Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 144

Lies, Politics and Democracy

2022

Lies, Politics and Democracy

2022
7
Frontline’s season premiere investigates American political leaders and choices they’ve made that have undermined and threatened democracy in the U.S. In a two-hour documentary special premiering ahead of the 2022 midterms, Frontline examines how officials fed the public lies about the 2020 presidential election and embraced rhetoric that led to political violence.
The Walls Can Talk

2023

The Walls Can Talk

2023
7
Las paredes hablan is Carlos Saura's peculiar take on the origin of art. The acclaimed and multi-award winning director, with more than 50 films to his name, portrays the evolution and relationship of art with the wall as a creative canvas from the first graphic revolutions of the prehistoric caves to the most avant-garde urban expressions. A thrilling and personal journey in the company of figures including Juan Luis Arsuaga, Miquel Barceló, Zeta, Musa 71 and Suso 33.
The Padilla Affair

2023

The Padilla Affair

2023
7
Havana, spring 1971: The poet Heberto Padilla has just been set free and appears before the Cuban Writers' Union where he pronounces a statement of "heartfelt self-criticism", declares himself to be a counterrevolutionary agent and throws accusations of complicity at many of his colleagues present at the event, among them, his wife. A month previously, his arrest under the accusation of endangering the security of the Cuban state had mobilised prominent intellectuals all over the world, who wrote a letter to Fidel Castro calling for the release of the poet, whose only sin had been to dissent through his poetic work. The writer's mea culpa, the recording of which is shown for the first time to the public, marks the narrative line of a story including the testimonies of Gabriel García Márquez, Julio Cortázar, Mario Vargas Llosa, Jean-Paul Sartre, Jorge Edwards and Fidel Castro.
Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West

2022

Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West

2022
6
An immersive journey into the world of wild horses, Wild Beauty illuminates both the profound beauty, and desperate plight faced by the wild horses in the Western United States. Filmmaker Ashley Avis and crew go on a multi-year expedition to uncover the truth in hopes to protect them, before wild horses disappear forever.
L'histoire française des Rolling Stones

2022

L'histoire française des Rolling Stones

2022
9
Since the 1960s, the Rolling Stones, the incarnation of "sex, drugs and rock'n'roll", have had a special relationship with France. From the chaotic concert at the Salle Vallier in Marseille in 1966, to the recording of "Exile on Main Street", their album written under the influence in a villa on the Côte d'Azur, to Mick Jagger's mythical wedding in Saint-Tropez, the British rock band has lived through some crazy French years. Never-before-seen images and interviews with collaborators, rock critics and musicians lift the veil on the Stones' passionate relationship with France.
Greenhouse by Joost

2022

Greenhouse by Joost

2022
8
Extending a lifetime’s worth of zero-waste activism, visionary designer Bakker devises the Future Food System, a self-sufficient residence that provides shelter, food and energy while reusing any by-products as fuel or fertiliser. Joined by esteemed chefs Matt Stone and Jo Barrett, he works with a team of builders, engineers, and experts in agriculture, aquaponics and biochemistry to realise the project at Melbourne’s Fed Square – culminating in the launch of a unique farm-to-table restaurant.
Back to the Drive-in

2022

Back to the Drive-in

2022
5
A feature-length documentary that goes behind the scenes to get to know the families who own and operate drive-in theaters.
After Jackie

2022

After Jackie

2022
8.5
After Jackie celebrates the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s integration into Major League Baseball. Robinson opened the door for other African Americans to join the league and this documentary taps into key people and events in the aftermath.
Mariupol. The Chronicles of Hell

2022

Mariupol. The Chronicles of Hell

2022
5
“Mariupol. Chronicles of Hell” is a story about life in the city from the first days of the war until the beginning of April.
A Run for More

2022

A Run for More

2022
1
As a transgender woman in Texas, Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe expected to encounter resistance to her campaign for city council. She did not anticipate questioning her relationship to identity, activism and civic engagement. On the campaign trail, she finds herself on an unexpected journey of self-discovery and healing.
Luminous

2022

Luminous

2022
7.5
“Luminous” tells the story of the first astronomer in history to publicly predict the near-future explosion of a star. But will he be right? Others in the astronomical community are skeptical, and professional reputations hang in the balance. In production since 2014, “Luminous” follows Calvin College astronomy professor Larry Molnar’s five-year journey to test his unprecedented prediction, knowing that its success or failure will unfold squarely in the international spotlight.
Time Theorem

2022

Time Theorem

2022
6
The director Andrés Kaiser combines hundreds of amateur films and photographs from the treasure trove of images belonging to his migrant grandparents creating a cinematic firework of analogies.
Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power

2022

Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power

2022
1.5
Through first person accounts and searing archival footage, this documentary tells the story of the local movement and young Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) organizers who fought not just for voting rights, but for Black Power in Lowndes County, Alabama.
Subject

2023

Subject

2023
6.5
In the golden age of documentaries, who benefits? SUBJECT reveals the unintended consequences – good, bad, and complicated – of having your life shared on screen. Featuring the protagonists of acclaimed documentaries The Staircase, Hoop Dreams, The Wolfpack, Capturing the Friedmans, and The Square, as well as the filmmakers of Minding the Gap, Cameraperson, An Inconvenient Truth, and more.
Pissarro: Father of Impressionism

2022

Pissarro: Father of Impressionism

2022
7
Without Camille Pissarro, there is no Impressionist movement. He is rightfully known as the father of Impressionism. This film explores and highlights the enthralling and hugely important biography and output of an incredible artist.
Becoming Frederick Douglass

2022

Becoming Frederick Douglass

2022
6.5
In Becoming Frederick Douglass, acclaimed director Stanley Nelson and co-director Nicole London bring to life the story of an American icon. Using Douglass's own powerful, profound speeches and writing, the story retraces his journey from a man born and raised in slavery to one of the most prominent elder statesmen and inspiring voices for freedom in American history. With additional context and insight provided by historians, scholars and Douglass's descendants, the filmmakers recount the brutality and trauma of his childhood while illuminating his strength of character, defiance against the bonds of slavery and the influences that guided his lifelong quest for freedom. The most celebrated Black man of his era, Douglass's legacy and achievements continue to resonate today. His life and work still inspires activists, educators and citizens in the fight for freedom, equality and a more just American society.
Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom

2021

Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom

2021
8.5
This powerful, nuanced portrait arrives just in time celebrate the bicentennial of American abolitionist and political activist Harriet Tubman. Parts of her story are well known; born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including family and friends, using the network of anti-slavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. But the film delves deeper, illuminating her spirit and strength through exploits as a union scout and spy during the Civil War, an activist for women's suffrage and a singular figure who defied categorization at every turn. The foremost chronicler of the Black experience working in nonfiction film today, Stanley Nelson, alongside co-director Nicole London, brings rich, deeply researched historical detail to the story of this remarkable woman.
The Quiet Epidemic

2022

The Quiet Epidemic

2022
9
A diagnosis of Chronic Lyme disease lands patients in the middle of a contentious medical debate and sparks an explosive investigation dating back to 1975 that shockingly reveals why ticks, and the diseases they carry, have been allowed to spread globally.
Relative

2022

Relative

2022
7.5
A filmmaker unearths a pervasive history of multigenerational trauma in her Italian-American family. As decades of secrets, home movies, and long-avoided conversations surface, a family once bound by tradition forges a new path forward.
Esther Newton Made Me Gay

2022

Esther Newton Made Me Gay

2022
1
Esther Newton was drawn to the drag scene as a student in the 1950s. Identifying as both butch lesbian and between genders, she felt a kinship with the queens; what the feminine clothing society expected her to wear felt like a form of drag. Her 1972 book ‘Mother Camp: Female Impersonators in America’ is noted as the first rigorous study of its kind. Now entering her sixth decade writing about queer communities, Newton exudes wisdom and a healthy dose of New York no-nonsense. The film’s amazing archive footage encompasses gay liberation, the feminist sex wars, AIDS activism and life on the safe haven of Fire Island. Her other main passion is dog training, so this illuminating history lesson is peppered with poodles!