Popular Documentary Movies on The Roku Channel - Page 127

Gang Girl: A Mother's Journey to Save Her Daughter

2011

Gang Girl: A Mother's Journey to Save Her Daughter

2011
Valerie Goodloe, a LA-based professional photographer for a national magazine, thought that she and her family had it made. A recovering addict who has been sober for 25 years, Goodloe was confident that her children would grow up to be well-rounded, socially-responsible human beings. She imagined they would go to college, excel in their chosen careers and never have to worry about issues fueled by poverty, such as being on welfare, selling drugs or using food stamps. That dream, however, became a nightmare when Goodloe discovered that her troubled daughter Nafeesa had joined the Bloods, a notorious Los Angeles gang. After many sleepless nights and court appearances with her daughter, Goodloe determined that not only did she need answers to help explain how she found herself on this path with Nafeesa, but that she would take it upon herself to increase awareness about the huge numbers of girls and women involved in the gang lifestyle.
The Butcher of Kraaifontein

2014

The Butcher of Kraaifontein

2014
A documentary about the tragic life of Charmaine Mare, a young girl who had come to Cape Town in search of work to help provide financial support for her poverty stricken parents. Mare arrived in Cape Town in January 2013 and stayed with a friend Kristina White in Kraaifontein. But, for a few days she would be left alone with Johannes de Jager, the boyfriend of her friend's mother. In those few days, court records show that Mare frequently had to plead with him not to make sexual advances, and even recorded their conversations. Sadly, nobody listened to her pleas for help, with tragic consequences.
The Hit: An Investigative Documentary

2022

The Hit: An Investigative Documentary

2022
Award-winning investigative journalists and forensic engineers analyze never-before-seen evidence that indicates NASCAR legend Tony Stewart killed a competitor after accelerating his car and fishtailing it toward the defenseless man.
Living on a Dollar a Day

2017

Living on a Dollar a Day

2017
"Forgotten people" can be found all across the world. They are typically women and children who have very little and live at the edge of life and death. They are people who may never themselves escape poverty, but with some help may give their children a future free from the harsh circumstances they have always known.
Nang by Nang

2018

Nang by Nang

2018
Nang has written her own script. Born in the Trinidadian village of Basse Terre in 1934, she grew up poor, illegitimate, mixed-race and female, but she survived by defying convention. She left the first of five husbands when he cheated on her. With no formal training, she danced with choreographer Geoffrey Holder, who later won Tony Awards for The Wiz. In her twenties, she went to work in the Orinoco delta in Venezuela, and saved enough to buy a house. She started university in New York in her 40s. Stubbornness, resourcefulness and resilience have allowed Nang to surmount life’s scars and tragedies. As her many changes of first and last names suggest, she was constantly reinventing herself. In this vivid portrait, filmmaker Richard Fung gets to know his first cousin at her current home in New Mexico and on the road in Trinidad.
The Fatal Eleven

2004

The Fatal Eleven

2004
Football and Nazism is at the core of this powerful film that tells the true story of the ‘The Fatal Eleven’. In August 1942, a football game between forced Ukrainian labourers & the German Air Force took place with tragic consequences.
NEEDTOBREATHE: Into the Mystery

2021

NEEDTOBREATHE: Into the Mystery

2021
Documentary chronicles the making of South Carolina band Needtobreathe's 2021 album, 'Into The Mystery'.
Mustang Saviors

2021

Mustang Saviors

2021
Veteran suicide is a national tragedy on an epic scale.A remarkable treatment is proving more powerful than ever imagined: Pairing veterans with wild mustangs taken straight off the range; miraculously turning despair into enduring hope.
Zapata Vive

2009

Zapata Vive

2009
3.5
The Lesson

2020

The Lesson

2020
German schools mandate that students learn about National Socialism and its devastating impact on the country and the world, and this hour-long vérité doc follows four students over five years as they engage with lessons about the Nazi era and the Holocaust.
The Fan Connection

2019

The Fan Connection

2019
The Rust Belt city of Buffalo, NY yearns to reclaim its lost pride despite a growing sense of futility and cynicism after decades of decline. When a new owner buys their professional hockey team and promises a championship, Buffalonians see a path to their city's relevance. Throughout this season of unprecedented hopes, we meet a nonagenarian rehabbing from a serious fall, a young man with cerebral palsy determined to learn to drive after doubting himself for years, and a teenager struggling to find her identity while coping with the death of her father.
Girl on Wave

2017

Girl on Wave

2017
7
Girl on Wave introduces professional windsurfer Sarah Hauser and documents her journey as a New-Caledonian athlete competing on the American stage of windsurfing.
Gladiators of the Desert

2017

Gladiators of the Desert

2017
5
In Chile, where European football (i.e., soccer) is the dominant sport, Coach Carlos Zuniga offers at-risk teenage boys a unique opportunity to learn and play American-style football. He struggles through a grueling season trying to balance teaching the unfamiliar game to his players while fighting for recognition and funding from city officials who have no interest in the sport.
I Am or How Jack Became Black

2017

I Am or How Jack Became Black

2017
After his son is denied enrollment by the local elementary school for not identifying his "primary race," a multiracial father journeys through America's maze of Identity Politics to better understand our relentless preoccupation with race.
Rhythm 'n' Bayous: A Road Map to Louisiana Music

2001

Rhythm 'n' Bayous: A Road Map to Louisiana Music

2001
Documentary which celebrates the music of Louisiana.
The First Smile

2014

The First Smile

2014
5.7
Midwives from around the world travel to Mexico and Brazil summoned by Naolí, a Mexican midwife, in order to learn further and make of their profession an art; just as mothers and fathers in the process of giving birth, they simultaneously open up their bodies and souls to share with us the feminine nature. The First Smile is an emotive work which recovers ancestral knowledge, that shouldn’t have been forgotten.
The Mermaid and the Diver

2009

The Mermaid and the Diver

2009
3.7
The body of Sinbad the Diver turned up floating off the Atlantic coast of Nicaragua. The mermaid had turned his soul into a turtle, and the turtle was the one who returned him to the world of men. Sinbad was born once more as a Miskito and was raised on the banks of the wonderful Coco River. When he grew up, nature took care of carrying him back to the sea, where the mermaid is waiting for him. The Mermaid and the Diver is a journey to Central America, to Nicaragua, to the Atlantic Coast, and to the Miskito people.
The Long Island Railroad Massacre: 20 Years Later

2013

The Long Island Railroad Massacre: 20 Years Later

2013
6
On December 7, 1993, twenty-five people were shot on a commuter train headed from New York City to Long Island. Six people were killed, nineteen people were injured, many more were affected and continue to be to this day. This is their story.
Mindless Behavior: All Around the World

2013

Mindless Behavior: All Around the World

2013
8.1
Teen r&b/hip-hop boy band 'Mindless Behavior' has been stirring up a frenzy wherever they go, singing and dancing their way into the hearts of millions as they travel across the US on their first major headlining tour. Coming from humble roots and rising to super stardom, Roc Royal, Ray Ray, Princeton and Prodigy hit the road for the biggest tour of their lives. From their early aspirations of becoming stars to fulfilling their wildest dreams, this concert documentary captures the movement that is 'Mindless Behavior,' which reminds us all that with hard.
Night Shift

2025

Night Shift

2025
In the still hours of Kharkiv's curfewed nights, a quiet resilience hums through its empty streets. The short film captures people who work under the cover of darkness, navigating both routine and risk as Russia often attacks when residents try to sleep. Those who stay awake to work do so for the city's survival. The film explores how Ukraine's second-largest city has transformed because of war, its collective hope that dawn will arrive quietly, and the human need to carry on.