Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 224

Hungry for Profit

1985

Hungry for Profit

1985
Is our food bought at the price of famine in the developing world? Is agribusiness more interested in producing profits than producing food? This PBS independent documentary investigates U.S. and European agribusiness in the Third World. Filmed on five continents, it takes a close look at agribusiness, which is turning the world's food supply into a global supermarket, buying food at the lowest prices-regardless of small farmers and local populations-and selling it at the highest price and the greatest profit whenever possible.
Medieval England: The Peasants' Revolt

1969

Medieval England: The Peasants' Revolt

1969
Dramatically portraying the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, the film reveals the conditions of virtual slavery which persisted throughout the Middle Ages, and the weaknesses of the feudal system; its oppressive tax structure, its cruelty and its social inequality
Birthing Justice

2023

Birthing Justice

2023
BIRTHING JUSTICE, a feature-length documentary film, captures the experiences and challenges of Black women, their families, caretakers and advocates, and examines the structures and systems that determine disparate rates of mortality.
Demon Mineral

2023

Demon Mineral

2023
A portrait of life in the radioactive desert on the Navajo Reservation. Spanning a landscape perforated by orphaned uranium mines in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, the film follows a group of indigenous scientists, elders, and activists as they work to protect a vital living space on contaminated land.
Home from the Eastern Sea

1990

Home from the Eastern Sea

1990
This documentary covers the story of Chinese-, Japanese-, and Filipino-Americans in Washington state, from their first arrivals, to the discrimination they've faced, to the modern families and communities that thrive today.
A Shamanic Medium of Tsugaru

1992

A Shamanic Medium of Tsugaru

1992
Ms. Taki Kudo says she has been able to connect with deities since she was six or seven years old. Even in modern Japan, mediums like Ms. Kudo are in demand, providing such traditional services as expelling a curse and invoking spirits for health and long life. At twice-annual rituals at Mt. Osore-Zan, she and other female spirit mediums allow the dead to speak through them, relaying insight, comfort and warnings from the deceased to their loved ones. Another important duty is caring for the mulberry-wood Oshirasama puppets representing individual souls. Ms. Kudo dresses and stores the puppets and performs the lively rites in which spirits come down from the mountain in order to protect and purify the people of her village - the deities are cajoled by offerings of food, lights, money and candy.
Breaking the Silence

2022

Breaking the Silence

2022
"Breaking the Silence" is a fresh, new-look documentary film dedicated to everyone around the world who suffers quietly and in the shadows - alone, worn out, and without hope.
George Segal

2016

George Segal

2016
George Segal constructs a type of human form and vulnerability that feels rare in the world of sculpture. As we follow his process at the isolated New Jersey farmhouse that serves as his studio, the intimacy between Segal and his art is contagious. He casts people who he knows, respects and admires, making the final outcome of the piece seep with personality and humanity. Segal is focused on creating a mold that does not necessarily subscribe to society’s notion of beauty. Originally released in 1979.
The Dark Emu Story

2023

The Dark Emu Story

2023
A thought provoking, revelatory and inspiring documentary telling the story of Bruce Pascoe’s Dark Emu – the publishing phenomenon that challenged Australia to rethink its history and ignited a raging debate.
Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power, and the Supreme Court

2023

Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power, and the Supreme Court

2023
As controversy erupts around Clarence and Ginni Thomas, FRONTLINE tells the inside story of their path to power. This investigation from veteran filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team traces how race, power and controversy collide in the rise of the Supreme Court justice and his wife and how the couple has reshaped American law and politics.
Adventure Never Ends: A Tabletop Saga

2023

Adventure Never Ends: A Tabletop Saga

2023
From dungeon-like basements to worldwide phenomenon, ADVENTURE NEVER ENDS: A TABLETOP SAGA explores how tabletop role-playing games have fought their way through decades of trial by fire to emerge at the height of pop culture- now shaping and bringing together millions of lives through storytelling. The film takes a behind the curtain look at an open community of fans, as well as youth programs who use tabletop role-playing games to promote socialization, team building, and empathy.
Necessity: Climate Justice & The Thin Green Line

2022

Necessity: Climate Justice & The Thin Green Line

2022
Set along the rivers of Oregon and the Columbia Gorge. We meet Lauren Regan, a criminal defense attorney using this same strategy to defend her clients, including social worker and Umatilla tribal elder, Cathy Sampson-Kruse, arrested for blocking a megaload carrying toxic materials.
It’s Basic

2023

It’s Basic

2023
When 2020 presidential hopeful Andrew Yang proposed to give every American $1000 in monthly income, it helped bring the issue of Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) to national light. By then, several U.S. cities had already begun GBI pilot programs in which they provided $500 per month to a select group of people for one year.
They Call Me Zarko

2022

They Call Me Zarko

2022
The true story of Ghazaros Demirdjian, the son of immigrants displaced by the Armenian genocide, who went on to achieve the American dream.
The Universality of It All

2020

The Universality of It All

2020
A documentary that focuses on the topics of human migration and inequality. Intimate and informative, it explains the complexity of human migration by providing valuable data and showing how this affects two friends in their day-to-day lives.
Necessity: Oil, Water & Climate Resistance

2019

Necessity: Oil, Water & Climate Resistance

2019
Traces the fight in Minnesota against the expansion of pipelines carrying highly toxic tar sands oil through Native lands and essential waterways in North America.
She Is...

2023

She Is...

2023
This hybrid documentary follows Isabella Grosso, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. In her quest to heal, Isabella discovered a sense of empowerment through dance and founded She-Is, a nonprofit combining the art of dance with therapy. As she embraces the experience of self-love through movement, we follow Isabella on an international journey to help other survivors of sexual abuse and sex trafficking find healing.
Behind the Stage Door

2022

Behind the Stage Door

2022
From his early days playing drums in his band, The Grains of Sand, to becoming one of the top grossing concert promoters in the United States, Rich Engler is the embodiment of the rags to "riches" American Dream come true.
Freelancer on the Front Lines

2017

Freelancer on the Front Lines

2017
This fast-paced documentary follows Canadian freelance reporter Jesse Rosenfeld’s journey across the Middle East. Having made the region the focus of his work, he shows us the thorny geopolitical realities on the ground and explores how journalism practices have changed in the age of the Internet. From Egypt to Turkey and Iraq by way of Israel and Palestine, filmmaker Santiago Bertolino captures the ups and downs of a new kind of journalism in action.
Fumiko Hayashida: The Woman Behind the Symbol

2009

Fumiko Hayashida: The Woman Behind the Symbol

2009
Fumiko Hayashida: The Woman Behind the Symbol is both a historical portrait of Fumiko, her family and the Bainbridge Island Japanese American community in the decades before World War II as well as a contemporary story which follows 97-year old Fumi and her daughter Natalie as they return to the site of the former Minidoka internment camp, their first trip back together in 63 years. The film reveals how the iconic photograph became the impetus for Fumiko to publicly lobby against the injustices of the past.