Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 221

Elton John: Music Man

2016

Elton John: Music Man

2016
Sir Elton John is one of the most successful musicians of the past century. His career spans over four decades resulting in him selling more than 300 million albums worldwide. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him number 49 on list of 100 influential musicians of the rock and roll era, and in 2008 Billboard ranked him the most successful male solo artist on 'The Billboard Hot 100 top all-time artists. He's the winner of six grammy awards, five Brit awards, and Academy Awards and Global Globe Award. He's had countless number 1 hits and platinum albums. This is the story of one of the worlds greatest ever musicians... Elton John.
Prince: Purple Reign

2017

Prince: Purple Reign

2017
In recent times, music lovers have been confounded with the tragic and shocking news that some of their most beloved stars had passed away in controversial circumstances. The music world has again been stunned by the sudden and tragic news that Prince, the legendary musician, died at his home in Minneapolis at the age of just 57, and it was recently confirmed the singer died of an opioid overdose. He was one of the most naturally gifted artists of all time, and also one of the most mysterious. In the Eighties, at a time when other megastars such as Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna, were delivering an album every three years or so, Prince remained prolific to an almost inhuman degree. A byproduct of his inexhaustible output was Prince's tendency toward wayward, self-indulgent career moves that sometimes alienated even his most ardent supporters.
The Art of Francis Bacon

2007

The Art of Francis Bacon

2007
This film explores many of his key canvases which have been newly filmed in HDTV. The works are complemented solely with Bacon’s own words, recorded by Derek Jacobi. The artist’s biography is outlined, but the focus is on his ideas: his thoughts about his work, his reflections about how and why he paints. The result is a rigorous and revealing portrait of one of the few artists who has truly changed the way we see and understand ourselves.
Barefoot: The Mark Baumer Story

2019

Barefoot: The Mark Baumer Story

2019
BAREFOOT is a portrait of Mark Baumer, a writer and activist who walked barefoot for over 100 days to protest climate change. In a voice The New Yorker praised as "reminiscent of Andy Kaufman", Baumer narrates his walk in self-recorded videos, sharing his offbeat take on life and how we all can make a difference.
Queen of Hearts: Audrey Flack

2019

Queen of Hearts: Audrey Flack

2019
Audrey Flack has always been a trailblazer. Now, she returns to her canvas for the first time in decades, revealing her longtime struggles as an artist and mother to find her rightful place in the art world. Queen of Hearts is a moving portrait of a woman who is still testing, still experimenting, still searching.
Good-bye Old Man

1977

Good-bye Old Man

1977
At the request of a dying Tiwi man and his family on Melville Island, this film was made of the pukumani (bereavement) ceremony to follow his death. The film observes the family through the long period of preparation for the ceremony, following age-old traditions. Dancing and face-painting are rehearsed, to the family’s satisfaction, and because “things should be right for this film”. For the two days of ceremony, the community moves to Carslake Beach where a smoking ritual is held to protect the participants from spirits. The cemetery poles are erected, traditional dances are performed along with personal dances by family members. Facial and body decoration is elaborate and spectacular. After saying a final farewell to the old man, the community and the family leave the Beach and return to the village where routine life resumes.
Sold

2019

Sold

2019
A film about friendship and the occasional loneliness.
Gaysians

2016

Gaysians

2016
Five queer and trans Asian-Americans from the New York City area explore their relationships with their family and culture in this illuminating patchwork documentary.
Palimpsest of the Africa Museum

2019

Palimpsest of the Africa Museum

2019
There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues

1981

There Was Always Sun Shining Someplace: Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues

1981
Chronicles the history of Negro Leagues baseball by using rare historical footage and interviews with black baseball greats.
Nisei Soldier: Standard Bearer for an Exiled People

1984

Nisei Soldier: Standard Bearer for an Exiled People

1984
Nisei Soldier focuses on the heroism of American men of Japanese ancestry who fought bravely during World War II, despite the intense moral dilemmas they faced. Leaving their families imprisoned in "relocation centers", many young Nisei (second generation American-born Japanese) proved their loyalty in WWII by enlisting in the all-Japanese American 442nd Infantry Regiment which fought in Europe. Because of the Regiment's incredible bravery in battle, liberation of French towns, and high casualty rate, it became the most decorated unit in U.S. military history. The film asks: What sustained these young men forced to battle on two fronts at once -- against fascism abroad and intense prejudice at home? More than a war story, Nisei Soldier is a tale about personal honor, family loyalty and love of country -- and what it means to be an American.
America and the Holocaust: Deceit and Indifference

1994

America and the Holocaust: Deceit and Indifference

1994
As the campaign to force Jews out of Germany ramps up, the American government blocks efforts to help rescue many of these displaced persons, and Americans' antisemitism only seems to get worse.
Broadway Express

1961

Broadway Express

1961
Shot in 1959, Michael Blackwood’s first film Broadway Express is a portrait of New York City’s diverse population, as captured in the city’s subways during the evening rush hour and late at night. The film is a portrait of the city through the faces of the passengers held captive for the ride.
Suppressed: The Fight to Vote

2019

Suppressed: The Fight to Vote

2019
Robert Greenwald exposes rampant voter suppression that affected the outcome of the 2018 midterm election in Georgia and the threat it poses to our elections all across the nation in 2020.
Noble Sissle's Syncopated Ragtime

2018

Noble Sissle's Syncopated Ragtime

2018
Combining footage unseen since WWI with original scores from the era, this film tells the story of Noble Sissle's incredible journey that spans "The Harlem Hellfighters" of World War I, Broadway Theatre, the Civil Rights movement, and decades of Black cultural development.
Guy Hircefeld: A Guy with a Camera

2018

Guy Hircefeld: A Guy with a Camera

2018
Guy Hircefeld, a veteran who served in the Israeli military at the start of its occupation of Palestine in the 1980s, now fights against the Israeli occupation. His only weapon is a camera.
Yell Once a Week

1982

Yell Once a Week

1982
The film’s title is taken from a song, used here as a leitmotif, written by Günter Jordan and the East German rock group Pankow. This sensitive report about rebellious teenagers in Berlin’s “wild East” was banned before its first screening.
Dubrovnik

1952

Dubrovnik

1952
A film describing the political history of Dubrovnik and the history of its architecture, painting, literature and science until the end of Republic of Ragusa.
Frank Gehry: The Formative Years

1988

Frank Gehry: The Formative Years

1988
Narrated by the architect himself, Frank Gehry: The Formative Years explores his long standing career and unique eye. The film looks at a number of Gehry's projects from private homes to complex public institutions, all of which echo his experimental style and vision. Works such as The Norton House, The Aerospace Museum and Loyola Law School demonstrate Gehry's eccentric and distinctive touch. The Formative Years is a survey of his beginnings when Gehry experimented with his own house in Santa Monica, giving him notoriety in the architecture scene.
Flannery

2019

Flannery

2019
Explore the life of Flannery O’Connor whose provocative fiction was unlike anything published before. Featuring never-before-seen archival footage, newly discovered journals, and interviews with Mary Karr, Tommy Lee Jones, Hilton Als, and more.