Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 55

Nokia Mobile: We Were Connecting People

2017

Nokia Mobile: We Were Connecting People

2017
6.6
Once upon a time there was a large Finnish company called Nokia that manufactured the world’s best and most innovative mobile phones. Nokia’s annual budget was larger than that of the Government of Finland and their phones spread everywhere and changed the whole culture of communication. But then something changed. Film portrays the rise and fall of Nokia and the Finnish mobile phone industry. Nokia engineers, designers and managers tell their story about the creation, success and downfall of the Finnish mobile phone.
Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World

2017

Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World

2017
5.6
As one art scene insider proclaims, the contemporary art world can be summed up as “rich people trying to prove how rich they are,” but is that all there is to this billion dollar industry? Well-researched and expertly constructed, Barry Avrich’s eye-opening documentary peels back the layers of the art world economy- from production to circulation, and delineates every integral player in the game of art-making, including curators, gallerists, collectors, donors, auction houses, and … artists. In the process, he unpacks the complex and surprising ecosystem that supports the art world superstars and million-dollar deals that make front-page news. Featuring extraordinary access to industry players and candid statements from prominent artists like Damien Hirst, Julian Schnabel, Taryn Simon, and Marina Abramovic, Blurred Lines collides the two narratives of the art world as both above and beholden to market forces.
Leaning Into the Wind: Andy Goldsworthy

2018

Leaning Into the Wind: Andy Goldsworthy

2018
7.6
Thomas Riedelsheimer’s landmark Rivers and Tides inventively documented artist Andy Goldsworthy as he created his wondrously ephemeral site-specific sculptures, spun from nature. Fifteen years later, Goldsworthy is still appealingly engaged in his philosophical and tactical exploration of the natural world. Leaning Into the Wind is a collaborative sequel—a visual and aural sensation that takes viewers into the hillsides, terrains, and other outdoor spaces where Goldsworthy feels most at home and inspired.
Hooligan Sparrow

2016

Hooligan Sparrow

2016
7.3
The danger is palpable as intrepid young filmmaker Nanfu Wang follows maverick activist Ye Haiyan (a.k.a Hooligan Sparrow) and her band of colleagues to Hainan Province in southern China to protest the case of six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal. Marked as enemies of the state, the activists are under constant government surveillance and face interrogation, harassment, and imprisonment. Sparrow, who gained notoriety with her advocacy work for sex workers’ rights, continues to champion girls’ and women’s rights and arms herself with the power and reach of social media.
Last Day of Freedom

2015

Last Day of Freedom

2015
7.1
When Bill Babbitt realizes his brother Manny has committed a crime he agonizes over his decision to call the police.
Killing Them Safely

2015

Killing Them Safely

2015
5.9
In the early 2000s, two brothers found tremendous success when their company began selling a device that has been called 'the biggest revolution in law enforcement since the radio.' But as their company grew, they made decisions that would have lasting impact on both the public and their increasingly skeptical customer base.
We Are Blood

2015

We Are Blood

2015
6.5
We Are Blood is a modern day skate epic featuring Paul Rodriguez and other top skateboarders as they travel the globe pushing the limits of what's possible on a board and four wheels while celebrating the unconditional bond created by the simple act of skateboarding. Shot on location in Brazil, China, Dubai, and the United States.
Who the Fuck Is That Guy?: The Fabulous Journey of Michael Alago

2017

Who the Fuck Is That Guy?: The Fabulous Journey of Michael Alago

2017
5.6
The astonishing story of a gay Puerto Rican kid growing up in a Hasidic Brooklyn neighborhood, who got on the subway one day and began a musical odyssey that helped shape the musical landscape across N.Y.C. and around the world. Directed by Drew Stone and produced by Michael Alex the film tells the incredible story of a cherished New York City icon. From rubbing elbows with N. Y. scene makers as an teenager at Max's Kansas City and CBGB, to being the architect of a rock 'n' roll renaissance as the 19 year-old talent booker at the legendary Ritz, to making history as a 24 year-old A&R exec, signing the biggest metal band in a generation in Metallica, Michael Alago was on fire.
Speed Sisters

2015

Speed Sisters

2015
5.9
The Speed Sisters are the first all-woman race car driving team in the Middle East. Grabbing headlines and turning heads at improvised tracks across the West Bank, these five women have sped their way into the heart of the gritty, male-dominated Palestinian street car-racing scene. Weaving together their lives on and off the track, SPEED SISTERS takes you on a surprising journey into the drive to go further and faster than anyone thought you could.
Deli Man

2015

Deli Man

2015
6.8
Every story needs a brave and trustworthy guide, and Deli Man's is the effusive and charming Ziggy Gruber, a third-generation delicatessen man - his uncle and great-uncle owned Berger's in the diamond district, and the Woodrow Deli on Long Island. His grandfather owned the famous Rialto Delicatessen on Broadway, and Ziggy was stuffing cabbages atop of a crate when he was eight. Now he is owner and maven (as well as a Yiddish-speaking French trained chef) of one of the country's top delis, Kenny and Ziggy's in Houston – yes, Texas…Shalom y'all. Of course the story of deli isn't Ziggy's alone. Deli Man has visited meccas like the Carnegie, Katz's, 2nd Avenue Deli, Nate ‘n Al, and Canter's, as well as interviewed some of the great connoisseurs of deli, including Jerry Stiller, Alan Dershowitz, Freddie Klein, Dennis Howard, Jay Parker (Ben's Best), Fyvush Finkel, and Larry King.
Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang

2014

Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang

2014
6.9
Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke returns to the shooting locations of his films, along with his actors, friends and close collaborators. Jia recalls the inspiration sources for his movies, such as Platform, Still Life and A Touch of Sin. The film is the memory of a filmmaker and of a country in convulsion, China, which reveals itself little by little.
Thimble Theater

1938

Thimble Theater

1938
7.4
One of Joseph Cornell’s funniest films, Thimble Theater is structured like a vaudeville variety show about nature.
Dancing in Jaffa

2013

Dancing in Jaffa

2013
7
Pierre Dulaine, an internationally renowned ballroom dancer, is starting to fulfill his life long dream - to take his program Dancing Classrooms to Jaffa, where he was born. He is teaching 10-year-old Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Jewish children to dance together. Pierre recognizes that the future is built by children. By breaking the syndrome of hatred, he will change their lives, and hopefully, the community around them.
Mr. Angel

2013

Mr. Angel

2013
4.5
Buck Angel: trans man, porn star, pioneer. Here we see his life through a documentary lens that evidences the power and personality of an amazing human being.
Commune

2005

Commune

2005
5.6
In 1968, Elsa and Richard Marley founded an alternative-living community, named Black Bear, in the remote Northern California wilderness with the motto "Free Land for Free People." This film tells the story of that intended utopia. Through archival footage and interviews with former residents, director Jonathan Berman explores the problems and realities of communal living and the evolution of a community that endured FBI harassment, cult leadership and more.
Glitterbug

1994

Glitterbug

1994
5.9
A collage of Derek Jarman's super 8 footage spanning over 20 years.
The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender

1997

The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender

1997
4.9
A film scrapbook, images, phrases from our past, hiding their meanings behind veils. Let's lift those veils, one by one, to find how images, at one time seeming innocent, have revealed, after decades, to have homosexual overtones.
Last Shop Standing

2012

Last Shop Standing

2012
6.1
Last Shop Standing, inspired by the book of the same name by Graham Jones, takes you behind the counter to discover why nearly 2000 record shops have already disappeared across the UK. The film charts the rapid rise of record shops in the 1960's, 70's and 80's, the influence of the chart, the underhand deals, the demise of vinyl and rise of the CD as well as new technologies. Where did it all go wrong? Why were 3 shops a week closing? Will we be left with no record shops with the continuing rise of downloading? Hear from over 20 record shop owners and music industry leaders as well as musicians including Paul Weller, Johnny Marr, Norman Cook, Billy Bragg, Nerina Pallot, Richard Hawley and Clint Boon as they all tell us how the shops became and still are a part of their own musical education, a place to cherish and discover new bands and new music.
Planet of Snail

2012

Planet of Snail

2012
7.1
Young-Chan comes from planet of snail where deaf blind people live slow and quiet lives. When Young-Chan came to Earth, nobody understood his language and he was desperate. Then an angel walked into his life. Soon-Ho knows how it is to be lonely and soon becomes an inseparable part of his life. Young-Chan also discovers an amazing world under his fingers as he learned to read books with braille. Hopes began to grow and he dreams of writing a book. However, Soon-Ho cannot always be there for him because of her own problem of spine disability. The couple now should learn to survive alone. While Soon-Ho uneasily spends her first day waiting for his return, Young-Chan goes out for the biggest adventure of his life.
Versicherungsvertreter

2012

Versicherungsvertreter

2012
6.7