Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 301

The Return of Rubén Blades

1985

The Return of Rubén Blades

1985
Robert Mugge's 1986 film provides a full-blooded portrait of the Latino singer, actor, bandleader, and composer. Blades' Panama homeland, his Harvard Master's degree, and a New York performance with his band Seis de Solar all serve as stops on this biographical journey.
The Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls

1999

The Secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls

1999
Even as scientists work diligently to authenticate the Dead Sea Scrolls, a historical and momentous find for archaeologists, questions surface about their true origin. Who wrote them? Did they truly know Jesus? And what do the scrolls mean for modern-day Christianity? This riveting documentary aims to find the answers to these and many other questions and shares new information about this important archaeological artifact.
O Retorno

2008

O Retorno

2008
In 1958, Rodolfo Nanni made the documentary "O Drama das Secas" (The Drama of Droughts) in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil. Half a century later, the director returns to the northeast, following the same route as his previous film. Now, he addresses not only the difficulties faced by small farmers, who continue to face enormous challenges, but also examines the issue of global climate change and its devastating consequences.
Duane Michals: The Man Who Invented Himself

2014

Duane Michals: The Man Who Invented Himself

2014
Portrait of an artist who has marked the history of contemporary photography with his images in sequences where gravity and humor and even writing are mixed. Through the emblematic themes of his work, such as love, desire, death or immortality, this film proposes to revisit the places that have marked him: Pittsburgh, the flagship city of the steel industry, the city of his childhood and his first discoveries; New York, where he has been living for many years with his companion Frédéric, a city that symbolizes encounters and desire; and finally Vermont, for the nature, the seasons and the disused hotel where he works. These places bring out the artist's fantasy, humor and emotion. Duane Michals is a young man of 80 years, with a great freedom of spirit and vitality, his enthusiasm is contagious and this film is a reflection of it.
Fight Like a Girl

2013

Fight Like a Girl

2013
Follow Jill Morley as she delves inside the world of female boxers. Real emotional histories and traumas bubble up, fleshing out a compelling story about women overcoming adversity.
The Line: Poverty in America

2014

The Line: Poverty in America

2014
Emmy Award-winning producer Linda Midgett shows us in this groundbreaking documentary a new face of poverty in America. About 50 million people in the United States live below the poverty line (In 2014- $23,850 for a family of 4) and one in four American children lives in poverty. But what is poverty in America? What defines "the line" and how can the church and community make a difference?
Every Child is Born a Poet

2002

Every Child is Born a Poet

2002
Before acclaimed author Piri Thomas could write his famous novel "Down These Mean Streets", he had to live on them. This biopic shows how his childhood in Spanish Harlem, a six-year prison stint and other key events shaped his artistic development. The film combines rarely seen footage, still photos and mixed-media images to illustrate Thomas's life and an influential career that focused on revealing the injustices of poverty and racism.
Bix: Ain't None of Them Play Like Him Yet

1982

Bix: Ain't None of Them Play Like Him Yet

1982
Through interviews, archival footage, photos and classic tunes, learn about the remarkable career and troubled life of legendary jazz cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, who influenced countless musicians before alcoholism lead to his premature death. Close friends and associates such as Hoagy Carmichael, Charlie David and Louis Armstrong share their memories of Bix's abilities, playing style and personality.
Project Censored the Movie

2013

Project Censored the Movie

2013
'Project Censored: The Movie' explores media censorship in our society by exposing important stories that corporate media fails to report/under report. Using the media watchdog group, Project Censored, as their road map, two fathers from California decided to make a documentary film that will help to end the reign of Junk Food News that Corporate Media continues to feed the American people.
Land Mines: A Love Story

2005

Land Mines: A Love Story

2005
Habiba and Shah who, because of the wars fought in Afghanistan over the past 25 years, have experienced immense suffering, but who have survived to show how it is possible to be brave and moral in this world of sanctioned violence and lies. Shah, a former Mujaheddin soldier and land mine victim, works as a cobbler on the pavements of the ruined city of Kabul. One day, he noticed a pretty Tajik girl who had only one leg, and he began to court her. Amidst the chaos and violence, and despite all the obstacles of tradition and religion, Shah and Habiba were able to marry.
Arresting Power: Resisting Police Violence in Portland, Oregon

2015

Arresting Power: Resisting Police Violence in Portland, Oregon

2015
Media artists and social activists Jodi Darby, Julie Perini, and Erin Yanke’s film speaks to the history of police violence in our society, providing a framework for understanding the systems of social control in Portland and its history of exclusion laws, racial profiling, redlining, and gentrification practices. Through conversations with community leaders that include Walidah Imarisha, author of the “Oregon Black History Timeline,” JoAnn Hardesty, and Rev. LeRoy Haynes of the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition for Justice & Police Reform, Dan Handelman of Portland Copwatch, and Kent Ford, founder of the Portland Chapter of the Black Panther Party, the filmmakers explore alternatives to current policing practices and consider strategies for community safety that do not employ constant surveillance and unneeded violence.
Foreign Puzzle

2019

Foreign Puzzle

2019
Foreign Puzzle is an intimate documentary that captures the journey of an inspiring Mexican American dancer as she communicates the impermanence of life through dance while juggling the roles of a recently divorced parent of a 6-year-old, a choreographer and a primary school teacher amidst intensive treatments for breast cancer.
Beaverland

2014

Beaverland

2014
Derek and Giorgia, a young couple of biologists, settles in the hostile Tierra del Fuego to study and combat the devastating beaver plague that destructs the area. This violent mission is a unique scenario for their love story.
Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North

2008

Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North

2008
A descendant of the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history, filmmaker Katrina Browne explores the contemporary legacy of slavery by traveling with fellow descendents from Rhode Island to Ghana and Cuba, retracing the Triangle Trade route. Along the way, Browne and her companions meet with similarly interested travelers and discover the considerable importance slavery once had for Northern commerce.
Norman Rockwell: An American Portrait

2002

Norman Rockwell: An American Portrait

2002
Biography of the American Painter and Illustrator, Norman Rockwell.
Trouble Behind

1991

Trouble Behind

1991
During World War I, African-Americans worked on the railroad near Corbin, Kentucky. When whites returned from the war, there was conflict. Whites sought their former jobs and positions in the community. In 1919, a race riot occurred. Whites put the African-Americans on railroad cars and ran them out of town. In Trouble Behind, members of the Corbin community speak out on the issue. The filmmakers also interview former members of the Corbin, which at the time of filming had only one black family. Some Corbin residents express confusion as to why African-Americans don't move back. Others openly use racial epithets. Some young adults seem troubled by the racism, past and present. Others don't.
She Is the Matador

2009

She Is the Matador

2009
Ella es el Matador (She is the Matador) is a character driven documentary about two women who choose the profession of bullfighting. Eva Florencia is a novice originally from Italy and Maripaz Vega is the only active professional female matador in the world. Following these women over the span of seven years, the viewer gains rare insights into their world. While these women pursue the same dream as their male counterparts - the glory of dominating the beast - they are forced to fight not only against the bull but also against decades of legal prohibition and prejudice. The historical struggle, from the beginning of the 20th century to the present, is shown through archival footage and brief interviews with historians and background female matadors.
Paraiso For Sale

2011

Paraiso For Sale

2011
In a case of indigenism verses corporate greed, this compelling documentary chronicles the ongoing battle between the locals of Panama's Bocas del Toro and the commercial developers and migrating Americans who have seized upon the tropical paradise.
The Charge of the Anzacs

2014

The Charge of the Anzacs

2014
In 1917 Australian Light Horse soldiers claimed one of the greatest ever cavalry charged victories in history. Some 95 years later, 40 Australians retraced their footsteps in living detail – from the foothills of the pyramids to the treacherous expanse of ANZAC Cove. Incorporating archival footage from the Australian War Memorial, interviews with historians, experts and authors, The Charge of The ANZACS is a detailed documentary account of Australia and New Zealand’s equine involvement in WWI. Following the Australian Light Horse Association’s attempt to re-enact the monumental journey, they commemorate the anniversary of the charge of Beersheba and explore the extraordinary lives of many fallen heroes.
The Man from Coxs River

2014

The Man from Coxs River

2014
Can a mission to save a mob of brumbies in an inaccessible wilderness bring fiercely independent horseman and feral control National Parks Ranger to see the world through each other's eyes?