Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 218

Ghost Bird

2009

Ghost Bird

2009
7
This documentary chronicles the obsession that overtook bird watchers after a kayaker reported seeing a thought-to-be-extinct ivory-billed woodpecker.
The Days of the Dead

1988

The Days of the Dead

1988
A documentary exploring the varying cultural practices of the Day of the Dead in both Mexico and Chicano/a communities in the United States.
An American in Sophiatown

2007

An American in Sophiatown

2007
7
Interwoven with clips from the original film "Come Back Africa", the late Lionel Rogosin tells the story of how he penetrated Sophiatown, Johannesburg during the iron rule of the apartheid regime. In what develops like a political thriller, An American in Sophiatown is one of the most damning portrayals of this police state.
American Courtesans

2013

American Courtesans

2013
4.2
American Courtesans is a feature documentary that takes you into the lives of American Sex Workers. These women candidly discuss what brought them to the doors of the sex trade, what they found when they got there and why they stayed. Follow eleven Sex Workers through the streets, massage parlors, brothels and strip clubs to New York high rises and the bell captains in Vegas. This is a story, a different kind of American Story, that will leave you speechless.
Alaskan Nets

2021

Alaskan Nets

2021
In Alaska's last native reserve, two cousins lead their local basketball team to its first state championship in more than thirty years. That quest is the only thing that will bring life back to a remote island that has been rocked by tragedy.
Agatha Christie's England

2020

Agatha Christie's England

2020
5
Agatha Christie was born in Torquay on England's south coast. In a career spanning over half a century, the prolific crime writer was inspired by the landscapes and character of her home country, much of which featured in her novels. This heart-warming documentary takes viewers on a literary tour of England - focusing on the most interesting locations featured in some of her best-known books.
Apollo's Daring Mission

2018

Apollo's Daring Mission

2018
5.5
Apollo astronauts and engineers tell the inside story of Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon. The U.S. space program suffered a bitter setback when Apollo 1 ended in a deadly fire during a pre-launch run-through. In disarray, and threatened by the prospect of a Soviet Union victory in the space race, NASA decided upon a radical and risky change of plan: turn Apollo 8 from an earth-orbit mission into a daring sprint to the moon while relying on untried new technologies. Fifty years after the historic mission, the Apollo 8 astronauts and engineers recount the feats of engineering that paved the way to the moon.
Every Three Seconds

2014

Every Three Seconds

2014
A documentary about normal people addressing global problems of hunger and poverty.
We Are Egypt

2012

We Are Egypt

2012
In the 14 months prior to the revolution, filmmaker Lillie Paquette follows key opposition figures and young activists as they struggle against the odds and at great personal risk to remove an uncompromising US-backed regime.
Genocide in the Wildflower State

2024

Genocide in the Wildflower State

2024
10
“Genocide in the Wildflower State” is a documentary about a violent, state-run system of eugenics, racial absorption, and social assimilation in twentieth century, Western Australia.
The Lost City of Melbourne

2022

The Lost City of Melbourne

2022
6
The attempted ‘modernisation’ of Melbourne in the 1950s destroyed much of the city, including its elegant cinemas and picture palaces. Now, a new Melbourne-made documentary brings them back to life.
In Spring One Plants Alone

1980

In Spring One Plants Alone

1980
6
This is the story of Puhi, an aged Maori woman and Niki, her fully grown but wholly dependent son. The world they occupy is not a world of large events but the rituals of everyday life, traditions and interdependence. “In Spring One Plants Alone” documents the minutiae of their very enclosed existence. Filmed over a period of one and a half years, it emerges as a rare, haunting and powerful portrayal of their life together. This is the story of their rituals and of their survival. The small and disconnected instances that we encounter form a lone vision of the rifts and the bond between an old woman and her disturbed son.
The Sound of Scars

2021

The Sound of Scars

2021
4
The story of three lifelong friends who overcame domestic violence, substance abuse and depression to form Life of Agony, one of the most influential bands in its genre, led by the very first openly transgender singer. Through the success of their groundbreaking 1993 debut "River Runs Red", hailed by Rolling Stone as "One of the Greatest Metal Albums of All Time", they channeled their cumulative life stories into a soundtrack for a broken generation. This new found fame allowed them to suppress the tragedies of their past, but in its wake new obstacles arose.
Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story

2017

Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story

2017
7
Charged with 2400 volts of electricity, Eduardo Garcia lost an arm, ribs, muscle mass and nearly his life, but more important than what he lost is what he found.
A Year in Port

2016

A Year in Port

2016
6.7
With renowned wine importer Martine Saunier as our guide, we journey into Portugal's spectacular Douro Valley to explore the mystery and complexity of the world of port
Hummingbird

2004

Hummingbird

2004
7
Can one person really make a difference? This documentary explores the work of two non profits started by women in Recife, Brazil. Through their grassroots efforts, they help kids get off the streets and women break the cycle of domestic violence, to find a second chance.
Colors Straight Up

1997

Colors Straight Up

1997
6.3
The non-profit organization, Colors United, teaches drama to a group of inner city kids. The culmination of the theater education is a musical called Watts Side Story.
Keepers of the Magic

2016

Keepers of the Magic

2016
7.6
This ground-breaking documentary explores our fascination with moving images and provides insight into how cinema's most iconic moments came to be.
Raised By Wolves

2023

Raised By Wolves

2023
'Raised By Wolves' peers into online youth culture in Appalachia, revealing the risks of radicalization through exposure to weaponized misinformation and far right extremism in social media and online gaming spaces, while documenting the escalation of violence in America as it unfolds in real time - and close to home. A series of personal stories of affected community members unfolds against the backdrop of an opioid traumatized, post-industrial landscape, as experts unpack the systemic nature of a problem rooted in our times, our tech and our history.
Stoney Knows How

1981

Stoney Knows How

1981
5
A visit with a master of the Oldest Art In The World: tattooing. Disabled by arthritis since the age of four, confined to a wheelchair, his growth stunted, Stoney St. Clair joined the circus at 15 as a sword swallower. A year later he took up tattooing, and traveled with circuses and carnivals for fifty years practicing his craft. As we watch him at work, we see the determination which led Stoney to use his crippled hands in an art where mistakes are permanent, and we realize Stoney has overcome his handicap to heal himself and others with the magic of symbols. The film ends with a visit by New Age tattoo master Don Ed Hardy, who receives a permanent souvenir by Old School tattoo master Stoney.