Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 219

Willie Velasquez: Your Vote is Your Choice

2016

Willie Velasquez: Your Vote is Your Choice

2016
Political empowerment for Latinos in the United States has always been difficult. A Mexican-American butcher's son from Texas, Willie Velasquez questioned the lack of Latino representation in his city's government, propelling him into a lifelong battle to gain political equality for Latinos. This documentary examines obstacles Latinos had to overcome to obtain representation, and addresses issues facing Latinos today.
Uksuum Cauyai: The Drums of Winter

1989

Uksuum Cauyai: The Drums of Winter

1989
5.5
This film gives an intimate look at a way of life of which most of us have seen only glimpses. Dance was once at the heart of Yupik Eskimo spiritual and social life. It was the bridge between the ancient and the new, the living and the dead and a person's own power and the greater powers of the unseen world.
Donald Trump: The Apprentice President?

2016

Donald Trump: The Apprentice President?

2016
1
Since announcing his candidacy, Donald Trump is everywhere. To him, it seems that nothing is taboo and no policy too outlandish to embrace. Somehow, this billionaire candidate has become the champion of ordinary America, with supporters travelling hundreds of miles just to see him.
Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry

2004

Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry

2004
7.4
A documentary on Senator John Kerry's Navy tour of duty in Vietnam, his contributions to the peace movement that followed, and the ultimate shape of his future political career.
Hasten Slowly: The Journey of Sir Laurens van der Post

1997

Hasten Slowly: The Journey of Sir Laurens van der Post

1997
An hour-long documentary about author Laurens van der Post, whose autobiographical novel was the basis for the film "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" directed by Nagisa Oshima.
Bernhard Heisig

1991

Bernhard Heisig

1991
In the mists of war and violence, the Harlequin, trumpet in hand, drifts through ravaged landscape passing a cripple and a marionette: Bernhard Heisig's pictorial worlds shock the viewer by depicting the great dramas of German history. Both a victim and a perpetrator in World War II and in the GDR dictatorship, the artist's search for sense and truth led him to his moving image formulas. Director Reiner E. Moritz converses with the renowned ex-principal of the Leipzig Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst (Academy of Visual Arts) about his work, which influenced the development of art for many decades in the rigid GDR system.
Seed: The Untold Story

2016

Seed: The Untold Story

2016
6.3
A film about the importance of heirloom seeds to the agriculture of the world, focusing on seed keepers and activists from around the world.
A Lot Like You

2012

A Lot Like You

2012
What happens when a woman goes in search of her identity and discovers that the cycle of violence she's been working hard to break in the US is part of her family history and culture on another continent?
Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies

2019

Propaganda: The Art of Selling Lies

2019
6.6
From ancient cave paintings to Twitter feeds and deep fakes, propaganda's rapid progression hasn't compromised its potency. Tracing its effective use by religious figures, politicians and marketers, director Larry Weinstein crafts a persuasive study of the mechanics behind propaganda. This fascinating investigation confronts us with timely questions: If we grow up surrounded by propaganda, how do we know what is true? What risks are inherited by a society tricked into their perceptions? Freedom of speech is critical to a democracy's survival, yet demagogues have consistently exploited that freedom to coerce willing supporters. Contemporary artists, including Kent Monkman, Shepard Fairey and Ai Weiwei, analyze their politically motivated work, creatively co-opting the conventions of disinformation that have permeated their respective cultures. As our platforms for spreading ideas continue to expand in a digital age, dangerous lies have never been better disguised.
The Spirit of TV

1990

The Spirit of TV

1990
5
Beginning with the arrival by canoe of a TV and VCR in their village, The Spirit of TV documents the emotions and thoughts of the Waiãpi as they first encounter their own recorded images and those of others. Viewing news broadcasts and videos of other Brazilian native peoples, the Waiãpi see the power of images to facilitate memory preservation and political awareness. Some people worry, though about the invasive spirits of outsiders that can come through the TV. Another concern is the negative exposure that might result from the Waiãpi broadcasting their own images.
Not Just a Name

2021

Not Just a Name

2021
Not Just a Name explores and highlights the trials and tribulations of African-Americans with cultural and unique sounding names. It follows the stories of Shiquita Williams, Fulani Bahati, and Naauh'Mocquaii Robinson-Jones as they deal with micro-aggressions and the painful and triumphant origin of their identity as conveyed through their names.
Pram Factory

1994

Pram Factory

1994
In the early 1970s, a theatre collective - the Australian Performing Group - based itself in a building called the Pram Factory, now synonymous with the people and events that laid the groundwork for a renaissance in Australian culture. The Pram was a ‘scene’, a 24-hour happening, a radical alternative to the mainstream. Those who lived and worked at the Pram expected the world to come to them - and for a while it did. (The building was eventually demolished to make way for a supermarket.)
Built Beautiful: An Architecture and Neuroscience Love Story

2020

Built Beautiful: An Architecture and Neuroscience Love Story

2020
For centuries, humans have sought to express beauty in architecture and art, but it is only recently that neuroscience is helping to determine how and why beauty plays an important role in our wellbeing. Architects and neuroscientists are embarking on a new field of study in which subliminal responses to one’s built environment may influence the future of design. Experts argue that positive subliminal reactions lead to a pleasurable experience, one reminiscent of a powerful meditation session. The question remains: what makes a building beautiful - or more specifically, which elements of the built environment does the brain recognize as beautiful? Narrated by Martha Stewart.
Instructions for Survival

2021

Instructions for Survival

2021
6
Alexander’s transgender identity means he is obliged to lead a life of secrecy in his home country. Being identified as “female” in his passport means he cannot legally find work, either. Since even a visit to the doctor is a risk for him, he has begun hormone therapy to transition on his own with support from internet forums and the local transgender community. Desperate to escape their hopeless situation and leave the country, Alexander’s wife Mari decides to become a surrogate mother for 12,000 dollars. But their ostensibly pragmatic plan backfires when Alex and Mari gradually develop an emotional bond with the unborn child.
21 Up South Africa: Mandela's Children

2008

21 Up South Africa: Mandela's Children

2008
6.2
Documentaries that revisit a group of children every seven years is brought to post-apartheid South Africa. Here, filmmaker Angus Gibson interviews 11 young people of various races and backgrounds as they turn 21. The result is an insightful look at how they've changed and the issues they face such as crime, race relations, education and the AIDS epidemic which has killed three of the original 14 children.
Finding Phong

2015

Finding Phong

2015
4.9
Phong grew up in a small town in the center of Vietnam - the youngest of six children. From the time she was young, Phong felt like she was a girl with a mismatched boy's body. Not until she moved to Hanoi to attend university at age 20 did Phong discover that she was not the only one in the world with this predicament. Her dream to 'find herself' by physically changing sex becomes a reality several years later. The movie follows Phong's struggle during these years, with excerpts from an intimate video journal, along with encounters with family, friends and doctors - all of whom must come to terms with Phong determination to become a "complete girl".
Objector

2019

Objector

2019
8.5
Like all Israeli youth, Atalya is obligated to become a soldier. Unlike most, she questions the practices of her country's military, and becomes determined to challenge this rite of passage. Despite her family's political disagreements and personal concerns, she refuses military duty and is imprisoned for her dissent. Her courage moves those around her to reconsider their own moral positions and personal power. OBJECTOR follows Atalya to prison and beyond, offering a unique window into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the perspective of a young woman who seeks truth and takes a stand for justice.
The Ax Fight

1975

The Ax Fight

1975
5.7
The Ax Fight (1975) is an ethnographic film by anthropologist and filmmaker Tim Asch and anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon about a conflict in a Yanomami village called Mishimishimabowei-teri, in southern Venezuela. It is best known as an iconic and idiosyncratic ethnographic film about the Yanomamo and is frequently shown in classroom settings.
Women of the Mine

2014

Women of the Mine

2014
7.7
Portraits of three women who live and work in the infamous mines of El Cerro Rico in Bolivia. Work inside the mines has been limited to men, while the women are forced to work outside searching for mineral scraps on the side of the mountain. The film highlights the women's strength, determination and resilience in the face of struggle and hardship.
Whose Country?

2016

Whose Country?

2016
9
A young Egyptian filmmaker recounts his interaction with a group of plainclothes policemen while grappling with issues of guilt and morality.