Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 160

God Sleeps in Rwanda

2005

God Sleeps in Rwanda

2005
8
A powerful documentary about five women whose lives have been irrevocably altered by the Rwandan genocide. With the country left nearly 70% female in the wake of the massacres, "God Sleeps In Rwanda" is a lucid portrait of the much larger change affected by women in the East African country.
Muse of Fire

2013

Muse of Fire

2013
6.5
Funny, passionate, exciting, and smart: ‘Muse Of Fire’ will change the way you feel about Shakespeare forever. This unique feature documentary follows two actors, Giles Terera and Dan Poole, as they travel the world to find out everything they can about tackling the greatest writer of them all. Together they have directed and produced an inspiring film that aims to demystify and illuminate Shakespeare’s work for everyone: from actors, directors and students of all disciplines, right through to the? man on the street? Denmark with Jude Law, Baz Luhrmann in Hollywood, Prison in Berlin, and on the street with Mark Rylance. Think Shakespeare is boring? Think again!
Hummingbird

2004

Hummingbird

2004
7
Can one person really make a difference? This documentary explores the work of two non profits started by women in Recife, Brazil. Through their grassroots efforts, they help kids get off the streets and women break the cycle of domestic violence, to find a second chance.
The Teachers of the Republic

2013

The Teachers of the Republic

2013
8
Republican Teachers were some women who participated in the conquest of the rights of women and the modernization of education, based on the principles of democratic public school. This documentary through the recreation of a teacher at the time, and unpublished archival images, we discover the legacy that we have left the teachers Republican and has survived to this day.
When the Iron Bird Flies

2012

When the Iron Bird Flies

2012
6.5
WHEN THE IRON BIRD FLIES takes us on an up-close and personal journey, exploring the complex interactions between contemporary Tibetan Buddhism and western culture. The film goes in-depth to portray the experiences and insights of both teachers and practitioners in the US and around the world. Along the way, it illuminates the wide ranging dialogs taking place between Buddhist teachings and science, psychology, gender theory and the arts. The film creates a vivid and entertaining portrait of the world of Tibetan Buddhism, as it is manifesting in the West and asks the vital question - 'In these increasingly chaotic modern times, can these age old teachings help us to find genuine happiness and create a saner, more compassionate 21st century world?'
Hard Problems

2008

Hard Problems

2008
7.5
Hard Problems is about the extraordinary gifted students who represented the United States in 2006 at the world's toughest math competition: The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). It is the story of six American high school students who competed with 500 others from 90 countries in Ljublijana, Slovenia. The film shows the dedication and perseverance of these remarkably talented students, the rigorous preparation they undertake, and the joy they get out of solving challenging math problems. It captures the spirit that infuses the mathematical quest at the highest level.
Flyin' Cut Sleeves

1993

Flyin' Cut Sleeves

1993
4.5
FLYIN' CUT SLEEVES, completed in 1993, portrays street gang presidents in the Bronx. Their world was the streets, set against a backdrop of uprooted families, cultural alienation, drugs and violence. Neighborhood teenagers responded by organizing into street groups known to the members as "families", but labeled in the most alarming terms as violent gangs by the press. The documentation of these lives over a twenty-year period offers a remarkable perspective on life in the ghetto (spanning four generations), and the means that people devise to cope from the time that they are children to when they serve as parents and role models for a new generation.
Where Are We? Our Trip Through America

1993

Where Are We? Our Trip Through America

1993
1
Accomplished documentarians Rob Epstein and Jeff Friedman take a trip across the American South and Southwest, asking people about their hopes and fears.
A People Uncounted: The Untold Story of the Roma

2013

A People Uncounted: The Untold Story of the Roma

2013
8.5
The Roma, commonly referred to as Gypsies, have been both romanticized and vilified in popular culture. Dozens of Roma from 11 countries—including Holocaust survivors, historians, activists, and musicians--bring Romani history to life through poetry, music, and compelling first-hand accounts.
A Good Day to Die

2010

A Good Day to Die

2010
6.5
Interviews and archival footage profile the life of Dennis Banks, American Indian Movement leader who looks back at his early life and the rise of the Movement.
Bonhoeffer

2003

Bonhoeffer

2003
6
Dramatic documentary about the young German pacifist and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer who resisted the Nazi regime and was hanged two weeks before World War II was over.
Mardi Gras: Made in China

2005

Mardi Gras: Made in China

2005
8
This examination of cultural and economic globalization follows the life-cycle of Mardi Gras beads from a small factory in Fuzhou, China, to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and to art galleries in New York City.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Historical Perspective

1994

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Historical Perspective

1994
7
Documentary film focuses on the Civil Rights leader's many groundbreaking accomplishments. Footage covers Dr. King's war on poverty and his staunch opposition to the Vietnam War. Also included is his stirring "I Have a Dream" speech.
Evergreen: The Road to Legalization in Washington

2013

Evergreen: The Road to Legalization in Washington

2013
6
A documentary on how Washington State legalized recreational marijuana and the effects of this decision on the state, the nation and the world.
Rush to Judgment

1967

Rush to Judgment

1967
6.5
Mark Lane interviews witnesses to the Kennedy assassination and exposes serious flaws in the conclusions made by the Warren Commission.
Dominick Dunne: After the Party

2008

Dominick Dunne: After the Party

2008
7.5
Vanity Fair Special Correspondent Dominick Dunne has become known the world over for his vociferous championing of the rights of the victim in high-profile murder cases. His powerful commentaries have made compelling reading in Vanity Fair for a quarter of a century. Now, aged 82, Dunne is covering his last murder trial for Vanity Fair -- the trial of music producer Phil Spector -- and reflects upon his past as a decorated WWII Veteran, his rise and spectacular collapse as a Hollywood producer, and his rebirth as the writer we know today. Dunne's mind offers a fascinating insight into the American psyche and its obsession with fame.
Slaughter Nick for President

2013

Slaughter Nick for President

2013
9
A little-known actor discovers that he is hugely popular in Serbia.
American Commune

2013

American Commune

2013
6.5
In 1970, hundreds of hippies followed Stephen Gaskin on a journey from San Francisco to Tennessee, where they founded a legendary commune known as the Farm. Within this self-sustaining society based on non-violence, vegetarianism and respect for the earth, members willingly took a vow of poverty, lived in converted buses, grew their own food and home-delivered babies. Born and raised in this alternative community, filmmakers and sisters Rena and Nadine return for the first time since leaving in 1985. Finally ready to face the past after years of hiding their upbringing, they chart the rise and fall of America’s largest utopian socialist experiment and their own family tree. The nascent idealism of a community destroyed, in part, by its own success is reflected in the personal story of a family unit split apart by differences. American Commune finds inspiration in failure, humour in deprivation and, most surprisingly, that communal values are alive and well in the next generation.
Erroll Garner: No One Can Hear You Read

2013

Erroll Garner: No One Can Hear You Read

2013
7
In a triumphant career that lasted forty years Erroll Garner pushed the playability of the piano to its limits, developed an international reputation, and made an indelible mark on the jazz world. And yet, his story has never been told. Until now. The film explores Erroll's childhood in Pittsburgh; his meteoric rise in popularity while playing on 52nd street, New York's famed jazz epicenter; the origins of his most famous album (Concert By The Sea) and his most famous composition (Misty); his singular, virtuosic piano style; and his dynamic personality, both on and off the stage.
The First Year

2001

The First Year

2001
7
This fascinating documentary chronicles the emotional turmoil of five Los Angeles schoolteachers charged with educating inner-city youth, making it clear that the teachers helping these disadvantaged children are real heroes.