Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 131

The Polygon

2014

The Polygon

2014
6.5
The Polygon shines a light on the village of Sarzhal in East Kazakhstan, situated only 18kms from the perimeter of the former Semipalatinsk Test Site, that was home to over 600 nuclear detonations. Between 1949 and 1991 the Soviet Union detonated 116 above ground bombs, whose massive radioactive mushroom clouds were witnessed by thousands of innocent and unsuspecting Kazakh villagers. They gazed openmouthed at the spectacle, completely unaware that nuclear fallout was raining down on them, their children, livestock and homes. 20 years after the closure of The Polygon they are still suffering high rates of cancer, cancer related diseases and mental illness. The Polygon takes us on a journey from the twisted Cold War experiments to those victims who remain today, still suffering despite the emergence of Kazakhstan as a major economic player on the global stage.
Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas

2017

Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas

2017
8
An offbeat, irreverent musical documentary that tells the story of a group of Jewish songwriters, including Irving Berlin, Mel Tormé, Jay Livingston, Ray Evans, Gloria Shayne Baker and Johnny Marks, who wrote the soundtrack to Christianity’s most musical holiday. It’s an amazing tale of immigrant outsiders who became irreplaceable players in pop culture’s mainstream – a generation of songwriters who found in Christmas the perfect holiday in which to imagine a better world, and for at least one day a year, make us believe.
Enormous: The Gorge Story

2021

Enormous: The Gorge Story

2021
3.5
Enormous: The Gorge Story carves out the never-before-told story of the world’s most iconic music venue, The Gorge Amphitheatre. This music film investigates the venue’s unlikely evolution from a small winery created by a neurosurgeon to becoming one of the greatest outdoor music destinations in the world. Sign up to our mailing list for updates and original music content.
Bilderberg: The Movie

2017

Bilderberg: The Movie

2017
5.7
Once a year, the most powerful people on the planet meet behind closed doors. The origins, development and expansion of one of the most elitist and secret organizations in today’s world. Welcome to the Bilderberg Group.
The Travel Agent

2015

The Travel Agent

2015
4.2
Havana, Cuba, 54th year of US embargo. After helping hundreds of Cubans to travel to the US, Lourdes has finally the chance of getting a visa to see her dying mother in Miami. She waited a lifetime for this moment.
Little Gandhi

2016

Little Gandhi

2016
6
The story of iconic Syrian peace activist Ghiyath Matar whose brutal torture and death at the age of 26 outraged the international community and erupted into one of the most violent uprisings in modern history.
Prison State

2014

Prison State

2014
8
From PBS and Frontline: With unprecedented access, FRONTLINE investigates the impact of mass incarceration in America, focusing on a troubled housing project in Louisville, Kentucky, and a statewide effort to reverse the trend. There are some 2.3 million people behind bars in the U.S. today, but a disproportionate number come from a few city neighborhoods, and in some places the concentration is so dense that states are spending millions of dollars a year to lock up residents of single blocks. "Prison State" examines one community, Louisville's Beecher Terrace housing project, and follows the lives of four residents as they move in and out of custody, while Kentucky tries break that cycle and shrink its prison state.
Forever, Chinatown

2016

Forever, Chinatown

2016
8
Forever, Chinatown is a story of unknown, self-taught 81-year-old artist Frank Wong who has spent the past four decades recreating his fading memories by building romantic, extraordinarily detailed miniature models of the San Francisco Chinatown rooms of his youth.
To End a War

2017

To End a War

2017
5.5
The conflict between the Colombian authorities and the marxist FARC guerrilla broke out in 1964, and in 2012 peace negotiations started behind closed doors in Cuba. Featuring unique access to central figures on both sides, To End a War tells the story of the war and the negotiations, focusing on the challenge of establishing peace in a country where the majority of the population has never known anything but war.
Time of the Gods

1992

Time of the Gods

1992
5
The film explores what transformations in power and politics do to art, how much opportunism can be found in “pure” art and whether fascist symbols can ever regain their aesthetic innocence. The questions it addresses about the relationship between ethics and aesthetics make a valuable contribution to any discussion about art and power.
Leftovers

2017

Leftovers

2017
6.5
A journey across the country to understand why senior citizens are the fastest growing group of people going hungry in America. This journey will change your thinking about aging.
Building Bridges

2017

Building Bridges

2017
2.8
Heloisa receives a gift: a collection of super-8 films with images of enormous cataracts that once comprised the Seven Falls (Sete Quedas), a natural paradise destroyed by the construction of the world's largest hydroelectric plant, in the early 1980s. The construction of the plant, at the height of the Brazilian military regime, awakens memories of a past immersed in a political authoritarianism. The film starts from the relationship between Heloisa, the filmmaker, and her father, Alvaro, an engineer who had his moment of glory during the Brazilian military dictatorship. They question the political trajectory of Brazil.Projections and maps become the first bridges to connect with the past. However, it is the inescapable present that really strikes Alvaro and Heloisa as they position themselves on opposite sides.
Half a Life

2017

Half a Life

2017
4.5
After a traumatic encounter, a young gay Egyptian joins the LGBT rights movement. When his safety is jeopardized, he must choose whether to stay in the country he loves or seek asylum elsewhere as a refugee. "Half a Life" is a timely story of activism and hope, set in the increasingly dangerous, oppressive, and unstable social climate of Egypt today.
The AIDS Show

1986

The AIDS Show

1986
3.5
A recording of a play about the intangible impacts AIDS has on a community. This is a moving, beautifully photographed combination of theater and documentary that captures the incredible excitement of live theater and intensifies the power of the play's message.
Michelangelo: Love and Death

2017

Michelangelo: Love and Death

2017
7.8
The spectacular sculptures and paintings of Michelangelo seem so familiar to us, but what do we really know about this renaissance genius? Who was this ambitious and passionate man?
Little Potato

2017

Little Potato

2017
4
Wes Hurley's autobiographical tale of growing up gay in Soviet Union Russia, only to escape with his mother, a mail order bride, to Seattle to face a whole new oppression in his new Christian fundamentalist American dad.
Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George's Creators

2017

Monkey Business: The Adventures of Curious George's Creators

2017
7
We all know Curious George. But what about his creators, Hans and Margret Rey? From fleeing Nazi Germany on handmade bicycles to encounters with exotic animals in Brazil, the Reys lived lives of adventure that are reflected in the pages on one of the most treasured children’s book series of all time.
Mighty Ground

2017

Mighty Ground

2017
8.5
A gifted singer, struggling with addiction on the streets of Skid Row, sets out on a journey to transform his life.
The Landing

2017

The Landing

2017
7.5
An investigation into the tragic end of Apollo 18, the last US mission to the moon in 1973.
No Maps on My Taps

1979

No Maps on My Taps

1979
7
The remarkable spirit of tap dancers and their history provides a joyous backdrop for intimate portraits of hoofers Sandman Sims, Chuck Green, and Bunny Briggs.