly, warm young people who laugh, sing and cry together. Their close bonds have been forged by the troubled past they share. We learn of their fears of having to return to the lives they once left behind. The documental camera is intimate but respectful, the resulting portraits are full of dignity.
Burt's Buzz

2014

Burt's Buzz

2014
6.6
BURT'S BUZZ is an in-depth and personal look at the life of Burt Shavitz, known to millions around the world as the "Burt" of the Burt’s Bees natural product brand. The documentary explores what it means to be marketed as an icon, and how that life differs from the one of the man behind the logo.
An Act of Worship

2022

An Act of Worship

2022
An Act of Worship is Pakistani-American filmmaker Nausheen Dadabhoy’s lyrical portrait of the last 20 years of Muslim Life in America as told through the lens of Muslims living in the United States.
That Which I Love Destroys Me

2015

That Which I Love Destroys Me

2015
A documentary on military PTSD, focusing on the experiences of two friends who are veterans of the war in Iraq.
Francis Bacon and the Brutality of Fact

1984

Francis Bacon and the Brutality of Fact

1984
In his London studio, Francis Bacon discusses his work and approach with David Sylvester. His representations of the human figure in portraits and triptychs link him to the distorted realism of Van Gogh and Picasso, who also portrayed the intensity of life that Bacon calls “the brutality of fact.”
Chasing Beauty

2013

Chasing Beauty

2013
6.1
Provides a rare glimpse into the intriguing and complex world of modeling. Behind the glossy covers of Vogue and Glamour lie the rarely talked about, uncensored stories of what models endure and sacrifice to become a top model. It examines body image and the psychological effects of the beauty business on young women and men.
Box of Treasures

1983

Box of Treasures

1983
In 1921 the Kwakiut'l people of Alert Bay, British Columbia, held their last secret potlatch. In 1980 at Alert Bay, the U'mista Cultural Centre (U'mista means "something of great value that has come back") opened its doors to receive and house the cultural treasures which were seized decades earlier and only then returned to the people. The center also took up activities such as recording stories told by elders so that some part of the past would always be alive and teaching children about their heritage in order to make them feel connected to their ancestors. This film documents the cultural significance of these events for today's Kwakiut'l people. It is an eloquent testimony to the persistence and complexity of Kwakiut'l society and to the struggle for redefining cultural identity for them.