Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 39

Why We Fight: The Battle of Britain

1943

Why We Fight: The Battle of Britain

1943
6.7
The fourth of Frank Capra's Why We Fight series of seven propaganda films, which made the case for fighting and winning the Second World War. It was released in 1943 and concentrated on the German bombardment of the United Kingdom in anticipation of Operation Sea Lion, the planned German invasion.
Kimjongilia

2009

Kimjongilia

2009
6.2
The first film to fully expose the humanitarian crisis of North Korea, this stylish, deeply moving documentary is centered around astonishing interviews with survivors of North Korea's vast and largely hidden prison camps, and interspersed with archival footage of North Korean propoganda films and original art performances.
Black Gold

2006

Black Gold

2006
6.4
An in-depth look at the world of coffee and global trade.
Boxing Gym

2010

Boxing Gym

2010
6.6
Explores the world of a boxing gym in Austin, Texas, dwelling on the discipline of training as people from all walks of life aspire to reach their personal best.
Cannes Man

1996

Cannes Man

1996
5.2
Film producer Sy Lerner makes a bet with a fellow film executive that he can turn any nobody into a star at the Cannes Film Festival. A New York cab driver who is visiting the festival is chosen as the test subject to settle the bet and Sy uses his skills of hype and manipulation to try and turn the cab driver named Frank into the talk of the town. Many celebrities make cameos throughout the film.
Sergio

2009

Sergio

2009
7.7
Charismatic, charming and complex, Sérgio Vieira de Mello was the world's go-to guy, a man who could descend into the most dangerous places, charm the worst war criminals, and somehow protect the lives of the ordinary people to whom he'd devoted his life. The documentary tells the story of his most treacherous mission ever... a mission in which his own life hangs in the balance.
Winter Soldier

1972

Winter Soldier

1972
8.1
For three days in 1971, former US soldiers who were in Vietnam testify in Detroit about their war experiences. Nearly 30 speak, describing atrocities personally committed or witnessed, telling of inaccurate body counts, and recounting the process of destroying a village.
Emma and Eddie: A Working Couple

2024

Emma and Eddie: A Working Couple

2024
5.5
Emma and Eddie live two lives: one on social media and one in real life. The webcam couple is out to save their marriage by starting their own adult web-studio in Eastern Europe.
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus

2023

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus

2023
7.8
"Ars longa, vita brevis" – art is long, life is short. This is one of Japanese music icon Ryuichi Sakamoto's favorite quotes, and the message that he leaves for viewers at the end of his final concert film, shot before he succumbed to cancer in March 2023. Consisting of only Sakamoto and his piano, Opus features the final live performances of 20 songs that Sakamoto meticulously curated to encapsulate his distinguished 40-year career.
My Old School

2022

My Old School

2022
6.8
In 1993, 16-year-old Brandon Lee enrolled at Bearsden Academy, a secondary school in a well-to-do suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. What followed over the next two years would become the stuff of legend.
The Phantom

2021

The Phantom

2021
6.2
Carlos DeLuna was arrested in 1993 aged 21 for the murder of Wanda Lopez, and protested his innocence until his execution, declaring that it was another Carlos who committed the crime.
Closed for Storm

2020

Closed for Storm

2020
6.2
The story of Six Flags New Orleans, a theme park devastated by Hurricane Katrina that has become a holy grail of sorts for urban exploration and the efforts to restore the park to its former glory.
Fat Fiction

2020

Fat Fiction

2020
6.5
Leading health experts examine the history of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines and question decades of dietary advice insisting that saturated fats are bad for us.
Sisters with Transistors

2021

Sisters with Transistors

2021
6.9
Think of early electronic music and you’ll likely see men pushing buttons, knobs, and boundaries. While electronic music is often perceived as a boys' club, the truth is that from the very beginning women have been integral in inventing the devices, techniques and tropes that would define the shape of sound for years to come.
Pretending I'm a Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story

2020

Pretending I'm a Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story

2020
6.4
The story of the skaters and developers who came together to create one of the best-selling games of all time, changing the skateboarding scene and pop culture forever.
Manson: Music from an Unsound Mind

2019

Manson: Music from an Unsound Mind

2019
6.7
The untold story of Charles Manson's obsession to become a rock star, his rise in the LA music scene, the celebrities who championed his music, his tragic friendship with The Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson and his descent into violence and chaos once his dreams fell apart.
Salvador Dalí: In Search of Immortality

2018

Salvador Dalí: In Search of Immortality

2018
7.1
The documentary proposes an exhaustive journey through the life and work of Salvador Dalí, and also of Gala, his muse and collaborator. It starts in 1929, a crucial year in Dalí's career and life, as he joined the surrealist group and met Gala, and advances until the year of the artist's death in 1989.
Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records

2018

Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records

2018
6.7
This stylish documentary about the iconic ska, reggae and rock-steady label is a timely and wide-ranging celebration of british Jamaican working-class youth culture.
Social Animals

2018

Social Animals

2018
5.9
A daredevil photographer, an aspiring swimsuit model, and a midwest girl next door are all looking for the same things from their Instagram accounts––a little love, acceptance and, of course, fame––and they’ll do just about anything to get it.
The Sentence

2018

The Sentence

2018
6.8
Cindy Shank, mother of three, is serving a 15-year sentence in federal prison for her tangential involvement with a Michigan drug ring years earlier. This intimate portrait of mandatory minimum drug sentencing's devastating consequences, captured by Cindy's brother, follows her and her family over the course of ten years.