Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 248

Ngat is Dead: Studying Mortuary Traditions

2007

Ngat is Dead: Studying Mortuary Traditions

2007
What do anthropologists mean when they claim to study the cultural traditions of others by participating in them? This film follows the Dutch anthropologist Ton Otto, who has been adopted by a family on Baluan Island in Papua New Guinea. Due to the death of his adoptive father, he has to take part in mortuary ceremonies, whose form and content are passionately contested by different groups of relatives. Through prolonged negotiations, Ton learns how Baluan people perform and transform their traditions and not least what role he plays himself. The film is part of long-term field research, in which filmmaking has become integrated in the ongoing dialogue and exchange between the islanders and the anthropologist.
Birds & People - Ganz verrückt auf Vögel

2015

Birds & People - Ganz verrückt auf Vögel

2015
Not Just a Name

2021

Not Just a Name

2021
Not Just a Name explores and highlights the trials and tribulations of African-Americans with cultural and unique sounding names. It follows the stories of Shiquita Williams, Fulani Bahati, and Naauh'Mocquaii Robinson-Jones as they deal with micro-aggressions and the painful and triumphant origin of their identity as conveyed through their names.
When the Snake Bites the Sun

1985

When the Snake Bites the Sun

1985
A compelling account of the return by a group of dispossessed Aboriginal people to their ancient tribal grounds in the Northern outreaches of this continent.
REALFilm

1986

REALFilm

1986
This multimedia collage, which includes performances by pantomime artist and dancer Fine Kwiatkowski, painter and filmmaker Lutz Dammbeck and musician Robert Linke, is a reflection on the medium of film and its elements: sound, light and movement. Dammbeck’s goal is to cleanse these elements of ideology and commerce and compose a new film out of them. The process is played out in the space in real time.
Madame Pipi

2021

Madame Pipi

2021
Madame Pipi follows the personal journeys of female Haitian bathroom attendants in Miami’s hottest nightclubs and their support to Haiti through their tips.
Aguilucho: Dance of the Harpy Eagle

2021

Aguilucho: Dance of the Harpy Eagle

2021
The indigenous people of the Darién Gap rainforest work with conservationists to use their heritage and traditions to protect the endangered Harpy Eagle and, in turn, protect their community.
Yung Punx: A Punk Parable

2021

Yung Punx: A Punk Parable

2021
Don’t let the 8- to 12- year- old age range fool you: Color Killer, a head-banging punk group, can bring the noise! But can they overcome in-fighting and jealousies to ace their biggest live performance ever? SNL’s Chris Parnell “counsels” their supportive, roadie/manager parents as the film follows the band during the weeks leading up to The Warped Tour concert in this upbeat, hard-rocking doc that will delight families and music lovers alike.
Inhospitable

2022

Inhospitable

2022
Why are healthcare costs so high in the United States? Part of the problem lies with the business of hospitals, even those running as nonprofits. InHospitable follows patients and activists as they band together to fight a multi-billion dollar nonprofit hospital system in Pittsburgh that limits vital care for vulnerable patients. Filmmaker Sandra Alvarez explores the perspectives of patients, hospital workers, advocates, and politicians to shed light on an overlooked fight for justice.
Let Me Be Me

2022

Let Me Be Me

2022
This coming-of-age story focuses on Kyle Westphal, an isolated autistic boy who’s fascinated by fabric and emerges from an experimental autism treatment program to become a fashion designer. Westphal’s family looks back on twenty years of his development with candor and humor. The film combines observational footage, archival material, and animation to chronicle how a passion for fashion transformed Kyle and his family.
End of the Line

2021

End of the Line

2021
Explores the role of the MTA in New York City and the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had on the vital service it provides: transporting New York’s essential workers. The film acknowledges the decline of the subway infrastructure as a political issue and captures a tumultuous time that impacted every city in America. This film poses the question: what happens when the lifeline of a city goes flat?
Refuge

2023

Refuge

2023
In Clarkston, a small town in Georgia, a successful Kurdish doctor and a Muslim-hating white supremacist form an unlikely friendship. Against the backdrop of an exceptionally racially- diverse community, themes of xenophobia, Islamophobia, and forgiveness play out in an intimate and accessible way. Directors Din Blankenship and Erin Bernhard put the focus on understanding, resulting in a moving film with a lot of heart that moves the conversation on racial divisions towards healing.
My Name is Lopez

2021

My Name is Lopez

2021
Born in Dallas to undocumented Mexican immigrants, Trinidad Lopez III fought his way out of the ghetto with a guitar to become one of the first Latino rock stars.
Go Through the Dark

2021

Go Through the Dark

2021
Guanglin is a blind boy in China who displays great skill at the ancient board game called Go, in which two players place black and white pieces on a grid in an attempt to dominate their opponent. Raised by a single father with limited means, Guanglin faces deep societal prejudice against the blind. First-time filmmaker Yunhong Pu, supported by veteran producer Jean Tsien (76 Days), follows the father and son trying to make a better future for themselves.
Equal Playing Field

2022

Equal Playing Field

2022
30 female soccer players from 24 different countries summit Mount Kilimanjaro and descend to the Dead Sea, to play the highest and lowest soccer games ever played.
Malangan Labadama: A Tribute to Buk-Buk

1980

Malangan Labadama: A Tribute to Buk-Buk

1980
For the people of Mandak region, New Ireland,the most dramatic and complex ceremonial events are those surrounding death. The creation and presentation of the Malangan Labadama with its carved figures, masked dancers and feasting is the final tribute by three brothers to a deceased clansman and former leader.
The Path: Evolution

2016

The Path: Evolution

2016
The Path: Evolution is the third film of The Path Series trilogy and explores the theory that human beings are living in a virtual reality system similar to the rules of an assimilated video game. The filmmakers follow former NASA nuclear physicist, Thomas Campbell, as he shares his knowledge and the results of his research of consciousness, physics, metaphysics and morality to explain mind and matter, normal and paranormal, life, death, and purpose, with all of this logically flowing from the concept of reality as information. The Path: Evolution will undoubtedly challenge the viewer's current belief systems and leave a lasting impression on human beings to re-evaluate how they are behaving, treating others, and existing in the world.
Life, Unexpected

2021

Life, Unexpected

2021
Shot over 10 years in intimate, raw home footage by an Oscar-winning filmmaking couple, LIFE UNEXPECTED tells the story of the unforgiving roller coaster of bringing life into this world.
Honor Thy Mother

2021

Honor Thy Mother

2021
The untold story of 36 Aboriginal women from Canada and Native women from tribes in Washington and Alaska who migrated in the 1940s to Bainbridge Island, the traditional territory of the Suquamish people.
The Architecture Of Mud

1999

The Architecture Of Mud

1999
The Hadhramaut region in the south east of Yemen is well known for its mud brick architecture. Throughout the centuries, the population has developed very sophisticated building techniques and created a unique architectural environment. Spectacular structures such as ten-story mud brick tower houses rise up from the valley's floor. In interviews throughout the documentary, the masons describe their working techniques and the challenges they face with the introduction of new, imported building materials. The Architecture of Mud documents the vernacular architecture, the building craft and the society they belong to.