Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 118

Betty Tells Her Story

1972

Betty Tells Her Story

1972
8
A woman tells the story of how she bought an expensive dress that she never got to wear, and then tells the story again focusing on her feelings about the events she described.
Bastards of Utopia

2010

Bastards of Utopia

2010
7
Three Croatian activists struggle to change the world. As children, they lived through the violent collapse of Yugoslavia. But now, amid the aftershocks of socialism's failure, they fight in their own way for a new leftism. In the middle of the struggle, a skeptical American is won over by their cause and even goes to jail with them. The activists, whether clashing with police or squatting in an old factory, risk everything to live their politics. But as the setbacks mount, will they give up the fight? The film, shot during years of fieldwork with a Croatian anarchist collective, applies EnMasseFilm's unique blend of observation, direct participation and critical reflection to this misunderstood political movement. Its portrayal of activism is both empathetic and unflinching -- an engaged, elegant meditation on the struggle to re-imagine leftist politics and the power of a country's youth.
The Milky Way

2014

The Milky Way

2014
7
What 'Food, Inc.' did for the food industry in America, this film will do for breastfeeding in our country. It will make every viewer rethink motherhood and how we treat mothers. It is a film that will empower each woman to trust her body, her baby, and herself in her journey as a mother. It will make her laugh, cry, nod fiercely in agreement, get angry, and then get so inspired it will be impossible not to take action.
The Last Tasmanian

1978

The Last Tasmanian

1978
6.3
The story of the genocide of the Tasmanian aborigine population by British settlers. Specifically Truganini, the last living full-blood aborigine.
The Last Colony

2015

The Last Colony

2015
7
A close look at Puerto Rico's unique relationship with the United States.
Indian Point

2016

Indian Point

2016
5
Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant looms just 35 miles from Times Square. With over 50 million people living in close proximity to the aging facility, its continued operation has generated controversy for the surrounding community. In the brewing fight for clean energy and the catastrophic possibilities of complacency, director Ivy Meeropol weaves a startling portrait of our uncertain nuclear future.
Skydancers

2014

Skydancers

2014
6
Skydancers explores the developing world of women in Aerobatics. It presents some of the world's best female pilots during The 27th World Aerobatics Championships (WAC), Texas.
Breath of Life

2015

Breath of Life

2015
6.7
Dr. Richard Dawkins and Dr. Robert Trivers talk about the potential for an environmental catastrophe and why humans are destroying the world.
The Family Farm

2014

The Family Farm

2014
6.3
The Family Farm explores the farm to table process through the lens of Canadian small farmers and identifies the systematic barriers they face in running a profitable farm. In its journey across the country, the film blends extraordinary shots of the Canadian farm landscape with discussions of the challenges and setbacks small farmers endure, as well as the turning points and breakthroughs that have allowed them to achieve success. As these intimate accounts are shared, traditional images of family farmers are redefined as we grow to see these individuals not only as farmers, but as teachers, botanists, and mechanics who open our eyes to the issues that continue to threaten small farmers as well as the importance of buying local and organic foods.
Dirty Paradise

2009

Dirty Paradise

2009
6
The true story of the Wayana people, French Indians of Amazonia who are cursed by living in a region rich in gold. Consequently, the uncontrolled exploitation of this wealth has brought about a severe deterioration of the forest's ecosystem, the irreversible pollution of streams, as well as countless violations of fundamental human rights. This film not only shows the despair of the Amerindians but also their awareness of the problem and how they are trying to cope with their survival. A documentary which gives a human face to a contemporary tragedy which concerns all of us.
A Self-Made Man

2013

A Self-Made Man

2013
6
What would you do if your inside did not match your outside? A documentary about the life and work of transgender youth advocate Tony Ferraiolo.
Boy I Am

2006

Boy I Am

2006
3.7
While female-to-male transgender visibility has recently exploded in this country, conversations about trans issues in the lesbian community often run into resistance from the many queer women who view transitioning as a "trend" or as an anti-feminist act that taps into male privilege. Boy I Am is a feature-length documentary that begins to break down that barrier and promote dialogue about trans issues through a look at the experiences of three young transitioning FTMs in New York City--Nicco, Norie and Keegan--as they go through major junctures in their transitions, as well as through the voices of lesbians, activists and theorists who raise and address the questions that many people have but few openly discuss.
Losing Iraq (Frontline)

2014

Losing Iraq (Frontline)

2014
8
Examines the unfolding chaos in Iraq and how the U.S. is being pulled back into the conflict. Drawing on interviews with policymakers and military leaders, the film traces the U.S. role from the 2003 invasion to the current violence, showing how Iraq itself is coming undone, how we got here, what went wrong, and what happens next.
Seven Wonders of the World

1956

Seven Wonders of the World

1956
6.3
Seven Wonders of the World is a 1956 film in Cinerama. Lowell Thomas searches the world for natural and man made wonders and invites the audience to try to update the ancient Greek list of "Seven Wonders of the World."
Sinai Field Mission

1978

Sinai Field Mission

1978
6.3
SINAI FIELD MISSION shows the routine activities of the diplomats and electronics technicians who operate the U.S. Sinai Field Mission, the early warning system established in 1976 to help facilitate the disengagement between Egypt and Israel after the 1973 war. The major purpose of the Mission is to monitor the approaches to strategic passes and to verify the operations of the Egyptian and Israeli surveillance stations in the Sinai Buffer Zone.
Spirit/Will/Loss

2015

Spirit/Will/Loss

2015
5.7
Sculptor/painter Katie Dallam entered the boxing ring for her first professional fight and, 140 blows to the head later, suffered major brain damage. (Her life became the basis for the movie Million Dollar Baby). Irish musician Graham Sharpe’s career was on the rise when advancing tinnitus caused a ringing in his ears so bad that it put an end to his rock-and-roll dreams. Sculptor Alice Wingwall experienced complete loss of sight from a degenerative eye disease. Game over for these three, right? Not so fast. Each managed to struggle, innovate, and, ultimately, through their art, transform themselves into someone new.
Yellow Fella

2005

Yellow Fella

2005
7
In 1978, Tom Lewis appeared in the Australian feature film, The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith. The life of the character he played was hauntingly close to his own, a young, restless man of mixed heritage, struggling for a foothold on the edge of two cultures. Tom's mother is a traditional Indigenous woman of southern Arnhem Land, his father a Welsh stockman who he never really knew. Yellow Fella is a journey across the land and into Tom's past, as he attempts to find the resting place of his father and to finally confront the truth of his most inner feelings of love and identity.
How to Lose Your Virginity

2013

How to Lose Your Virginity

2013
5.7
It has launched both purity balls and porn franchises, defines a young woman's morality-but has no medical definition. Enter the magical world of virginity, where a white wedding dress can restore a woman's innocence and replacement hymens can be purchased online. Filmmaker Therese Shechter uses her own path out of virginity to explore why our sex-crazed society cherishes this so-called precious gift. Along the way, we meet sex educators, virginity auctioneers, abstinence advocates, and young men and women who bare their tales of doing it-or not doing it. "How To Lose Your Virginity" uncovers the myths and misogyny surrounding a rite of passage that many obsesses about but few truly understand.
The Cult of JT LeRoy

2014

The Cult of JT LeRoy

2014
5.3
A feature documentary about the writer JT LeRoy - Ethically charged, controversial, and confusing, JT’s life and death sprang open a Pandora’s box of powerful questions about literature and culture, identity and celebrity, and the reality of the society we live in. Fraud? Art? Mental illness? Complicity? The Cult of JT Leroy will be a testament to this bizarre and elaborate story that has captured the attention and fascination of the world’s media, and perplexes to this day.
Fog

2014

Fog

2014
6.3
A finely-woven tapestry, unifying things that are incommensurate. What is it about? Something that we all know, but which resonates differently with each of us, that cannot be put into words. You could call it our inner hum.