Popular Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 76

Dear Santa

2020

Dear Santa

2020
5.2
An elixir to our current state, "Dear Santa" takes us on the fanciful and poignant journey of a little known program called Operation Santa. For more than 100 years, human elves have been helping Santa respond to the thousands of letters children write and mail to him. This gripping documentary crisscrosses the country, following the most emotional letters as the elves work hard to make sure each child’s Christmas dreams come true.
The World Without US

2008

The World Without US

2008
5.3
What would happen should the United States leave the international scene, and become again a "normal nation", a republic, and not an empire? To find an answer to this question, director and producer Mitch Anderson embarked on an investigative trip on four continents. "The World Without US" is an in-depth investigation of how US foreign policy affects the lives of millions of people around the world.
A Mother Brings Her Son to Be Shot

2017

A Mother Brings Her Son to Be Shot

2017
6.2
Five years in the making, this brave and level-headed documentary exposes paramilitary activity in present day Northern Ireland during a supposed time of peace.
Elvis: Return To Tupelo

2008

Elvis: Return To Tupelo

2008
The Elvis phenomenon has its roots in his birthplace where Presley began a musical journey that would take him from the wrong side of the tracks in Tupelo through Memphis to worldwide iconic status. Using interviews, recordings, photographs and rare home movies, Elvis: Return to Tupelo is the rock n roll adventure story of one of the greatest cultural forces of the twentieth century.
Use of Force: The Policing of Black America

2022

Use of Force: The Policing of Black America

2022
2
As reports of fatal police violence continue to flood the headlines, this film shines a light on not only the circumstances of these cases but how to improve the system as a whole and heal the communities they impact.
My Amityville Horror

2013

My Amityville Horror

2013
5.6
For the first time in 35 years, Daniel Lutz recounts his version of the infamous Amityville haunting that terrified his family in 1975. George and Kathleen Lutz's story went on to inspire a best-selling novel and the subsequent films have continued to fascinate audiences today. This documentary reveals the horror behind growing up as part of a world-famous haunting and while Daniel's facts may be others' fiction, the psychological scars he carries are indisputable. Documentary filmmaker Eric Walter has combined years of independent research into the Amityville case along with the perspectives of past investigative reporters and eyewitnesses, giving way to the most personal testimony of the subject to date.
The Steel Road

1929

The Steel Road

1929
5.8
Bold and exhilarating documentary account of the building of the Turkestan-Siberian railway, presented as a heroic triumph of Soviet progress over natural adversity.
Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

2015

Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

2015
7
August 16, 1977. All of America was stunned by the news of Elvis Presley's untimely passing. Some went so far as to believe that it couldn't be true. Somehow he had faked his death. For the executives at Sun Records that fantasy became an opportunity in the form of Orion, a mysterious masked performer with the voice of The King. First appearing in 1979, Orion recorded 11 albums and performed live to packed houses and rapturous fans around the nation. But who was the man behind the mask? In this stranger-than-fiction true story, Jeanie Finlay exposes the incredible life of an unknown singer plucked from obscurity and thrust into the spotlight with the complicity of a manipulative music industry and a public fan base unwilling to let The King go. Resonant in its themes of identity, fate, and the double-edged nature of fame, Orion is a stylish mystery story that finally gives a name and a face to a gifted artist who had been unjustly deprived of both.
The Community

2014

The Community

2014
The fuzzy boundaries between sanity and insanity in an isolated Christian group come to light when one of its members dies in strange circumstances. Since then, a harsh judicial process jeopardizes their fate as a group. A story about faith and social prejudices.
Eye on the Guy: Alan B. Stone & the Age of Beefcake

2006

Eye on the Guy: Alan B. Stone & the Age of Beefcake

2006
3.7
Alan B. Stone: astute businessman, quiet suburbanite - and master of the homoerotic pin-up. Eye on the Guy: Alan B. Stone & the Age of Beefcake explores the little-known world of Montreal's physique photography scene - a distinct gay subculture that emerged in the '50s and '60s - through the life and work of one of its most creative figures. Before the first wave of gay liberation, and long before Calvin Klein's poster boys marched into public view, Stone was taking hundreds of erotic photos of men and running an international mail-order business from his Montreal basement.
Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead

2010

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead

2010
6.7
100 pounds overweight, loaded up on steroids and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease, Joe Cross is at the end of his rope and the end of his hope. In the mirror he saw a 310lb man whose gut was bigger than a beach ball and a path laid out before him that wouldn't end well— with one foot already in the grave, the other wasn't far behind. FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD is an inspiring film that chronicles Joe's personal mission to regain his health.
Spellbound

2002

Spellbound

2002
7.4
This documentary follows 8 teens and pre-teens as they work their way toward the finals of the Scripps Howard national spelling bee championship in Washington D.C.
Jennifer Aniston: More Than Friends

2020

Jennifer Aniston: More Than Friends

2020
4
There are multiple levels to global superstar actress Jennifer Aniston. Yet the road to success did not come without its challenges. Aniston radiates a vulnerable warmth both on and off screen that keeps her audience loyal.
Last Train Home

2009

Last Train Home

2009
7.4
A family embarks on an annual tormenting journey along with 130 million other peasant workers to reunite with their distant family, and to revive their love and dignity as China soars as the world's next super power.
To Be Destroyed

2024

To Be Destroyed

2024
A 30-minute documentary on book banning and censorship that follows author Dave Eggers as he investigates why a Rapid City, SD school board wanted to ban his book.
Princess Diana: Who Do You Think She Was?

2021

Princess Diana: Who Do You Think She Was?

2021
10
We know how the story ends. But how did it all begin? Who was Diana before the palace, before the paparazzi? Behind the modern legend that is ‘Diana, Princess of Wales’ lie many other stories – in her childhood and in her family’s past. For, long before she was a Royal, she was a Spencer.
H Is for Harry

2018

H Is for Harry

2018
5.7
A coming of age story about Harry, a charismatic 11-year old boy, who arrives at secondary school in suburban London unable to read or write. With the help of Sophie, his extremely dedicated teacher, can he overcome the illiteracy ingrained across generations of his family? Against the backdrop of a Britain riven with debates around class, identity and social mobility, the film follows Harry over two years as he fights not only to improve academically but also to believe in a different future for himself.
An Engineer Imagines

2019

An Engineer Imagines

2019
7
Peter Rice...An Engineer imagines is a cinematic homage to the life and ideas of Peter Rice widely regarded as the most distinguished structural engineer of the late twentieth century. Without Rices’s innovations and collaborations with the leading architects of his time, some of the most recognizable buildings in the world would not have been possible. The film traces Rice’s extraordinary work, from his native Ireland through, London, Sydney and Paris, to his untimely and tragic death in 1992. Through a series of interviews with former colleagues, family and friends, interwoven with stunning time-lapse photography, we unfold the remarkable story of one of the great minds of the twentieth century; how man who pushed the boundaries of art and science to achieve the unimaginable. A genius who stood in the shadow of architectural icons. Until now.
The Flaw

2011

The Flaw

2011
6.8
The story of the credit bubble that caused the financial crash. Through interviews with some of the world's leading economists, including housing expert Robert Shiller, Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, and economic historian Louis Hyman, as well as Wall Street insiders and victims of the crash including Ed Andrews - a former economics correspondent for The New York Times who found himself facing foreclosure - and Andrew Luan, once a bond trader at Deutsche Bank now running his own Wall Street tour guide business, the film presents an original and compelling account of the toxic combination of forces that nearly destroyed the world economy.
Secrets & Deals

2022

Secrets & Deals

2022
In 1971, Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE ceased to be part of Britain’s empire in the Middle East and became fully independent states. BBC News Persia and BBC Arabic collaborate in this gripping film, to uncover the secrets and shady deals that underpinned the decolonization process. From eye-witness accounts of a British-organised coup to Iran being left in control of disputed islands, it's a fascinating insight to a murky history.