Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 43

Garbo: The Spy

2009

Garbo: The Spy

2009
7.1
A compelling account of Juan Pujol, an extraordinary Spanish double agent during WWII who helped change the course of history.
The Elephant in the Living Room

2010

The Elephant in the Living Room

2010
6.5
A film about the controversial world of exotic animal ownership within the suburbs of the United States. "The Elephant in the Living Room" offers an unprecedented glimpse into the fascinating subculture of trading and raising the most deadly and exotic animals in the world as common household pets.
Mugabe and the White African

2009

Mugabe and the White African

2009
6.7
Short-listed as one of the 15 best documentaries of the year, Mugabe And The White African is the story of one family's astonishing bravery as they fight to protect their property, their livelihood and their country. Mike Campbell is one of the few white farmers left in Zimbabwe since its leader, Robert Mugabe, enacted his disastrous land redistribution program. Once the breadbasket of Africa, Zimbabwe has since spiraled into chaos, the economy decimated as farms given to Mugabe cronies are run into ruin. After enduring years of intimidation and threats, Campbell decides to take action. Unable to call upon help from his country's authorities, he challenges Mugabe before an international court.
The Buddha

2010

The Buddha

2010
6.6
This documentary for PBS by award-winning filmmaker David Grubin and narrated by Richard Gere, tells the story of the Buddha’s life, a journey especially relevant to our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. It features the work of some of the world’s greatest artists and sculptors, who across two millennia, have depicted the Buddha’s life in art rich in beauty and complexity. Hear insights into the ancient narrative by contemporary Buddhists, including Pulitzer Prize winning poet W.S. Merwin and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Join the conversation and learn more about meditation, the history of Buddhism, and how to incorporate the Buddha’s teachings on compassion and mindfulness into daily life.
Sir! No Sir!

2005

Sir! No Sir!

2005
6.7
Sir! No Sir! is a documentary film about the anti-war movement within the ranks of the United States Military during the Vietnam War. It consists in part of interviews with Vietnam veterans explaining the reasons they protested the war or even defected. The film tells the story of how, from the very start of the war, there was resentment within the ranks over the difference between the conflict in Vietnam and the "good wars" that their fathers had fought. Over time, it became apparent that so many were opposed to the war that they could speak of a movement.
Cuban Rafters

2002

Cuban Rafters

2002
6.3
The story of Cuban refugees who risked their lives in homemade rafts to reach the United States, and what life is like for those who succeed.
The Living Sea

1995

The Living Sea

1995
7.1
The Living Sea celebrates the beauty and power of the ocean as it explores our relationship with this complex and fragile environment. Using beautiful images of unspoiled healthy waters, The Living Sea offers hope for recovery engendered by productive scientific efforts. Oceanographers studying humpback whales, jellyfish, and deep-sea life show us that the more we understand the ocean and its inhabitants, the more we will know how to protect them. The film also highlights the Central Pacific islands of Palau, one of the most spectacular underwater habitats in the world, to show the beauty and potential of a healthy ocean.
The Super 8 Years

2022

The Super 8 Years

2022
5.9
“In re-viewing our Super 8 films, shot between 1972 and 1981, it occurred to me that they comprised not only a family archive but a testimony to the pastimes, lifestyle and aspirations of a social class in the decade after 1968. I wanted to incorporate these silent images into a story which combined the intimate with the social and with history, to convey the taste and colour of those years.” Annie Ernaux
F@ck This Job

2022

F@ck This Job

2022
8.1
In 2008, Natasha, a newly rich woman, decides to open an independent TV station in Russia and builds an open-minded team of outcasts. By 2020, Natasha has lost everything to Russia's war between Propaganda and Truth.
Gallant Indies

2021

Gallant Indies

2021
7.4
Stéphane Lissner, director of the Paris Opera, entrusts the staging of the opera-ballet Les Indes galantes to the visual artist Clément Cogitore. Based on the experience of his short film Les Indes galantes, the artist updates Jean-Philippe Rameau's baroque masterpiece (1735) by bringing together lyric song and urban dance. The choreography is entrusted to Bintou Dembélé who supervises dancers from krump, popping, voguing or even experimental hip hop. From rehearsals to the Premiere, Philippe Béziat films the meeting of urban dancers with the lyric institution and invites the spectator to share a human and artistic experience.
Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful

2020

Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful

2020
6.5
Women were clearly at the core of legendary photographer Helmut Newton's work. The stars of his iconic portraits and fashion editorials – from Catherine Deneuve to Grace Jones, Charlotte Rampling to Isabella Rossellini – finally give their own interpretation of the life and work of this controversial genius. A portrait by the portrayed. Provocative, unconventional, subversive, his depiction of women still sparks the question: were they subjects or objects?
One Man and His Shoes

2020

One Man and His Shoes

2020
5.7
'One Man and His Shoes' tells the story of the phenomenon of Air Jordan sneakers showing their social, cultural and racial significance and how ground-breaking marketing strategies created a multi-billion-dollar business.
Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind

2019

Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind

2019
6.6
From the song he refuses to perform to his admiration for Drake, a songwriting legend reflects on his lyrics and longevity with candour and humour. At 80 years young (and currently recording another album), Gordon Lightfoot continues to entertain and enlighten. Personal archive materials and studio sessions paint an intimate picture of an artist in his element, candidly revisiting his idealistic years in Yorkville's coffeehouses, up through stadium tours and the hedonistic '70s.
Fulci for Fake

2019

Fulci for Fake

2019
6.6
«Fulci for Fake» is the first biopic on Lucio Fulci. Lucio Fulci is an enigma. The mystery that surrounds Fulci is linked in part to his personal life. The director only rarely spoke about himself in interviews. But he did let his experience be reflected in his films. The setting of the film sees Nicola, a successful actor, agree to play the part of Lucio Fulci in a biopic on the director. Nicola will ask himself probing questions about the real nature of a man who, in his own lifetime, had already rewritten his biography.
Out of Many, One

2018

Out of Many, One

2018
5.6
The U.S. has long offered a promise of opportunity to immigrants, but currently immigration has become a divisive issue. This documentary illustrates how an understanding of our history and democracy is essential to constructive debate, informed civic participation and shaping a new class of citizens.
Somm III

2018

Somm III

2018
6.9
Three legends in the world of wine—Fred Dame, Steven Spurrier and Jancis Robinson—sit down in Paris to taste the rarest bottles of their careers. Dustin Wilson gathers the greatest blind tasters of today in New York City for a secret tasting similar to the original Judgment of Paris, with the goal to see if any of the world’s Pinot Noirs can stand up to the greatest Burgundies of France. In the end, both tastings cross with results that could change the world of wine forever.
Searching for Ingmar Bergman

2018

Searching for Ingmar Bergman

2018
6
A meaningful account of the personal and professional life of the great Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) that explores his film legacy, with interviews with his closest collaborators and a new generation of filmmakers.
White Right: Meeting the Enemy

2017

White Right: Meeting the Enemy

2017
8.2
Emmy award-winning filmmaker Deeyah Khan joins the frontline of the race wars in America, sitting down face-to-face with Neo-Nazis and fascists.
Welcome to Sodom

2018

Welcome to Sodom

2018
7.1
A dark and sensuous film from a landfill in Ghana, where electronic waste from the West is being recycled. An unforgettable experience, told by the workers themselves.
Call Her Ganda

2018

Call Her Ganda

2018
5.4
When Jennifer Laude, a Filipina trans woman, is brutally murdered by a U.S. Marine, three women intimately invested in the case--an activist attorney, a transgender journalist and Jennifer's mother)--galvanize a political uprising, pursuing justice and taking on hardened histories of US imperialism.