Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 278

Zydeco

1984

Zydeco

1984
Shot on location in rural Southwestern Louisiana, Zydeco combines cinema verite style footage, interviews and musical performance to present a colorful, joyful portrait of the zydeco musicians in their culture. Featuring Dolon Carriere, Armand Ardoin, and Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin. A film by Nicholas R. Spitzer. Color, 57 minutes.
Advertising at the Edge of the Apocalypse

2018

Advertising at the Edge of the Apocalypse

2018
In this highly anticipated sequel to his groundbreaking, ADVERTISING AND THE END OF THE WORLD, media scholar Sut Jhally explores the devastating personal and environmental fallout from advertising, commercial culture, and rampant American consumerism. Ranging from the emergence of the modern advertising industry in the early 20th century to the full-scale commercialization of the culture today, Jhally identifies one consistent message running throughout all of advertising: the idea that corporate brands and consumer goods are the keys to human happiness. He then shows how this powerful narrative, backed by billions of dollars a year and propagated by the best creative minds, has blinded us to the catastrophic costs of ever-accelerating rates of consumption.
The Navigators: Pathfinders of the Pacific

1983

The Navigators: Pathfinders of the Pacific

1983
In hand-built, double-hulled canoes sixty feet long, the ancestors of today's Polynesians sailed vast distances using only the waves, the stars, and the flights of birds to navigate. Anthropologist Sanford Low visits the Caroline Islands of Micronesia to meet Mau Piailug, the last navigator initiated on his island and one of few men still practicing this once-essential art. He demonstrates his skill by sailing a replica canoe 2500 miles from Hawaii to Tahiti with no modern navigational instruments.
My Nose

2007

My Nose

2007
This personal documentary reveals the complexities of a single woman living in a beauty-obsessed world with her original yet imperfect nose. It's a tale that anyone who has ever obsessed over their own "imperfection" will easily relate to MY NOSE explores filmmaker Gayle Kirschenbaum's mother's preoccupation with her nose, the intricacies of the mother/daughter relationship, and asks what drives people into the plastic surgeon's office. Will she live happily ever after with the nose I was born with? Will she end up having a nose job? And how will her decision affect their relationship? Official Selection at dozens of festivals including the Miami Jewish Film Festival and the UK Jewish Film Festival.
Monday's Girls

1993

Monday's Girls

1993
"Monday's Girls" explores the conflict between modern individualism and traditional communities in today's Africa through the eyes of two young Waikiriki women from the Niger delta. Although both come from leading families in the same large island town, Florence looks at the iria women's initiation ceremony as an honor, while Azikiwe, who has lived in the city for ten years, sees it as an indignity.
Who Owns the Past?

2000

Who Owns the Past?

2000
This documentary, narrated by Academy Award winner Linda Hunt and directed by Jed Riffe, tells the story of how the discovery of a 9,000-year-old skeleton on the banks of the Columbia River near Kennewick, Washington, reignited the conflict between anthropologists and Native peoples over the control of human remains found on ancestral Indigenous lands.
Right to Harm

2019

Right to Harm

2019
An exposé on the public health impact of factory farming across the United States, told through the eyes of residents in five rural communities. When pushed to their limit, these citizens turned activists band together to demand justice.
St. Paul's Cathedral

1943

St. Paul's Cathedral

1943
A stately film about the history of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, with a focus on the architecture and individuals buried there, and the impact of the Blitz.
The Invisible Heart

2018

The Invisible Heart

2018
An unorthodox marriage between capitalism and charity, 'The Invisible Heart' tracks a social innovation that promises to solve society's most intractable problems. Social impact bonds are making strange bedfellows — social workers and Wall Street bankers, the homeless and venture capitalists, conservative and liberal politicians. From the halls of power to society's struggling underclass, this film follows an unusual cast of characters as they confront the ethical questions at the heart of an international revolution using profit motivation to rectify social inequality.
Khartoum Offside

2019

Khartoum Offside

2019
A group of exceptional young ladies in Khartoum are determined to play football professionally. They are prepared to defy the ban imposed by Sudan's Islamic Military government and they will not take no for an answer. Their battle to get officially recognized as Sudan's National Woman's team is fearless, courageous and often laughable. But their struggle is unwavering. Through the intimate portrait of these women over a number of years we follow their moments of hope and deception. Despite the National Football Federation getting FIFA funds earmarked for the women's teams, this team continues to be marginalized. However, there is a new spark of hope when the elections within the federation could mean real change of the entire system.
Beauty & Decay

2019

Beauty & Decay

2019
Sven Marquardt might be the most famous bouncer worldwide. But beside standing in front of the legendary techno club Berghain in Berlin, he is also a well-known and skilled photographer. Long before the Berlin Wall came down, Marquardt portrayed the subcultural East-Berlin scene. His black and white photography illustrates it as voluptuous, laid-back, dirty and existential. Even if shot by daylight, his work is permeated by darkness, ecstasy and night.
To Err Is Human: A Patient Safety Documentary

2019

To Err Is Human: A Patient Safety Documentary

2019
The #3 leading cause of death in the United States is its own health care system. 1.7 million Americans experience a preventable mistake during medical care, and these mistakes lead to many as 440,000 deaths annually. Directed by the son of late patient safety pioneer, Dr. John M. Eisenberg, To Err Is Human is an in-depth documentary about this silent epidemic and those working quietly behind the scenes to create a new age of patient safety. Through interviews with leaders in healthcare, footage of real-world efforts leading to safer care, and one family's compelling journey from victim to empowerment, the film provides a unique look at the future of our healthcare system's ongoing fight against preventable harm.
Why Can't I Be Me? Around You

2019

Why Can't I Be Me? Around You

2019
Rusty, a male race enthusiast, decides at 53 to get breasts. His father cuts his pay, his motorcycle friends abandon him and the women he dates all reject him. Rusty pursues her new identity and only hopes to gain acceptance from others.
Museum Town

2019

Museum Town

2019
A rural American town suffering economically from factory closures finds an unconventional route to recovery with the help of MASS MoCA.
Arrows of Fire

2010

Arrows of Fire

2010
A father, his adult son, and two mates head off on a journey to discover the grittiest, most beautiful bush the country has to offer. Yet what they find is something they were not prepared for, confronting their own mortality. Arrows of Fire is more than just a chronicle of a picturesque ride in the Australian Outback. It takes four men on a journey into their physical and mental limits on their quest for life through adventure.
The Swamp

2019

The Swamp

2019
The history of the Florida Everglades and the efforts to reclaim, control and preserve the vast area once viewed as a wasteland.
Black, White & Us

2019

Black, White & Us

2019
Explores racism in America through the lives of four white families who adopt African American children and must overcome their own inherent biases to become advocates. Is there a way to fix our country's racial divide? These transracial adoptive families just might provide the answer.
Steve McQueen: Man on the Edge

1990

Steve McQueen: Man on the Edge

1990
Abandoned by his father, he was a reform school kid with nothing going for him and a giant chip on his shoulder. He joined the Marines but never stayed far from trouble. Then he discovered acting — and the woman who would be with him for most of his meteoric career. He was Steve McQueen, one of Hollywood's highest paid stars — and one of its most difficult, most rebellious and, when he wished, most charming.
A Thousand Mothers

2016

A Thousand Mothers

2016
Set at an ancient nunnery above the majestic Irrawaddy River, A THOUSAND MOTHERS is an unprecedented look at the lives of Buddhist nuns in Sagaing, Myanmar.
The Sensual Nature of Sound: 4 Composers Laurie Anderson, Tania Leon, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros

1993

The Sensual Nature of Sound: 4 Composers Laurie Anderson, Tania Leon, Meredith Monk, Pauline Oliveros

1993
The Sensual Nature of Sound portrays four New York based composers and performers in terms of their musical lives and artistic passion. Though Laurie Anderson, Tania Leon, Meredith Monk and Pauline Oliveros are all pioneers in American music, each composer pursues a distinct direction of her own. Their rehearsals and performances show a common pursuit of lyrical storytelling through which a new set of contemporary narratives has been forged. Through body, sound, movement and composition, these women have forged their own path through the wild world of modern music.