Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 194

Donald Trump: The Apprentice President?

2016

Donald Trump: The Apprentice President?

2016
1
Since announcing his candidacy, Donald Trump is everywhere. To him, it seems that nothing is taboo and no policy too outlandish to embrace. Somehow, this billionaire candidate has become the champion of ordinary America, with supporters travelling hundreds of miles just to see him.
Frogs: The Thin Green Line

2009

Frogs: The Thin Green Line

2009
6
An examination of the extinction threat faced by frogs, which have hopped on Earth for some 250 million years and are a crucial cog in the ecosystem. Scientists believe they've pinpointed a cause for the loss of many of the amphibians: the chytrid fungus, which flourishes in high altitudes. Unfortunately, they don't know how to combat it. Included: an isolated forest in Panama that has yet to be touched by the fungus, thus enabling frogs to live and thrive as they have for eons.
They Are We

2014

They Are We

2014
10
The story of an Afro-Cuban group who kept alive songs and dances their ancestor had brought aboard the slave ship from Africa. They were so specific that around 200 years later, a village of Africans watched them, joined in singing, and said simply, joyously: "They Are We". This film tells the story of how they found each other and how they work to be able to reunite.
Treyf

1998

Treyf

1998
1
TREYF —“unkosher” in Yiddish— is an unorthodox documentary by and about two Jewish lesbians who met and fell in love at a Passover “seder”. With personal narration, real and imagined educational films, and haunting imagery, filmmakers Alisa Lebow and Cynthia Madansky examine the Jewish identity of their upbringings and its impact on their lives.
First Lady of the Revolution

2016

First Lady of the Revolution

2016
0.5
While visiting an aunt and uncle in the exotic countryside of Costa Rica, a young southern belle from Alabama accepted a ride on the back of a motorcycle belonging to a local charismatic farmer — a ride that would propel her down narrow mountain roads and into history. First Lady of the Revolution is the remarkable story of Henrietta Boggs, who fell in love with a foreign land and the man destined to transform its identity. Her marriage to Jose ‘Don Pepe’ Figueres in 1941 led to a decade-long journey through activism, exile and political upheaval and, ultimately, lasting progressive reforms. First Lady of the Revolution is not only a depiction of the momentous struggle to shape Costa Rica’s democratic identity; it’s also a portrayal of how a courageous woman escaped the confines of a traditional, sheltered existence to expand her horizons into a new world, and live a life she never imagined.
An Art That Nature Makes: The Work of Rosamond Purcell

2016

An Art That Nature Makes: The Work of Rosamond Purcell

2016
5
Finding unexpected beauty in the discarded and decayed, photographer Rosamond Purcell has developed an oeuvre of work that has garnered international acclaim, graced the pages of National Geographic and over 20 published books, and has enlisted admirers such as Jonathan Safran Foer, Errol Morris and Stephen Jay Gould. AN ART THAT NATURE MAKES details Purcell’s fascination with the natural world—from a mastodon tooth to a hydrocephalic skull—offering insight into her unique way of recontextualizing objects both ordinary and strange into sometimes disturbing but always breathtaking imagery.
When I Came Home

2006

When I Came Home

2006
7
Iraq War veteran Herold Noel suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and lives out of his car in Brooklyn. Using Noel's story as a fulcrum, this doc examines the wider issue of homeless U.S. military veterans-from Vietnam to Iraq-who have to fight tooth-and-nail to receive the benefits promised to them by their government.
Von Werra

2002

Von Werra

2002
7.5
Documentary about a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot, Franz von Werra, the only German soldier of the Second World War who managed to escape from captivity as a prisoner of war and return to Germany.
Irwin & Fran

2013

Irwin & Fran

2013
8
Professor Irwin Corey is now 101 years old and he is a well known comedian, entertainer and political satirist. Fran is 95 and his wife of 71 years. Dick Gregory shares Irwin's contribution and family friend Susan Sarandon narrates.
The Legend of Swee' Pea

2015

The Legend of Swee' Pea

2015
7
Lloyd Daniels was one of the most gifted basketball players ever to emerge from New York City. He was born in Brooklyn in 1967 and grew up in the poorest neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Queens. His mother died when he was three, and his father deserted the family, leaving Lloyd an orphan to be raised by his two grandmothers. Virtually unsupervised, Lloyd learned early-on how to hustle to survive. Hustling came easy for him because he was a charming and likable kid. He still hustles to this day.
Jim Morrison His Final Hours

2010

Jim Morrison His Final Hours

2010
10
This compelling documentary series unlocks the hidden secrets, psychological flaws and events that result in the tragic deaths of famed notorious and the iconic. Every episode maps out the final 24 hours of a different famous person's life. The series weaves the star's back-story with events from their last day, which lays bare the threads of fate that led inextricably from childhood to the moment of death. These are no ordinary biographies. They're psychological detective stories attempting to uncover the mystery of why the celebrity died. July 2, 1971. Jim Morrison is one of the most famous rock singers in the world. He's also the ultimate sex symbol, but Morrison is at war with his own dark demons. In 24 hours his darkness will consume him and he'll be dead. Using archive footage, dramatic reenactment and interviews with his closest companions, we detail the last hours of Morrison's life and the gripping events that led to his tragic death in Paris.
Actors of Sound

2016

Actors of Sound

2016
6
Since the 1930’s, sound gurus referred to as Foley artists have recreated the sounds that infuse a film with life. During a film’s post-production, Foley artists recreate sound that will match the moving image on-screen, using whatever objects are at their fingertips, from hundreds of pairs of old shoes to clunky old tools and squeaky mattresses. But how will Hollywood’s low-tech sound artists survive as digital technology consumes modern movie-making?
What Tomorrow Brings

2016

What Tomorrow Brings

2016
7
Inside the very first girls' school in a small Afghan village, education goes far beyond the classroom as the students discover the differences between the lives they were born into and the lives they dream of leading.
A Stone’s Throw From Prison

2013

A Stone’s Throw From Prison

2013
7.5
Between 2010 and 2014, nearly 3,000 Palestinian children were arrested by Israeli forces for reasons like throwing stones. Many are kept in solitary confinement for days, shackled and subjected to intimidating questioning without the presence of their parents or a lawyer. Mohammad Zedani, 14, has been arrested six times. The experience has left him traumatised: he struggles to sleep and displays symptoms of PTSD. We tell his story, along with those of Rami and Ahmed, three out of thousands of children affected by the occupation. We also hear from those working to stop the abuses.
Silent Storm

2004

Silent Storm

2004
6
From 1957 to 1978, scientists secretly removed bone samples from over 21,000 dead Australians as they searched for evidence of the deadly poison, Strontium 90 - a by-product of nuclear testing. Silent Storm reveals the story behind this astonishing case of officially sanctioned "body-snatching". Set against a backdrop of the Cold War, the saga follows celebrated scientist, Hedley Marston, as he attempts to blow the whistle on radioactive contamination and challenge official claims that British atomic tests posed no threat to the Australian people. Marston's findings are not only disputed, he is targeted as "a scientist of counter-espionage interest". Now, questions are being raised about the health repercussions for generations of Australians.
From Billions to None: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction

2014

From Billions to None: The Passenger Pigeon's Flight to Extinction

2014
10
The passenger pigeon, the most abundant bird species in North America for thousands of years, became extinct by human hands in a geologic heartbeat. Its story remains relevant to conservation challenges today, and there are even plans for its possible revival. Rare archival material, CGI animation, and aerial cinematography combine to recreate the awe-inspiring nature of these birds.
Original Schtick

1999

Original Schtick

1999
8
Explores the bittersweet process of an American artist's frenzied attempt to achieve fame and recognition through manufacturing his own hype and manipulating public perceptions of his constructed persona.
SELANDIA: The ship That Changed the World

2012

SELANDIA: The ship That Changed the World

2012
8
The Ship that Changed the World is a historical drama about the birth of the world's first ocean-going diesel-powered ship Selandia. A groundbreaking invention that changed the world forever. The film shows Selandia and the creators receiving worldwide acclaim. But for two of them success was short-lived. They died under mysterious circumstances shortly after the maiden voyage of Selandia. On the brink of the World War, and with Germany and England showing great interest in this invention, is it too farfetched to believe that these deaths were more than coincidental. - Written by Michael Schmidt-Olsen
Max & James & Danielle

2015

Max & James & Danielle

2015
6
Max Ophuls is the legendary director and two of his favorite actors are James Mason and Danielle Darrieux. Mason and Darrieux were each in several Ophuls projects but were never together in an Ophuls movie, although they should have been. What might that movie have been like? It's anybody's guess (but cinephiles can dream, can't they?). Somewhere between a historical essay and a speculative one.
California High

2015

California High

2015
8
California has been arguing over whether or not marijuana should be legal for over 100 years. Now there's a new judge in this trial - you.