Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 308

Bunong's Birth Practices

2010

Bunong's Birth Practices

2010
On the basis of a social anthropological case study, this film documents the birth practices of the Bunong in Mondulkiri province, located in the northeast of Cambodia. Social, economic, and political changes are transforming the province tremendously and are affecting villagers' beliefs, perceptions and habits regarding pregnancy, delivery and early motherhood. Traditional midwives, pregnant women, mothers and their families give a personal insight into their present decision-making strategies, which are at the crossroads between tradition and modernity.
Beneath the Polar Sun

2021

Beneath the Polar Sun

2021
Five hundred miles from the North Pole, a scientific expedition is beset by the sea ice it has come to study. Three red kayaks, tiny specks in an austere wilderness, the team is in shock, its way forward blocked by a crumpled and pulverized wreckage of floes. Conditions are unrecognizable, no research can be done. With the Arctic Ocean collapsing all around them, they must escape the chaos by traversing Nares Strait, the most formidable passage of the polar North.
Every Family's Nightmare

2009

Every Family's Nightmare

2009
10
This is the shocking inside story of a family’s fight to free their 15-year-old son after he is wrongly accused of rape. A horrifying tale of lies, deception and the high cost of justice, Every Family’s Nightmare raises questions about systemic, procedural and cultural flaws in Australia’s criminal justice system by investigating the case of Perth schoolboy Patrick Waring. Patrick was jailed for a year while his family battled to prove his innocence. From the time he was accused of raping a teenage girl on 30 March 2006, the Western Australian police were convinced Patrick Waring was guilty. His family knew they were wrong. Over the next year, the Waring family assembled an international team of experts to help defend their son, exposing deep flaws in the police investigation and the legal battle that followed. Alarmingly, experts say that the same situation could arise at any time, involving any family, in any Australian state.
Let the Little Light Shine

2022

Let the Little Light Shine

2022
8
When a thriving, top-ranked African American elementary school is threatened to be replaced by a new high school favoring the community’s wealthier residents, parents, students and educators fight for the elementary school’s survival.
The Nuclear Requiem: The Nuclear World Project

2016

The Nuclear Requiem: The Nuclear World Project

2016
For over seven decades the nuclear bomb has been a presence in our lives. The Nuclear Requiem is a meditation, based on a journey taken during the 70th anniversary, with voices representing different views on the continuing struggle of dealing with the most lethal weapon ever created, the nuclear weapon.
Qudad, Re-Inventing a Tradition

2004

Qudad, Re-Inventing a Tradition

2004
This documentary follows a group of Yemeni masons as they restore the 16th century Amiriya Madrasa using ancient—and uniquely Yemeni—techniques. Through this project they not only renovate and protect a revered landmark, but also ensure that their rare craft will not be lost.
The 1936 Olympic Games

2016

The 1936 Olympic Games

2016
On the 1st August 1936, 100,000 spectators watched as Hitler and the Olympic delegates arrived at the Olympic opening ceremony in Berlin. The Olympic flags hung cheerfully side-by-side banners bearing the Nazi swastika. With the help of specialists and images from Léni Riefenstahl’s 1938 film, ‘Olympia’, we see what really went on behind the scenes and investigate the secret negotiations and compromises made by the International Olympic Committee to bring the Olympics to Berlin.
The Final Migration

2012

The Final Migration

2012
In this documentary, we follow the twenty-three families strong nomadic Guoshan tribe, a sub-group of Yaos. They follow a thousand year old tradition of selecting a new temporary home every two or three generations, usually distancing themselves from their previous temp-home by several hundreds of miles. Provided now with a substantial piece of land for them to build their own permanent village and farm their own land, the tribe's leader as well as thirty members decide to precede the tribe's move. Although they have a strong sense of community they are used to operating individually for their survival. In this instance, as they learn to become farmers, it has been decided between them to operate under a collective scheme, just as in the early days of China's communist revolution.
The Big Family

2013

The Big Family

2013
Zhou Zhi, the patriarch of the family, rules strictly following the handed-down 'hereditary tradition': listening to no one. In the face of new economic challenges, he decides and acts totally arbitrarily. Unable to adapt himself to "modern times", not the least because of his stubbornness, he runs into heavy debt putting the family in great financial difficulty. Turning to his daughters and sons-in-law for support, he receives a cold welcome. Around the almost larger-than-life patriarchal figure of Zhou Zhi, this film vividly portrays the difficulties of an ordinary Chinese family, with its members having to change their lifestyle in the face of economic difficulties and a shifting culture.
Piano Dream

2013

Piano Dream

2013
Yin Hong and her husband were born in the 50's. The Cultural Revolution dramatically impacted their youth; there was no place for any artistic expression. Yet they loved music and they have a gifted son, Lu Nan, who today is 15 year's old. "Piano Dream" is a story about parents investing everything they have for their only child's success. It is a dream journey binding two generations. The film brings attention to a woman's choice and fate, probing the impact of her dream on her son's maturation and their relationship. It shows the son's bitterness to a point where one asks oneself if the mother's dream is not becoming her son's nightmare. Filmed over a period of nearly three years, this documentary keeps faithful to real life, but maintains a poetic feel.
Sleep Tight (Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite)

2009

Sleep Tight (Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite)

2009
A video diary of the things a Vancouver household had to do dealing with bed bugs.
My Transgender Life: Paul Wears Dresses

2017

My Transgender Life: Paul Wears Dresses

2017
Follows the struggles of Stefonknee Wolscht, a trans woman trying to rebuild her life. Losing her home and her family, Stefonknee gives a first hand account of the many challenges trans people face. In her hometown, Stefonknee was known as a loving husband and father, a really good mechanic and a staunch Catholic but only she knew the truth; that she had been assigned to the wrong gender.
World's Fair Waffle

2013

World's Fair Waffle

2013
In 1964, Mariepaul Vermersch and her parents, Maurice and Rose, arrived at the World's Fair site in Queens and set up a booth serving the popular street food from their home in Brussels, Belgium's capital. They wanted to call them Brussels Waffles, but Rose discovered that Americans didn't know where Brussels was. They began calling them Bel-Gems or Belgian Waffles. They were unlike almost every other waffle served in the United States until then: These were light and fluffy but thick; crispy on the outside and sweet; topped with powdered sugar and/or whipped cream and fresh strawberries. For 55 years, only one place in the United States still serves "authentic" Belgian waffles exactly as that treat, Maurice's Belgian Waffles at the New York State Fair.
A Chinese Farm Wife

1974

A Chinese Farm Wife

1974
A Chinese Farm Wife gives us a peek into the life of Mrs. Li, a Taiwanese woman whose husband is a salaried factory worker. Along with the help of her eldest daughter and her neighbors, Mrs. Li runs their 3-acre farm, cultivating crops of tobacco and rice. She also supervises the children's education and manages the household, and is a full participant in community activities.
Bat City USA

2012

Bat City USA

2012
5
Bat City USA delves into Austin's complicated relationship with a colony of Mexican free-tailed bats under the downtown Congress Avenue Bridge. Each year, thousands of people get a fascinating, close-up glimpse of the world's largest urban bat colony amid the colorful downtown Austin, Texas setting. The film reveals how the bats moved into the bridge and survived eradication plans by hostile residents. Viewers discover how the bats eventually became a beloved part of what makes Austin unique and weird, mainly through the efforts of Merlin Tuttle, founder of Bat Conservation International, who convinced residents of the benefits of the bats.
Swell

1996

Swell

1996
Swell is a documentary shot in Santa Cruz, California. Featured are women longboard surfers whose ages span four generations. It is a portrait of a community which shares their best waves, embraces new comers as well as old timers and comes together in a beautiful memorial, to show respect to the one they lost in the water, surfing. Swell is setting the record straight by revealing that women do surf and do it well!
Man Oh Man

1987

Man Oh Man

1987
Man Oh Man takes a loving, curious look at the forces which mold young boys into men. Men from all walks of life speak with humor and sadness about what is expected of them. This film explores personal definitions of masculinity, inter-gender communications, self-worth, gender stereotyping, and changing roles. As an honest representation of one filmmaker's glimpse into the male world, it is guaranteed to spark audience interest and stimulate discussion.
The Greatest Bond

2020

The Greatest Bond

2020
An inspirational and heartwarming one-hour documentary, highlighting the journey of disabled veterans whose lives are transformed through the unconditional love of service dogs that have been expertly trained by female prison inmates.
Cystic Fibrosis

2020

Cystic Fibrosis

2020
Cystic fibrosis is a very severe chronic genetic disease in which a person actually drowns in the fluids of his own body. There are three thousand patients in Russia, 80% of them are children.
The Battle for Notre-Dame

2019

The Battle for Notre-Dame

2019
The great pride of Paris, the Notre Dame, is burning. The fire department work hard to save the cathedral from a great disaster, while many Parisians watch in horror.