Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 307

A Dog's Life: A Dogamentary

2004

A Dog's Life: A Dogamentary

2004
A Dog's Life: A Dogamentary, a wacky and poignant documentary about the positive effects of the bond between dogs and humans, told through the story of Gayle Kirschenbaum and her dog Chelsea. Chelsea rigged with a "doggie cam", this couple hit the streets of NY looking for love. 9/11 happens. Chelsea emerges as a healing force as a therapy dog.
We Were German Jews

1981

We Were German Jews

1981
In 1943 Herbert and Lotte Strauss made the courageous decision to escape from Germany and almost certain extermination in a Nazi concentration camp. This is a personal account of their dramatic flight, building a new life in the United States, and coming to terms with the Holocaust. "We Were German Jews" grapples with the torment of living with the legacy of the Holocaust. The film chronicles Herbert and Lotte Strauss' return visit to Germany. They were not trying to assuage any sense of guilt over having survived; they wanted to confront the past by going back to where they had lived before the onslaught that claimed most of their relatives. This understated, very personal story adds significantly to the body of evidence that explores human behavior in the face of genocide and insists that we remember the past and learn from it.
La cigüeña metálica

2013

La cigüeña metálica

2013
Ana Lilian, Ricardo and Blanca tell about their lives from the moment in which they became missing kids of the Salvador War until present days.
To Be Heard

2011

To Be Heard

2011
A verité film intimately shot over four years, To Be Heard is the story of three teens from the South Bronx whose struggle to change their lives begins with writing poetry. As writing and reciting become vehicles for their expressions of love, friendship, frustration, and hope, these three youngsters emerge as accomplished self-aware artists, who use their creativity to alter their circumstances.
Maestra

2012

Maestra

2012
Cuba, 1961: 250,000 volunteers taught 700,000 people to read and write in one year. 100,000 of the teachers were under 18 years old. Over half were women. MAESTRA explores this story through the personal testimonies of the young women who went out to teach literacy in rural communities across the island - and found themselves deeply transformed in the process.
War Zone

1998

War Zone

1998
Maggie Hadleigh-West walks crowded urban streets carrying a video camera and microphone, trailed by one or two women also with cameras. Whenever a man harasses her, with ogling or words, she turns the camera on him, moves in close, and questions his behavior.
The Last to Know

1981

The Last to Know

1981
Via New Day Films: "Nearly one half of the estimated ten million alcoholics in the country are women, yet their special problems are totally ignored. Concealed by families, protected by friends and physicians, these women are kept invisible. They themselves are often The Last to Know. This extraordinary film speaks directly to these women by sensitively focusing on four intimate stories and shows how the medical community, the media and the values of society at large actually perpetuate alcoholism and prescription drug abuse in women."
Dear Governor Cuomo

2012

Dear Governor Cuomo

2012
'Dear Governor Cuomo' is a concert protest film aimed at influencing New York state's decision to ban hydraulic fracturing - fracking - or adopt it. Featuring local activists including Mark Ruffalo, 'Melissa Leo' , 'Natalie Merchant' , Pete Seeger, Citizen Cope and scientists like Sandra Steingraber, the film - a blend of 'The Last Waltz' and 'An Inconvenient Truth' lays out the science and facts behind the decision and encourages the governor to join the anti-fracking majority in his state. Though focused on the issue in New York, the education, and incredible music, are relevant in the 34 states that already allow fracking.
Bajarí

2013

Bajarí

2013
Flamenco is one of the world's few art forms that is believed to be passed down exclusively through bloodlines. For Barcelona's Gypsy community, it cannot be learned at a school or on paper. It is lived within the home, created at the bar and perfected on the street corner. Bajari goes to all those places with the dancer Karime Amaya-who is working with some of the most talented up-and-coming musicians and dancers to create an innovative show-and little 5-year old Juanito Manzano who takes his first steps to dance in it and earn his white flamenco boots. Their experiences form a journey of discovery of this living tradition and create an intimate portrait of how flamenco's legacy is kept alive within Barcelona's tight-knit Gypsy community.
Brazil: An Inconvenient History

2000

Brazil: An Inconvenient History

2000
At first glance Brazil appears to be an alluring playground of exciting carnivals, sultry samba, divine football and a vibrantly diverse people. But behind this dazzling facade lies a disturbing story of history’s largest-ever slave population. Astonishingly Brazil, a Portuguese colony, received ten-times more African slaves than the numbers transported to North America. This programme looks at those estimated 4 million people with whose blood, sweat and tears Brazil was built. Without them none of Brazil’s present-day success and appeal would exist. Using contemporary testimonies, this film takes a hard look at Brazil s dark history through the eyes of those slaves. They lived in squalid conditions on remote plantations or in teeming cities harboring fatal diseases. Most Africans survived only seven years in this ‘New World’.
Bach in Auschwitz

1999

Bach in Auschwitz

1999
A documentary about an orchestra comprised of female prisoners in Auschwitz.
The United States of Autism

2013

The United States of Autism

2013
Follow one man's 11,000 mile, 40 day journey across the American landscape to visit twenty families and individuals affected by autism while searching for answers for his own son. With interviews from around the nation that include the widest spectrum of backgrounds - each conducted in the participants' original language - the film weaves a broad and compelling tapestry across the spectrum of American life in all its faiths, disparities, colors, and cultures. What he learns along the way will change not only his life, but the lives of those he meets, forever. It's a story about the best days that still lie ahead for our nation, the families, and the people who give America its heart.
Circle the Wagen

2013

Circle the Wagen

2013
Circle The Wagen is a feature-length buddy/road-trip/docu-dramedy that follows Dave, an idealistic adventurer and automotive ne'er-do-well, and his convivial co-pilot Charlie on their journey down Route 66 in a baby blue 1972 VW bus. Through mishaps and murals, gasoline baths and breakdowns the two discover a teeming underground of vintage VW diehards willing to help save "The Croc" from the scrap heap and rally her beleaguered owner on to California.
White Wash

2011

White Wash

2011
Documentary that exploring the complexity of race in America through the struggle and triumph of black surfers. This controversial and probing film looks deep into America's painful and pervasive legacy of slavery and exclusion.
Soul in the Sea

2013

Soul in the Sea

2013
The true story of one woman's quest to befriend and protect and extroverted wild dolphin, Moko. Filmed in the 6 months leading up to Moko's death, Soul in the Sea follows a journey of discovery, devastating loss, and resolution. It's a love story with a difference; breaking through the invisible wall between people and animals, celebrating the incredible experience of friendship with a lone wild dolphin, and questioning whether we are truly aware of these souls in the sea. The greatest friendships can come out of the blue...
Griefwalker

2008

Griefwalker

2008
Documentary about Harvard-trained theologian Stephen Jenkinson, a grief counselor who teaches that death empowers us to live and that we must not only accept death but embrace it.
The Forest for the Trees

2005

The Forest for the Trees

2005
Story of the fight to clear activist Judi Bari's name after her car was bombed and she was arrested as a terrorist by the Oakland police. Convinced the FBI conspired to discredit her and her organization, Judi decided to sue.
Master Qi and the Monkey King

2010

Master Qi and the Monkey King

2010
Master Qi and the Monkey King explores the life and work of the preeminent master of Chinese Opera living in the United States. Qi Shu Fang was a household name in China due to her feature role in one of the Cultural Revolution Opera films, and traveled the world to show off her mastery of the art form. The film explores the reasons why Ms. Qi, her husband and a whole troupe of Chinese Opera performers have moved to the United States to transplant their art form to a foreign culture.
When the Drum Is Beating

2011

When the Drum Is Beating

2011
The 20-member band Septentrional has been making music for 62 years as Haiti's most celebrated big band. This inspirational doc charts the history of Haiti from its independence from French colonialism to 2010's devastating earthquake-all set to the vibrant music of Septentrional and punctuated with personal memories.
Sentenced Home

2006

Sentenced Home

2006
This film is a gripping documentary exploration that humanizes the United States' tragically flawed immigration policy. The film follows the story of 3 Cambodian-American immigrants living in Seattle (who came as children in the early 80s, when a multitude of Cambodian refugees were given housing in the city's projects) whose teenage rebellions catch up with them in a horrific way.