Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 254

Open Sesame: The Story of Seeds

2014

Open Sesame: The Story of Seeds

2014
One of the world's most precious resources is at risk. This film will help others learn what is at stake and what can be done to protect the source of nearly all our food: SEEDS. While the price of gold and oil skyrockets the fate of our most priceless commodity is ignored. Seeds provide the basis for everything from fabric, to food to fuels. They are as essential to life as the air we breathe or water we drink... but given far less attention. Over the past one hundred years, seeds have steadily shifted from being common heritage to sovereign property. This film tells the story of seeds by following the challenges and triumphs of some of their most tireless stewards and advocates.
Elephant Whisperer

2012

Elephant Whisperer

2012
Sangduen Chailert, or Lek, as she is generally known, has already rescued over 200 elephants. She has dedicated her life to saving the Asian elephant and founded a special camp, The Elephant Nature Park to protect them. We follow this winner of Time Magazine’s “Asian Hero of the Year” Award in her work. Lek is on a mission to save the Asian elephant in her native Thailand. This film looks at the plight of the Asian elephant, as it goes from being a widely used domestic animal, to becoming a burden on modernizing communities. With experts predicting its extinction within four decades, Lek’s work is needed now more than ever and she has gathered a large group of supporters and volunteers in her quest for a better future for the Asian elephant. This moving film demonstrates Lek’s natural understanding of and rapport with these huge animals and will stir the viewers emotions as it highlights the often desperate state some elephants are kept in.
Beyond Elections: Redefining Democracy in the Americas

2008

Beyond Elections: Redefining Democracy in the Americas

2008
From the communal councils of Venezuela to constitutional assemblies, grassroots movements and cooperatives, filmmakers Silvia Leindecker and Michael Fox explore the many incarnations of democracy across the Americas. The documentary examines democracy in nations such as Brazil, Colombia and Canada, and features interviews with journalists, cooperative and community members, elected representatives, academics and activists.
Jan Vermeer: Light Love and Silence

2006

Jan Vermeer: Light Love and Silence

2006
Not much is known about Jan Vermeer. He only produced around 35 works of art, yet they made him immortal. He was born in Delft and never left the town; he married there, worked as an art-dealer and died in debt. Michael Gill delves into the master's world and talks about the camera obscura and Vermeer's interest in science and cartography. Together with experts, he explores Vermeer's secrets of perspective, space, allegory and symbolic relationships in his works.
It Was a Wonderful Life

1993

It Was a Wonderful Life

1993
Documentary - They're clean, educated, articulate and rarely receive public assistance. But following a divorce, job loss or a long illness, a growing number of middle-class women are forced to live out of their cars. Directed by Michèle Ohayon (Colors Straight Up) and narrated by Jodie Foster, It Was a Wonderful Life chronicles the hardships and triumphs of six "hidden homeless" women as they struggle to survive, one day at a time. - Jodie Foster, Lou Hall, Reena Sands
In the Name of Democracy

2009

In the Name of Democracy

2009
The first officer in the United States Army to refuse deployment to Iraq on moral grounds, and attempts to clarify the issues that prompted Lt. Watada to choose the course he did in order to protest an immoral and, to him, unconstitutional war.
Code Yellow: Hospital at Ground Zero

2002

Code Yellow: Hospital at Ground Zero

2002
CODE YELLOW: HOSPITAL AT GROUND ZERO is a feature documentary, produced in association with NYU Downtown Hospital, narrated by Brian Dennehy, and written by Dennis Watlington and Dr. Antonio Dejar, which tells the story of the remarkable medical response of the hospital closest to Ground Zero on 9/11.
Casting About

2005

Casting About

2005
Documentary - CASTING ABOUT is a lyrical, feature documentary that explores the captivating experience of casting actors. From the point of view of a filmmaker, we see and hear many of the 350 actresses who audition for three roles in a dramatic film. CASTING ABOUT includes footage from audition sessions held in Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, and Los Angeles - weaving together actor interviews, monologues, and scene work to create an impressionistic collage of the casting experience. - Wendy Elizabeth Abraham, Mädchen Amick, Jeannette Arndt
Desert Heart

2008

Desert Heart

2008
After 40 years in exile, Yulparitja elders take Daniel Walbidi, their most promising young artist, back to the desert heartland they left behind. In the remote Aboriginal community of Bidyadanga a new art movement has emerged. At its helm is a young Aboriginal man who is well on the way to international fame and possible fortune. Daniel Walbidi paints the desert country that his parents walked out of 40 years ago. Now, with the rock holes, sandhills and salt lakes of their country revitalized through the creation of the paintings, they are determined to go back and show Daniel their desert country for the first time.
Genetically Modified Food: Panacea or Poison

2005

Genetically Modified Food: Panacea or Poison

2005
In the last thirty years global demand for food has doubled. In a race to feed the planet, scientists have discovered how to manipulate DNA, the blueprint of life, and produce what they claim are stronger, more disease-resistant crops. However, fears that genetically modified food many not be safe for humans or the environment has sparked violent protest.
Gold Star Children

2011

Gold Star Children

2011
A cross-generational story of how the gold star children of Vietnam are mentoring the gold star children from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a one hour film of resilience, hope and the power of sharing.
A Promise to My Father

2013

A Promise to My Father

2013
We re-trace the steps of Holocaust survivor Israel Arbeiter as he returns to Poland and Germany for the final time to look for items buried in 1939 in the basement of his old home in Plock, Poland as the German army advanced. We also travel with "Izzy" to Treblinka death camp where his parents and younger brother were murdered and to other camps, most notably Auschwitz-Birkenau, where "Izzy" used the motivation of his father's final words to him to stay alive.
Blood Antiquities

2009

Blood Antiquities

2009
The European art trade, synonymous with wealth and glamour, has always involved a degree of stolen and smuggled art. Now, Afghanistan's rich cultural heritage is financing terrorism and the Taliban. From Afghans scrabbling in the sand for treasures, to the dazzling show rooms of unscrupulous dealers and private collectors - 'Blood Antiques' uncovers one of the most outrageous illegal trades since blood diamonds.
The Oyler House: Richard Neutra's Desert Retreat

2012

The Oyler House: Richard Neutra's Desert Retreat

2012
In 1959, a government employee named Richard Oyler, living in the tiny desert town of Lone Pine, California, asked world-famous modern architect Richard Neutra to design his modest family home. To Oyler's surprise, Neutra agreed. Thus began an unlikely friendship that led to the design and construction of an iconic mid-century modern masterpiece.
BAM150

2012

BAM150

2012
A captivating history of the nation's oldest performing arts center - which largely mirrors the evolution of experimental and progressive performing arts in 20th century America - BAM150 chronicles the vibrant past, present and future of the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Through footage of recent performances, intimate interviews, and an astonishing treasure trove of 150 years' worth of archival materials, BAM150 is a testament to the power and stamina of the institution that established Brooklyn as a cultural mecca-serving as a home to such greats as Enrico Caruso, Sarah Bernhardt, Edwin Booth, Merce Cunningham, Robert Wilson, Mark Morris, Laurie Anderson, and Pina Bausch.
T'Ain't Nobody's Bizness: Queer Blues Divas of the 1920s

2013

T'Ain't Nobody's Bizness: Queer Blues Divas of the 1920s

2013
The 1920s saw a revolution in technology, the advent of the recording industry, that created the first class of African-American women to sing their way to fame and fortune. Blues divas such as Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Alberta Hunter created and promoted a working-class vision of blues life that provided an alternative to the Victorian gentility of middle-class manners. In their lives and music, blues women presented themselves as strong, independent women who lived hard lives and were unapologetic about their unconventional choices in clothes, recreational activities, and bed partners. Blues singers disseminated a Black feminism that celebrated emotional resilience and sexual pleasure, no matter the source.
Munich: At Its Best

2005

Munich: At Its Best

2005
Documentary - Oktoberfest and chic set; high tech museums and lederhosen. The Capital of Bavaria is both modern and old fashioned, busy and relaxed. A true local shows you the musts. Take 45 minutes time for 11 strolls. Next time you visit Munich you might want to follow one or the other of them on your own.
American Crusaders

2007

American Crusaders

2007
Documentary - A harrowing exploration of the rapid rise of American religious fanaticism after 9/11. This film explores an emerging ultra Right Wing mass movement seeking dominion over all aspects of contemporary American society. The film weaves archival video, contemporary Christian Nationalist movement propaganda (recruiting videos, apocalyptic/military videogame imagery, etc.) and original investigative material) to create an intense examination of the totalistic mindset and its will to power.
Last Woman Standing

2013

Last Woman Standing

2013
In this thrilling doc, two world champion women boxers and former friends must face each other in the ring for a chance to win gold at the 2012 Olympics.
Through the Wire

1990

Through the Wire

1990
Documentary - A secret political prison unit in the USA? In 1986, a controversial high security unit was opened in an underground chamber of Kentucky's federal prison. Its three female prisoners received sentences of unprecedented length for nonviolent crimes. - Susan Sarandon, Dean Irby