Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 7

Sacro GRA

2013

Sacro GRA

2013
6
After the India of Varanasi’s boatmen, the American desert of the dropouts, and the Mexico of the killers of drugtrade, Gianfranco Rosi has decided to tell the tale of a part of his own country, roaming and filming for over two years in a minivan on Rome’s giant ring road—the Grande Raccordo Anulare, or GRA—to discover the invisible worlds and possible futures harbored in this area of constant turmoil. Elusive characters and fleeting apparitions emerge from the background of the winding zone: a nobleman from the Piemonte region and his college student daughter sharing a one-room efficiency in a modern apartment building along the GRA.
Tokyo Idols

2017

Tokyo Idols

2017
6.7
This exploration of Japan's fascination with girl bands and their music follows an aspiring pop singer and her fans, delving into the cultural obsession with young female sexuality and the growing disconnect between men and women in hypermodern societies.
Armstrong

2019

Armstrong

2019
7.3
Dramatic, moving and deeply human, ARMSTRONG offers the definitive life story of Neil Armstrong: from his childhood in Ohio to his first steps on the Moon, and beyond.
Andy Warhol

1972

Andy Warhol

1972
7
With a rambling, unstructured style that echoes Andy Warhol’s own approach to filmmaking, this documentary profiles his career, showing him to be a brilliant manipulator, dedicated voyeur and person of astute commercial judgment.
Stateless

2020

Stateless

2020
5
Director Michèle Stephenson’s new documentary follows families of those affected by the 2013 legislation stripping citizenship from Dominicans of Haitian descent, uncovering the complex history and present-day politics of Haiti and the Dominican Republic through the grassroots electoral campaign of a young attorney named Rosa Iris.
Merchant Ivory

2024

Merchant Ivory

2024
7.7
The first definitive feature documentary to lend new and compelling perspectives on the partnership, both professional and personal, of director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant, and their primary associates, writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and composer Richard Robbins. Footage from more than fifty interviews, clips, and archival material gives voice to the family of actors and technicians who helped define Merchant Ivory’s Academy Award-winning work of consummate quality and intelligence. With six Oscar winners among the notable artists participating, these close and often long-term collaborators intimately detail the transformational cinematic creativity and personal and professional drama of the wandering company that left an indelible impact on film culture.
Naples '44

2016

Naples '44

2016
5.7
A British Intelligence Officer in Naples at the end of World War II: Norman Lewis's acknowledged masterpiece about a war-torn city and its unforgettable humanity.
Detainment

2018

Detainment

2018
6.7
Two ten year-old boys are detained by police under suspicion of abducting and murdering a toddler.
The Cruise

1998

The Cruise

1998
7.3
Affectionate portrait of Timothy "Speed" Levitch, a tour guide for Manhattan's Gray Line double-decker buses.
The YouTube Effect

2023

The YouTube Effect

2023
4.8
YouTube has garnered over 2.3 billion users and is worth up to $300 billion. At its center is its algorithm, something that threatens to destroy not only the platform, but the entire Internet.
The Inheritance

2020

The Inheritance

2020
6
Based on real events, the film’s protagonist inherits a house in West Philadelphia that becomes home to an urban collective for activists of color. The increasingly claustrophobic drama unfolds as the group attempts to live together and find consensus through Black political discourse and social philosophy.
The Mole Agent

2020

The Mole Agent

2020
7.8
When a daughter becomes concerned about her mother's well-being in a retirement home, private investigator Romulo hires Sergio, an 83-year-old man who becomes a new resident—and a mole inside the home, who struggles to balance his assignment with becoming increasingly involved in the lives of several residents.
Teenage

2013

Teenage

2013
6.2
Teenagers did not exist before the 20th century. Not until the early 1950s did the term gain widespread recognition, but "Teenage" offers compelling evidence that teenagers had a tumultuous effect on the previous half-decade.
Khodorkovsky

2011

Khodorkovsky

2011
5
Khodorkovsky, the richest Russian, challenges President Putin. A fight of the titans begins. Putin warns him. But Khodorkovsky comes back to Russia knowing that he will be imprisoned, once he returns. When I heard about it, I asked myself: why didn't he stay in exile with a couple of billions? Why did he do that? A personal journey to Khodorkovsky.
Immediate Family

2022

Immediate Family

2022
7.4
If you listen to 1970s pop music, you’ve undoubtedly heard these guys play, but do you know their names? This documentary highlights five talented men—Danny, Leland, Rus, Waddy, and Steve— who shunned the spotlight for themselves yet enjoyed decades of success as session musicians on iconic tracks. Interviewees include their collaborators James Taylor, Don Henley, Lyle Lovett, Jackson Browne, Phil Collins, Carole King, Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards, Steve Jordan, and dozens more who take us behind the scenes on the songs that shaped an era.
Hollywood Signs

2022

Hollywood Signs

2022
1.5
A documentary that celebrates autograph collecting, collectors, and our obsession with celebrities. It focuses on autograph dealing, the history of the autograph, autograph conventions, celebrities' point of view, and, of course, the folks whose lives revolve around autographs. Hollywood Signs is a love letter to a world with characters you definitely don't see every day.
Manakamana

2013

Manakamana

2013
7.5
A documentary about a group of pilgrims who travel to Nepal to worship at the legendary Manakamana temple.
Urbanized

2011

Urbanized

2011
7.4
A documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world's foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.
Prescription Thugs

2016

Prescription Thugs

2016
6.4
Americans consume 75% of the world’s prescription drugs. After losing his own brother to the growing epidemic of prescription drug abuse, documentarian Chris Bell sets out to demystify this insidious addiction. Bell’s examination into the motives of big pharma and doctors in this ever-growing market leads him to meet with experts on the nature of addiction, survivors with first-hand accounts of their struggle, and whistleblowers who testify to the dollar-driven aims of pharmaceutical corporations. Ultimately his investigation will point back to where it all began: his own front door.
On the Starting Line

2019

On the Starting Line

2019
5.2
A portrait about a Cuban family and Jenni, a professional 100 m sprinter…