Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 215

Sit-In

1960

Sit-In

1960
SIT-IN (1960) is filmmaker Robert M. Young’ (Nothing But A aman, The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez) seminal documentary on how the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and Students of Fisk University desegregated the lunch counters in Nashville, TN.
Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy

2020

Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy

2020
What do Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis, Patti LuPone and Alex Sharp have in common? They are but a few of the extraordinary actors who have studied under Moni Yakim at Juilliard, United States' greatest performing arts school. This compelling portrait of the master teacher - the sole remaining founder of the school's legendary Drama Division - takes us inside the drama classes where Moni and his wife Mina pour their love and passion into preparing the next generation of actors for the spotlight.
Waging Change

2020

Waging Change

2020
Waging Change weaves the stories of individual workers such as Nataki Rhodes of Chicago and Naomi Debebe of Detroit with the efforts of thousands of restaurant workers across the country to demand respect and one fair wage.
Consumerism & the Limits to Imagination

2014

Consumerism & the Limits to Imagination

2014
Consumer capitalism dominates our economy, our politics, and our culture, even though a growing body of research suggests it may be well past its sell-by date. In this illustrated presentation based on his latest critically acclaimed book, media scholar Justin Lewis makes a compelling case that consumer capitalism can no longer deliver on its promise of enhancing quality of life, and argues that changing direction will require changing our media system and our cultural environment. After showing how consumer capitalism has become economically and environmentally unsustainable, Lewis explores how our cultural and information industries make it difficult to envision other forms of human progress by limiting critical thinking and keeping us locked in a cycle of consumption. And he argues that change will only be possible if we take culture seriously and transform the very way we organize our media and communications systems.
Marn Grook

1996

Marn Grook

1996
MARN GROOK explores the history, achievements and struggles of Aboriginal sportsmen involved in our National game, 'Aussie Rules'.
Current Sea

2020

Current Sea

2020
A feature-length, environmental thriller that follows investigative journalist, Matt Blomberg, and ocean activist, Paul Ferber, in their dangerous efforts to create a marine conservation area and combat the relentless tide of illegal fishing. Along the way a new generation of Cambodian environmentalists are inspired to create a better life for their people.
Generation One

2018

Generation One

2018
Generation One is a short documentary that explores the perspectives of the American-born children of Arab Muslim immigrants as they navigate their two identities. The film follows the life of a Palestinian-American named Hamoody as he decides to leave his tight-knit Arab community and pursue his independence. With vignette interviews from five other Arab-Americans to supplement Hamoody's story and expound upon certain themes, Generation One sheds light on a range of unique challenges found between the hyphens.
Standing Silent Nation

2007

Standing Silent Nation

2007
When the Oglala Sioux Tribe passed an ordinance separating industrial hemp from its illegal cousin, marijuana, Alex White Plume and his family glimpsed a brighter future. Having researched hemp as a sustainable crop that would grow in the inhospitable soil of the South Dakota Badlands, the White Plumes envisioned a new economy that would shrink the 85% unemployment rate on the Pine Ridge Reservation. They never dreamed they would find themselves swept up in a struggle over tribal sovereignty, economic rights, and common sense.
Maralinga Tjarutja

2020

Maralinga Tjarutja

2020
The Maralinga people survive aggressive colonisation, including dispossession to enable atomic testing, and through their tenacious spirit and cultural strength fight to retain their country.
Peter Eisenman: Making Architecture Move

1995

Peter Eisenman: Making Architecture Move

1995
With the participation of famed architects such as Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind and Zaha Hadid, Peter Eisenman: Making Architecture Move provides an intimate look into the work of the daring and controversial creator. Filmed in the U.S. and Germany, Eisenman takes the viewer through several of his buildings, including the Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio, while explaining his upcoming projects such as the Rebstockpark community in Frankfurt and the Max Reinhardt monument in Berlin. His predecessors and contemporaries offer praise and commentary on Eisenman's complex body of work including their own thoughts and theories surrounding his unique style.
Return to Hardwick

2019

Return to Hardwick

2019
Sons, daughters and grandchildren of the greatest generation travel to England to uncover the history of a disappearing World War II air base.
Modern Day Slavery

2019

Modern Day Slavery

2019
A documentary film which explores the racial disparity and corporate exploitation of African-American and Latino prisoners within the United States Justice System.
When Justice Isn't Just

2016

When Justice Isn't Just

2016
Directed by Oscar-nominated and NAACP Image Award winner David Massey, this dynamic documentary explores why so many unarmed black people have been targeted and killed by police officers. The filmmakers talk to legal experts, activists and law enforcement officials who discuss the inequality within our criminal justice system and who confront the crucial question of how to prevent more violence in this country, including Black on Black deaths. As the Black Lives Matter movement - and citizens nationwide - question the accountability of our justice system in cases of police violence, When Justice Isn't Just is an essential addition to the ongoing discussion about reform and renewal.
Battle of the Guitars

1985

Battle of the Guitars

1985
This is one of three short films in the Living Texas Blues series. Battle of the Guitars shows the ranging influence of Aaron "T-Bone" Walker throught the performance of Pete Mayes and Joe Hughes at the Doll House Club in Houston.
I Was Born in Mexico, But...

2013

I Was Born in Mexico, But...

2013
A poetic short featuring the voice of an undocumented young Latina woman who was brought to the U.S. as a child. The film introduces viewers to a personal voice on the immigration debate: DACA, the Dream Act, and other immigration reform, speaking about what it's like to grow up and face an uncertain future as a young undocumented person in America.
The Recruits

2019

The Recruits

2019
The Recruits follows a group of children as they go through a national, youth-oriented military program called The Young Marines. The children try their best not to crack under the enormous pressures put on them by the program and their parents.
Deep Ellum Blues

1985

Deep Ellum Blues

1985
Deep Ellum is a place -- a part of Dallas, Texas. Deep Ellum, along with its legendary music scene built by the likes of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson, Lead Belly, and Bill Neely, all but disappeared with the construction of Central Expressway in the 1950s. This film is one of three short films in the Living Texas Blues series which explores the 1920's and 1930's night life in Dallas through the music of Bill Neely.
Wirriya: Small Boy

2004

Wirriya: Small Boy

2004
This moving documentary is a record of a few hours in the life of a small 7 year old boy, Ricco, from Hidden Valley, one of the many town camps on the outskirts of Alice Springs. He has lived in the camp for most of his life, and is looked after by his three older sisters and his foster mother, Nanna Maudie.
Texas Style

1985

Texas Style

1985
Texas Style centers on three generations of Westmoreland family fiddlers, bringing you to the Homecoming, Rodeo, Reunion and Fiddling Contest in Gustine, Texas, where there are armadillo races, tobacco-spitting and frog hopping contests, cow chip throwing and young and old comparing their hog calling skills. Inside a canvas tent, some of Texas' most remarkable fiddlers compete to the foot-stomping delight of their audience.
In the Shadows

2013

In the Shadows

2013
This documentary by Dan Glynn follows the personal story of Jairo, a hard-working Mexican who immigrates to the US in order to find work to support his family back in Mexico. The film looks at current immigration issues in the United States. The story takes a dramatic turn, when Jairo's cousin is arrested by local police putting the entire family in danger of deportation. In the movie we meet numerous people who want to stem the tide of immigration from Mexico as well as people who help those who make the long, arduous journey to new employment in the United States.