Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 238

Once Upon A Place

2021

Once Upon A Place

2021
"Once Upon a Place" is the story of "La Nacional," a nondescript building in New York City that welcomed thousands of immigrants to the United States over its 150-year history. Its striking story is the story of the ebb and tide of Spanish immigration to this country; of the rise and fall of New York City as home to the American Dream, and the tale of hundreds of lives touched by the possibility of a new life. Yet that story of immigrants to America, so relevant today, remains a mystery to most New Yorkers and Americans.
Once Upon a Time in Iraq

2020

Once Upon a Time in Iraq

2020
8
Civilians, journalists and soldiers from both sides of the conflict explain their experience during the Iraq War, from the 2003 invasion through the 17 years that followed. Edited version from "Once Upon a Time in Iraq" (2020)
We Buy, Who Pays?

2002

We Buy, Who Pays?

2002
A short documentary about sweatshops and their working conditions in India.
Jamesie, King of Scratch

2007

Jamesie, King of Scratch

2007
An engaging and spirited musical journey to the Caribbean, this documentary focuses on Scratch band music, an indigenous, grass-roots form of folk music from the Virgin Islands. 79-year old James Brewster was an uncompromising, humorous, and provocative musician known for his playful compositions and lively performances and is the legendary 'King of Scratch'.
Fire and Ice: The Rocket Richard Riot

2000

Fire and Ice: The Rocket Richard Riot

2000
1
In 1955, as a hotly contested hockey season was coming to an end, the star of the Montreal Canadiens, Maurice "the Rocket" Richard, was suspended for attacking an opponent with a stick and hitting a referee by then president of the NHL Clarence Campbell. This set off a huge riot in the streets of Montreal. The documentary claims, unconvincingly, that this event added to the sparks of the political revolution in Quebec that led to the rise of the separatist movement.
Limelight

2011

Limelight

2011
5.8
A film about Peter Gatien, the owner of legendary New York nightclubs like Limelight, The Tunnel and the Palladium. The film documents his rise and fall from the 1980s through the 1990s.
Fatherhood Dreams

2007

Fatherhood Dreams

2007
2.7
This documentary gives the viewer full access to three families headed by gay fathers.
Joyce Carol Oates: A Body in the Service of Mind

2022

Joyce Carol Oates: A Body in the Service of Mind

2022
7.2
Prolific writer Joyce Carol Oates has remained intensely private. Until now. Through a long-standing friendship, and persistent inquiry, director Stig Bjorkman is granted unprecedented access to document her mornings of longhand writing, her walks with her husband—to visit her within her solitude.
Gather

2020

Gather

2020
7.2
A portrait of a growing movement amongst Indigenous Americans to reclaim their spiritual and cultural identities through obtaining sovereignty over their ancestral food systems, while battling against the historical trauma brought on by centuries of genocide.
Sea Nomads

2012

Sea Nomads

2012
6
One Dream, Two Brothers, One continent. Two brothers follow their dream of surfing the American Pacific showing the Continent as a whole, through its different cultures, villages, food, people, animals and landscapes while camping and surfing on their way back home to Argentina.
Eames: The Architect and the Painter

2011

Eames: The Architect and the Painter

2011
7.1
Interviews with the junior designers swept into the 24-7 world of "The Eamery" are the heart of this complex picture of a husband-and-wife creative team that define the era of Mid-Century Modernism. Narrated by James Franco, the film draws from a trove of archival material, primarily the stunning films and photographs produced in mind-boggling volume by Charles, Ray, and their staff during the hyper-creative forty years of the Eames Office.
Safeguard: An Electoral College Story

2020

Safeguard: An Electoral College Story

2020
7
"What if something you changed caused unintended consequences you never imagined?" Safeguard: An Electoral College Story asks that question about presidential elections. How does the system really work? And what would happen if we changed the rules? Alexander Hamilton and James Madison worked to create and defend the Electoral College system in the U.S. Constitution. The process is democratic-but it works in stages, and through the states. This design forces candidates to reach out across the country rather than focusing on just one region or group of population centers. And it keeps presidents from controlling elections-including their own reelections. Publisher and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes, Princeton historian Allen Guelzo, and a host of experts explain why we really have the Electoral College, what it does, and what could happen if we got rid of it.
Leon Trotsky: A Personality in the 20th Century

2013

Leon Trotsky: A Personality in the 20th Century

2013
Leon Trotsky is considered one of the most controversial revolutionary figures of his time. Was he a practical revolutionary or a naive idealist? On the practical side, he was the mastermind behind the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917, and was totally ruthless during the ensuing Civil War. As an idealist, he was committed to the pursuit of international revolution, but created many political enemies. After Lenin's death, Trotsky lost in a power struggle with Stalin, and later was expelled from the Communist Party. Trotsky was exiled from the Soviet Union, eventually finding refuge in Mexico. In 1940, Stalin ordered his assassination, and Trotsky died after being struck in the head with an ice-pick. History records that Trotsky was a master theoretician, a skillful propagandist and a brilliant orator.
A Son of Africa: The Autobiography of a Slave

1996

A Son of Africa: The Autobiography of a Slave

1996
A documentary following the life of Olaudah Equiano, based on his autobiography "The Interesting Narration of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa the African".
Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be the Same

2009

Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be the Same

2009
7.5
Brock Enright, and his girlfriend Kirsten Deirup drive from Brooklyn, NY to her family's cabin in Mendocino, CA to prepare his solo show at a prominent New York gallery. As Enright struggles to produce what could be his most significant work, his relationship with Kirsten, her family, and the gallery is strained by his violent, sexually-explicit, and psychologically challenging creation.
Artpark People

1976

Artpark People

1976
Encouraging visitors to engage and connect with on site artist's, Artpark provides a unique environment for those craving culture away from the whirring city. Located in Lewiston, New York the outdoor venue opens itself to artists, musicians and performers seeking a spot to reflect and create. During the summer seasons Artpark serves as an immersive experience, inviting the public to observe the artists as they work. Artpark People observes the vibrant scene and captures candid interactions between artist and onlookers. With a heavy emphasis on outdoor space and environmental influence, Artpark asserts itself as a cultural and communal haven for creatives.
Ana Mendieta: Fuego de Tierra

1987

Ana Mendieta: Fuego de Tierra

1987
10
This beautiful film is a portrait of the life and work of Cuban-born American artist Ana Mendieta. Mendieta used her own body, the raw materials of nature, and Afro-Cuban religion to express her feminist political consciousness and poetic vision. Interview footage with Mendieta and her own filmed records of her earthworks and performances are incorporated to render a vivid testament to her energy and extraordinary talent after her tragic, untimely death in 1985.
The Cola Conquest

1998

The Cola Conquest

1998
7
The Cola Conquest tells the story of Coca-Cola - the 'sublimated essence' of all that American stands for - and the century-long competition with its rival, Pepsi-Cola. Challenging, fast-paced, irreverent, serious and funny by turns, it explores the delicious paradox at the heart of Coke: How did an innocuous soft drink come to wield such enormous power and assume such significance in so many people's lives? What does it tell us about who we are and what we are becoming?
I Am the Queen

2011

I Am the Queen

2011
4.6
In Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, the Vida/Sida Cacica Pageant brings together members of the Puerto Rican community to celebrate its transgender participants. I Am The Queen follows Bianca, Julissa and Jolizza as they prepare for the pageant under the guidance of Ginger Valdez, an experienced transgender from the neighborhood. These trans women share stories of their transition, their relatives’ varying reactions, and how they find support from within the community. Family dynamics, cultural heritage, and personal identity all play a part in how the contestants face the daily struggle that comes from being true to themselves.
Uncle Bob

2010

Uncle Bob

2010
4.3
Robert Oppel's documentary about the life and murder of his uncle and namesake, Robert Opel, the man who streaked the Academy Awards in 1974.