Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 152

Soul of the Elephant

2015

Soul of the Elephant

2015
7
As the largest living terrestrial mammals, elephants are usually considered as survivors under even the most dire climatic conditions. But all too often, these majestic giants are killed illegally for their ivory tusks. So, every dead full-grown elephant, whose carcass or skeleton is found with the tusks still in it, is a symbol of paradise – an elephant allowed to die of natural causes instead of bullets, snares or poison.
Between Me and My Mind

2019

Between Me and My Mind

2019
10
Driven by a constant need to create, Phish frontman Trey Anastasio takes on new projects, including some of his most personal music to date as well as Phish's ambitious New Year's Eve show at Madison Square Garden.
Harvest Season

2018

Harvest Season

2018
8
Harvest Season delves into the lives of people who work behind the scenes of the premium California wine industry, during one of the most dramatic grape harvests in recent memory. The film follows the stories of Mexican-American winemakers and migrant workers who are essential to the wine business, yet are rarely recognized for their contributions. Their stories unfold as wildfires ignite in Napa and Sonoma counties, threatening the livelihoods of small farmers and winemakers who are already grappling with a growing labor shortage, shifting immigration policies, and the impacts of a rapidly changing climate.
The Enlightenment

2017

The Enlightenment

2017
10
Immersed in the colorful and vibrant setting of Dharamsala (India), four individuals from very different backgrounds come together to face their deepest fears as they approach the transformational power of the Kalachakra initiation, led by the Dalai Lama. Through this film, we enter and discover an ancient yet unknown dimension where death meets life, a dimension that changes someone forever.
Guangzhou Dream Factory

2017

Guangzhou Dream Factory

2017
6
Guangzhou, a.k.a. Canton, is southern China’s centuries-old trading port. Today the booming metropolis of 14 million is a mecca of mass consumption, its vast international trading centers crammed with every “Made in China” good imaginable. Every year more than half a million Africans travel to Guangzhou where they buy goods to sell back in Africa. Over time, some have chosen to stay, and for these Africans China looks like the new land of opportunity, a place where anything is possible. But is it? Featuring a dynamic cast of men and women from Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda, GUANGZHOU DREAM FACTORY weaves the stories of Africans chasing alluring, yet elusive, “Made in China” dreams into a compelling critique of 21st century global capitalism. Following a filmmaker’s journey from Ghana to China and back to Africa, GUANGZHOU DREAM FACTORY provides a rare glimpse of African aspirations in an age of endless outsourcing.
WBCN and the American Revolution

2019

WBCN and the American Revolution

2019
5
The amazing untold story of the radical underground radio station WBCN-FM set against the profound social, political and cultural changes of the late-1960s and early-70s, using the actual sights, sounds and stories of those who connected through the station, exploding music and countercultural scenes, militant anti-war and civil rights protests and emerging women’s and LGBTQ-liberation movements.
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.
Beyond Sorry

2005

Beyond Sorry

2005
10
54 years after being stolen from her traditional Aboriginal family under Australian Government policy, Zita Wallace is coming home. Guided by her childhood friend Aggie, a traditional woman who was hidden from authorities when Zita was taken, the two women embark on an intimate and confronting journey into the heart of reconciliation.
Life After Life

2017

Life After Life

2017
6
After decades behind bars, three men set out to prove success can lie on the other side of tragedy. Follows the stories of Harrison, Noel, and Chris as they return home from San Quentin State Prison. After spending most of their lives incarcerated, they are forced to reconcile their perception of themselves with a reality they are unprepared for. Each struggles to overcome personal demons and reconstruct their fractured lives. Grappling with day-to-day challenges and striving for success, they work to reconnect with family and provide for themselves for the first time in their adult lives. Told in an unadorned vérité style, we experience the truth of their heartaches and triumphs. As their stories unfold over weeks, months and years, the precarious nature of freedom after incarceration in America is revealed.
The Language You Cry In

1998

The Language You Cry In

1998
6
THE LANGUAGE YOU CRY IN tells an amazing scholarly detective story that searches for -and finds- meaningful links between African Americans and their ancestral past. It bridges hundreds of years and thousands of miles from the Gullah people of present-day Georgia back to 18th century Sierra Leone.
The Willmar 8

1981

The Willmar 8

1981
6
Risking jobs, friends, family and the opposition of church and community, eight unassuming women begin the longest bank strike in American history.
Krow's TRANSformation

2019

Krow's TRANSformation

2019
1
Follow KROW's 3-year transition from teen 'female' model to becoming his true authentic self, not just as a transgender male, but also becoming an androgynous male model.
One Taxi Ride

2019

One Taxi Ride

2019
0.5
Erick's life changed forever when he got into a taxi. The driver and two accomplices sexually assaulted him. The then 17-year-old never went to the police, never saw a doctor and never told his family or friends. After feeling broken for 10 years, he goes on a journey to reclaim his life - changing the world around him along the way.
American Denial

2015

American Denial

2015
8
Follow the story of Swedish researcher Gunnar Myrdal whose landmark 1944 study, An American Dilemma, probed deep into the United States' racial psyche. The film weaves a narrative that exposes some of the potential underlying causes of racial biases still rooted in America’s systems and institutions today.
In Her Footsteps

2017

In Her Footsteps

2017
7
The director's mother's last wish was to be buried as a Muslim in Omer, her Jewish hometown, where she lived for 20 years. During the process of separation from the mother, the film reveals the family intimacy, secrets, and dilemmas, raises serious questions about women's identity, nationality, and the meaning of home.
Munch 150

2013

Munch 150

2013
5
Many know Munch as the man who painted The Scream, but his complete works are remarkable and secure his place as one of the world's great artists. Munch 150 goes behind the scenes to show some of the process of putting the exhibition together - as well as touring Norway to provide an in-depth biography of a man who lived from the mid-19th century right through to the German occupation of Norway in the Second World War.
Robert Scheer: Above the Fold

2019

Robert Scheer: Above the Fold

2019
7
A documentary on the six-decades long career of a muckraking journalist, who was involved with the radical 196os magazine Ramparts, with the Los Angeles Times newspaper, and later with the Internet website Truthdig.
Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy

2019

Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy

2019
7
Cookbook author and environmental activist Diana Kennedy reflects on an unconventional life spent mastering Mexican cuisine.
The Last Days of the USSR

2011

The Last Days of the USSR

2011
8
From 1989 to 1991 a string of unpredictable events happened that brought to light the rivalry between two men: Gorbachev, hindered by the economic results of his perestroika, and Yeltsin, embodying the hopes of the Russian people. Illustrated with interviews of top protagonists such as Mikhail Gobachev himself, the documentary recounts the critical last two years of the former USSR.
Atlantic Salmon: Lost at Sea

2018

Atlantic Salmon: Lost at Sea

2018
8
An epic journey through the oceanic kingdom of the Atlantic Salmon in an attempt to unravel the mystery of their life at sea. Salmon are plummeting to critical levels. The cause is mortality at sea. For the 1st time, using the latest DNA technology, scientists are tracking the salmon from the rivers into the vast North Atlantic and back again, in hopes of finding an answer before it's too late.