Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 184

Abundance on a Dry Land

2015

Abundance on a Dry Land

2015
In the news, California often grabs the headlines. In this state, the agriculture is suffering from a lack of water and farms are being abandoned at an alarming rate. But some people seem to have found a solution. Here, and in many other dry regions around the world, land restoration is helping water infiltrate into the soil to help increase crop yields.
Invisible History: Middle Florida's Hidden Roots

2021

Invisible History: Middle Florida's Hidden Roots

2021
This film sheds light on the little-known history of plantations and the enslaved in North Florida. It seeks to advance a sense of place and identity for thousands of African-Americans by exploring the invisible history of slavery in Leon County.
The Art of Un-War

2022

The Art of Un-War

2022
Renowned artist Krzysztof Wodiczko creates powerful responses to the inequities and horrors of war. This in-depth investigation into the artist focuses on the recurring themes of war, trauma, and displacement in his work. An instigator for social change, Wodiczko’s powerful art interventions disrupt the valorization of state-sanctioned aggression.
In Hollywood's Backyard: Topanga in the 1970s

2017

In Hollywood's Backyard: Topanga in the 1970s

2017
Filmmakers (and canyon residents) Alexander and Anne Christine Von Wetter filmed this documentary for German Television in the early 1970s as a revealing close-up of an extraordinary period in America. The camera masters and 16mm negative were consequently lost to a devastating fire. Luckily, a lone VHS copy had been made, which spent the next 30 years on the studio shelf. The VHS was found heavily damaged, but a restoration team managed to salvage a fair grade of quality, which has since been remastered.
Tipping the Pain Scale

2021

Tipping the Pain Scale

2021
A feature documentary film following individuals grappling with the current systemic failures of how we have dealt with addiction and their journey to develop and employ new, innovative, and often controversial solutions to the problem.
The War After

2015

The War After

2015
A powerful, 70-minute documentary featuring nine U.S. veterans transitioning from active duty to the unexpected challenges of civilian life
America’s Diplomats

2016

America’s Diplomats

2016
A documentary about American diplomats narrated by Kathleen Turner
Sight: The Story of Vision

2016

Sight: The Story of Vision

2016
A documentary about the loss and science of sight.
Cody High: A Life Remodeled Project

2014

Cody High: A Life Remodeled Project

2014
Cody High: A Life Remodeled Project focuses on the efforts of the impoverished Cody Rouge community pulling together to provide safe pathways for children by removing blight and abandoned homes in Detroit. In 2014, with the partnership of Life-Remodeled, a Detroit-focused non-profit organization, the Cody-Rouge Community rose up alongside over 10,000 volunteers in order to remodel three schools, tear down three burned-out houses, remodel 25 homes of students and their families, board up 254 vacant houses, and remove blight/create beauty on 303 blocks. Cody High: A Life Remodeled project skillfully portrays the powerful stories of community members directly involved, and how their lives are being shaped as beacons of hope within the great City of Detroit.
Spirit Possession of Alejandro Mamani

1974

Spirit Possession of Alejandro Mamani

1974
An old Bolivian man nears the end of his life. He has property and status, but not contentment. Believing himself posessed by evil spirits, he opens his heart to reveal his anguish. His personal tragedy brings us close to every man's confrontation with the unknown, old age, and death.
The Celluloid Bordello

2019

The Celluloid Bordello

2019
Since the dawn of cinema, sex workers have been portrayed (mostly negatively) by filmmakers. With equal parts historical overview, critique, and homage, this eye-opening film lets real-life dommes, escorts, porn stars and hustlers tell you which films they love and which they hate, which get it right and which miss the mark, and how perpetuating stereotypes in media affects real peoples' lives.
62 Years and 6500 Miles Between

2005

62 Years and 6500 Miles Between

2005
Amidst the political upheavals of a nation and the world, the filmmaker navigates cultural, geographical and linguistic distances in search of wisdom and hope from her 100 year-old Taiwanese activist grandmother (Ama).
Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy

2022

Concert Crush: The Travis Scott Festival Tragedy

2022
On Nov. 5, 2021, rapper Travis Scott headlined the Astroworld Festival in Houston, which tragically led to the deaths of 10 concertgoers in a crowd crush.
Golden Venture

2006

Golden Venture

2006
The film chronicles the ongoing struggles of passengers who were aboard the Golden Venture, an immigrant smuggling ship that ran aground near New York City in 1993. Passengers had paid at least $30,000 to be brought to the U.S. from China's Fujian Province, expecting to arrive indebted but unnoticed. But a seemingly golden opportunity quickly evolved into a hellish descent through the cruel whims of U.S. immigration policy.
John Hejduk: Builder of Worlds

1992

John Hejduk: Builder of Worlds

1992
A poet among architects and an innovator among educators, John Hejduk converses with poet David Shapiro at The Cooper Union about the mystery and spirit of architecture. His own sketches and structures are shown
The Sun Never Sets

2012

The Sun Never Sets

2012
Smithsonian Magazine once asked the rhetorical question, 'Can a weekly paper in rural New Mexico raise enough hell to keep its readers hungry for more, week after week?' The Rio Grande Sun, published in Espanola, New Mexico is considered one of the best weekly newspapers in the country. The Sun is known for its investigative reporting. It broke the story that its own rural community had the highest per capita heroin overdose rate in the country. It has led the fight for open records and open meetings in a county where political shenanigans are the rule. The film follows the Sun's reporters and editors as they write about the news, the sports, the art and culture of a large rural county. John Burnett, an NPR correspondent, reports on the Sun's Police Blotter--'the best in the country.' Tony Hillerman, the celebrated author and newspaper editor, speaks eloquently about the value of community newspapers. The Sun Never Sets is narrated by Bob Edwards, Peabody Award winning news anchor.
Legends and Idols

2022

Legends and Idols

2022
Armed with just his talent, follow Willard Snow as he attempts to open an art gallery, while painting portraits of Rock Star Legends on canvass and instruments. This is the American Dream rising out of paint and iphones.
No Job For a Woman

2011

No Job For a Woman

2011
Martha Gellhorn, Ruth Cowan, Dickey Chappelle: Three tenacious journalists who forged legendary reputations as war correspondents during a time when battlefields were considered no place for a woman. Their repeated delegation to the sidelines to cover the “woman’s angle” succeeded in expanding the focus of war coverage to bring home a new kind of story— a personal look at the human cost of war. Featuring an abundance of archival photos and interviews with modern female war correspondents, as well as actresses bringing to life the written words of these remarkable women.
Ralph Erskine

1986

Ralph Erskine

1986
The British architect based in Stockholm looks back on major projects of a long career inspired by European Modernism combined with his personal sensitivity to nature and community. Erskine is especially valued for his vital understanding of social interaction, exemplified in commissions for universities and housing complexes built from Scandinavia to Italy. The architect takes the camera on a tour of his buildings while offering revealing comments and interpretations.
Cats of Malta

2022

Cats of Malta

2022
A documentary celebrating the island’s stray cats and the volunteers who show the large population unconditional love and support.