Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 211

Welcome to Sodom

2018

Welcome to Sodom

2018
7.1
A dark and sensuous film from a landfill in Ghana, where electronic waste from the West is being recycled. An unforgettable experience, told by the workers themselves.
The Stray Story: A Dogumentary

2021

The Stray Story: A Dogumentary

2021
Tails with tales to tell! In a consumerist society where everything, including man's best friend, is treated as disposable, everyday people aiding stray dogs remind us what being human(e) is all about and inspire us to make a difference.
She Is...

2023

She Is...

2023
This hybrid documentary follows Isabella Grosso, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. In her quest to heal, Isabella discovered a sense of empowerment through dance and founded She-Is, a nonprofit combining the art of dance with therapy. As she embraces the experience of self-love through movement, we follow Isabella on an international journey to help other survivors of sexual abuse and sex trafficking find healing.
What Killed Michael Brown?

2020

What Killed Michael Brown?

2020
6.5
Acclaimed writer, Shelby Steele, has long argued that systemic racism is more a strategy than a truth, and that the universal oppression of black Americans is largely over with. But the 2014 shooting of a black teen, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri by a white policeman shook the nation to its core. During Steele’s investigation of Ferguson, America was once again rocked by the brutal killing of George Floyd. Didn’t these killings, and the long list of others like them, put the lie to Steele’s argument?
The Departure

2017

The Departure

2017
6.8
An intimate character study of the complex figure Ittetsu Nemoto, an aimless and rebellious former punk rocker-turned-Buddhist priest. He is renowned in Japan for saving the lives of countless suicidal men and women through his wise and compassionate counsel. But Nemoto is now approaching middle-age with a wife and young boy of his own, when he learns his life is at risk from heart disease, compounded by the heavy emotional workload of supporting those who no longer want to live. When saving others takes such a toll, can he find the resiliency to save himself?
Manet: Portraying Life

2013

Manet: Portraying Life

2013
5
Manet’s portraits are rarely afforded such close attention as they are given in this exquisitely crafted and insightful film presented by art expert Tim Marlow. Manet’s portraiture comprised about half his work, giving life on canvas to family, friends and the literary, political and artistic figures of the day.
The Final Journey of the Romanovs

2017

The Final Journey of the Romanovs

2017
7
I Like Killing Flies

2004

I Like Killing Flies

2004
7.1
In the cramped, cluttered confines of Shopsin’s, a legendary hole-in-the-wall diner in New York’s Greenwich Village, eccentric chef Kenny Shopsin holds court—serving up an absurdly massive menu alongside his razor-sharp wit and unfiltered philosophies on life, food, and human nature. As the family-run institution faces a forced relocation, this intimate documentary captures the controlled chaos of Kenny’s world, where every customer is a character and every meal is a performance. A love letter to stubborn individuality and the art of doing things your own way.
Foreign Volunteers: In the Hell of Raqqa

2019

Foreign Volunteers: In the Hell of Raqqa

2019
8
Inspired by the mythology of the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War, over 300 foreign volunteers chose to give up their comfortable lives and go fight ISIS in Raqqa. We filmed them there, fly-on-the-wall style, fighting, talking, laughing, being attacked by suicide bombs and sniper fire. We were with them until Raqqa was freed. And then we followed them back home – changed forever. Every night, between July and October 2017, young men with no previous military experience pushed through the most dangerous streets of the world. They conquered Raqqa, block after block. They met death and violence. And eventually, along with the Kurdish and Arab forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces, they liberated Raqqa and ended the reign of the most murderous cult of the XXI century. Some of them went back home. We were there when they told their story to their families. This is the untold story of the young Westerners who left everything behind to fight ISIS.
Swim Team

2016

Swim Team

2016
7.5
SWIM TEAM chronicles the overwhelming struggles and extraordinary triumphs of 3 young athletes with autism and shows how a swim team can bring hope to a community.
Musher

2021

Musher

2021
Musher peels back the veil behind the bond that four women have between their dogs and the world of sled-dog racing. As each woman prepares for the Copperdog annual race, we reveal the intimate insight into the mushing community, devotion to that lifestyle, and how women influence the sport.
100 Years

2016

100 Years

2016
8
"100 Years" is the David vs. Goliath story of Elouise Cobell, a petite, Native American Warrior who filed the largest class action lawsuit ever filed against the United States Government and won a $3.4 billion settlement for 300,000 Native Americans whose mineral-rich lands were mismanaged by the Department of the Interior.
Walking Two Worlds

2022

Walking Two Worlds

2022
19 year-old Quannah Chasinghorse, and her mother, Jody Potts-Joseph, take a stand to defend their sacred homelands and way of life while breaking barriers in Indigenous representation.
Tupaia’s Endeavour

2020

Tupaia’s Endeavour

2020
Lala Rolls’ fascinating quest to examine what happens to a Tahitian high priest and navigator when he travels across the pacific – and further on towards England as a translator and guest (or is it as a living trophy?) – aboard Captain James Cook’s HMS Endeavour.
Chef!

1999

Chef!

1999
5.4
Documentarian Jean-Marie Teno -- originally from Cameroon but now living in France -- explores the sad state of human rights in his native land as Cameroon struggles against political corruption towards something resembling democracy in Chef!. As the film opens, Teno examines a pro-government rally in Bandjourn where a young man was nearly killed by a mob for stealing chickens. As we look deeper into "justice" in Cameroon, we discover vigilante murder is commonplace; wife beating is tolerated by the law; freedom of the press does not exist; those who violate the many "laws" on the books are faced with inhuman prison conditions; and bribery is the most common method of dealing with the authorities. While activists continue to battle for justice and peace, Chef! makes clear that the road before them is long and steep.
The Real Rembrandt

1991

The Real Rembrandt

1991
Scientific methods of verifying works of art have drastically reduced the number of paintings attributed to Rembrandt (1606-1669). Many canvases, hitherto believed to be by the hand of the Master, are now thought to be the work of artists who learnt their craft in his studio by copying his style. The film is a fascinating study of modern scientific techniques, a comprehensive art historical view of Rembrandt’s work over the centuries and a reaffirmation of his genius.
Seeing Red: Stories of American Communists

1983

Seeing Red: Stories of American Communists

1983
6.3
A unique documentary that looks at the political activities of the American Communist Party in the early to mid-twentieth century.
The Joy of Life

2005

The Joy of Life

2005
4.6
A blending of documentary and experimental narrative strategies, combining stunning 16mm landscape cinematography with a bold, lyrical voice-over to share two San Francisco stories: the history of the Golden Gate Bridge as “suicide landmark,” and the story of a butch dyke in San Francisco searching for love and self-discovery. The Joy of Life is a film about landscapes, both physical and emotional.
America The Beautiful

2008

America The Beautiful

2008
6.2
In a society where "celebutantes" like Paris Hilton dominate newsstands and models who weigh less than 90 pounds die from malnutrition, female body image is one of the more dire problems facing today's society. "America the Beautiful" illuminates the issue by covering every base. Child models, plastic surgery, celebrity worship, airbrushed advertising, dangerous cosmetics - no rock is left unturned.
The Riot Report

2023

The Riot Report

2023
8.5
In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to investigate why Black neighborhoods all over the country were “rioting” in protest. He was blindsided by the findings, which blamed the government for race-exclusive policies that fomented poverty, housing crises, unemployment, and discrimination. The film commemorates the landmark report and hints at lessons for a world where racism continues to be a divisive, damaging force.