Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 206

Juice: How Electricity Explains The World

2019

Juice: How Electricity Explains The World

2019
7
Poverty, women's rights, climate change - indeed, many of the world's most pressing challenges - can be explained by answering one simple question: Can you turn your lights on in the morning?
Outlawed in Pakistan

2013

Outlawed in Pakistan

2013
Outlawed in Pakistan tells the story of Kainat Soomro as she takes her rape case to Pakistan's deeply flawed court system in hopes of getting justice. The 13-year-old Kainat accuses four men of gang rape and shortly after is ordered to be killed by her village elders. Spanning over five years, the story is told through the perspective of Kainat and the four men accused of her rape.
Dirty Paradise

2009

Dirty Paradise

2009
6
The true story of the Wayana people, French Indians of Amazonia who are cursed by living in a region rich in gold. Consequently, the uncontrolled exploitation of this wealth has brought about a severe deterioration of the forest's ecosystem, the irreversible pollution of streams, as well as countless violations of fundamental human rights. This film not only shows the despair of the Amerindians but also their awareness of the problem and how they are trying to cope with their survival. A documentary which gives a human face to a contemporary tragedy which concerns all of us.
Creating a Monster

2016

Creating a Monster

2016
10
Creating a Monster is about reality television and sub-textually confronts a bigger ethical question about the psychological impact on the contestants; is the fault placed on reality television producers or the audience who consume it?
Four Died Trying: Prologue

2023

Four Died Trying: Prologue

2023
East Jerusalem / West Jerusalem

2014

East Jerusalem / West Jerusalem

2014
7.3
In Palestinian East Jerusalem, Singer-Songwriter David Broza records a new album with American, Palestinian and Israeli musicians in defiance of the Middle East's dark realities.
Queen of Lapa

2019

Queen of Lapa

2019
10
Larger-than-life actress, cabaret performer, activist, and proud sex professional since the age of eleven, Luana Muniz - arguably one of Brazil’s most recognizable transgender personalities, shapes a new reality for a new generation of transgender sex workers in her hostel by providing a safe working environment in the dangerous neighborhood of Lapa in Rio de Janeiro. Queen of Lapa explores the day-to-day lives, quests for love, housemate rivalries in a turbulent political climate under matriarch Muniz’s watchful and guiding eye.
Even When I Fall

2018

Even When I Fall

2018
7
Even When I Fall tells the incredible story of Nepal's first circus, set up by survivors of child trafficking.
Almost Sunrise

2017

Almost Sunrise

2017
7
The epic journey of two friends, ex-soldiers, who battle the moral injuries of war, and the temptation to escape through suicide, as they walk across America.
Clearing the Air: The War on Smog

2025

Clearing the Air: The War on Smog

2025
In July 1943, dark, smoky clouds suddenly descended over Los Angeles, causing residents to complain of burning eyes, nausea, and difficulty breathing. People couldn’t see across the street and visibility was so bad that cars crashed. With World War II raging, many feared a chemical attack by the Japanese, but it soon became evident that no foreign enemy was to blame. The waves of pollution called “smog” — a combination of “smoke” and “fog” — continued and the cause remained a mystery. It was the beginning of an epic struggle for clean air involving years of scientific investigation and civic pressure, bringing together people across ideological divides in a remarkable example of bipartisanship. Their work would lead to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Air Act, which have had an enduring effect on the quality of air Americans breathe.
Becoming Thurgood: America's Social Architect

2025

Becoming Thurgood: America's Social Architect

2025
Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect traces Marshall’s life and career from his birth in Baltimore in 1908, through his years at Historically Black Colleges and Universities Lincoln University and Howard University School of Law, and on to his groundbreaking career as a lawyer championing civil rights. After launching his legal career in Baltimore in 1935, Marshall went on to win 29 of the 32 cases he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court , most notably the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954, which ended racial segregation in public schools. In 1967 he was appointed to the Supreme Court, where he served until his retirement in 1991.
Dubrovnik

1952

Dubrovnik

1952
A film describing the political history of Dubrovnik and the history of its architecture, painting, literature and science until the end of Republic of Ragusa.
When Lambs Become Lions

2018

When Lambs Become Lions

2018
8
In the Kenyan bush, a crackdown on ivory poaching forces a silver-tongued second-generation poacher to seek out an unlikely ally in this fly-on-the-wall look at both sides of the conservation divide.
Phantom Cowboys

2018

Phantom Cowboys

2018
6.8
Part time capsule, part folk song, Phantom Cowboys follows three teenage boys as they approach adulthood in vastly different parts of the United States. Moving fluidly between the deserts of California, the valleys of West Virginia, and the sugarcane fields of Florida, the film explores the lives of these young men during two formative periods - transitioning forward and backward in time over a span of eight years.
Last Call at Maud's

1993

Last Call at Maud's

1993
3.3
A history of Maud's, a San Francisco lesbian bar that stayed open from 1966 to 1989.
In the Shadows

2013

In the Shadows

2013
This documentary by Dan Glynn follows the personal story of Jairo, a hard-working Mexican who immigrates to the US in order to find work to support his family back in Mexico. The film looks at current immigration issues in the United States. The story takes a dramatic turn, when Jairo's cousin is arrested by local police putting the entire family in danger of deportation. In the movie we meet numerous people who want to stem the tide of immigration from Mexico as well as people who help those who make the long, arduous journey to new employment in the United States.
Sandra Day O'Connor: The First

2021

Sandra Day O'Connor: The First

2021
When Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O’Connor as the Supreme Court’s first female justice in 1981, the announcement dominated the news. Time Magazine’s cover proclaimed “Justice At Last,” and she received unanimous Senate approval. Born in 1930 in El Paso, Texas, O’Connor grew up on a cattle ranch in Arizona in an era when women were expected to become homemakers. After graduating near the top of her class at Stanford Law School, she could not convince a single law firm to interview her, so she turned to volunteer work and public service. A Republican, she served two terms in the Arizona state senate, then became a judge on the state court of appeals. During her 25 years on the Supreme Court, O’Connor was the critical swing vote on cases involving some of the 20th century’s most controversial issues. Forty years after her confirmation, this biography recounts the life of a pioneering woman who both reflected and shaped an era.
Sam Smith: Dreams Come True

2015

Sam Smith: Dreams Come True

2015
5
Follow Sam Smith's journey from their humble beginnings to taking the music world by storm. Find out the secret to the singer's success and feel the power of their searing voice.
Nero's Golden House

2001

Nero's Golden House

2001
In the Turn

2014

In the Turn

2014
5
Seeking identity and bullied daily, a 10-year-old transgender girl in rural Canada and her family struggle with the emotional pressures of her battle.