Top Rated Documentary Movies on Kanopy - Page 66

Motley's Law

2015

Motley's Law

2015
5.6
This captivating documentary follows tough-as-nails lawyer (and former Mrs. Wisconsin) Kimberley Motley, the only American allowed to practice law in Afghanistan. Motley defends US and European citizens caught in the country’s legal and political quagmire, even as she finds herself under threat of assassination. While Motley brazenly chastises Afghani judges on behalf of her clients, she must also balance the needs of her family a world away.
Ida's Diary

2015

Ida's Diary

2015
5.6
Ida's Diary is a film about hope and courage, about finding your own identity and daring to live. It's a personal film based on Ida's own video diary from the last eight years.
Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art

2015

Troublemakers: The Story of Land Art

2015
6
The titular troublemakers are the New York–based Land (aka Earth) artists of the 1960s and 70s, who walked away from the reproducible and the commodifiable, migrated to the American Southwest, worked with earth and light and seemingly limitless space, and rethought the question of scale and the relationships between artist, landscape, and viewer. Director James Crump has meticulously constructed Troublemakers from interviews (with Germano Celant, Virginia Dwan, and others), photos and footage of Walter De Maria, Michael Heizer, Robert Smithson, Nancy Holt, and Charles Ross among others at work on their astonishing creations.
Neon

2015

Neon

2015
7.1
A film celebrating the beauty and romance, the art and science of neon: visually stunning, one of the most environmentally friendly forms of lighting ever made, and endangered – LED is slowly but surely taking its place around the globe. Vivid, beautiful and insightful, Neon is the story of this noble element that has so profoundly coloured the modern world.
Kampai! For the Love of Sake

2015

Kampai! For the Love of Sake

2015
6.4
An American journalist, a British sake brewer and the president of a centenary Japanese sake brewery join together to explore the mysterious world of sake, a generic name for Japanese rice wine, actually a sort of liquor. These unique individuals, fascinated by this extraordinary beverage, investigate the spectacular world that has grown around it thorough ages.
Love Between the Covers

2015

Love Between the Covers

2015
6.8
A glimpse into the world of the women who create and consume romance novels.
In the Turn

2014

In the Turn

2014
5.5
Seeking identity and bullied daily, a 10-year-old transgender girl in rural Canada and her family struggle with the emotional pressures of her battle.
Western

2015

Western

2015
5
For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, TX, from Piedras Negras, MX, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life.
Sembene!

2015

Sembene!

2015
7
Meet Ousmane Sembene, the African freedom fighter who used stories as his weapon.
Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda

2014

Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda

2014
6.9
As most of the world moves forward toward gay equality, Russia is seemingly heading backward. Antigay sentiment and legislation are spreading rapidly throughout the country. In 2013, the Russian parliament passed a ban on so-called 'gay propaganda' that effectively makes nearly any public discussion of gay equality a crime. It is my hope that this documentary will educate viewers to their reality.
Magical Universe

2014

Magical Universe

2014
6.2
A documentarian strikes up an odd friendship with reclusive 80 year old outsider artist Al Carbee, whose strange Barbie-doll photography gains acclaim and interest over the course of the project's multi-year history. Far beyond a portrait of an eccentric, Magical Universe is about wonder, friendship, and the transcendent power of creativity
Hockney

2014

Hockney

2014
7.1
A documentary about the work and personality of artist David Hockney.
I Am Road Comic

2014

I Am Road Comic

2014
5.8
Interviews with T.J. Miller, Pete Holmes, Marc Maron, Doug Benson, Jim Norton, Judah Friedlander, Alonzo Bodden, Maria Bamford, Jen Kirkman, Auggie Smith, W. Kamau Bell, Nikki Glaser, Wayne Federman, Seth Milstein, Oni Perez, Alysia Wood, Kris Tinkle, Traci Skene, Brian McKim, Tim O’Rourke, Tom Rhodes, Kyle Kinane and yours truly.
The Past Is a Grotesque Animal

2014

The Past Is a Grotesque Animal

2014
5.9
A personal, accessible look at an artist - Kevin Barnes, frontman of the endlessly versatile indie pop band of Montreal - whose pursuit to make transcendent music at all costs drives him to value art over human relationships. As he struggles with all of those around him, family and bandmates alike, he's forced to reconsider the future of the band, begging the question - is this really worth it?
The Fall of '55

2006

The Fall of '55

2006
5.7
In late 1955 and early 1956, the citizens of Boise, Idaho believed there was a menace in their midst. On Halloween, investigators arrested three men on charges of having sex with teenage boys. The investigators claimed the arrests were just the tip of the iceberg-they said hundreds of boys were being abused as part of a child sex ring. There was no such ring, but the result was a widespread investigation which some people consider a witch hunt. By the time the investigation ended, 16 men were charged. Countless other lives were also touched.In some cases, men implicated fled the area. At least one actually left the country. The investigation attracted attention in newspapers across the nation, including Time Magazine. The "Morals Drive" left scars which remain to this day.
The Immortalists

2014

The Immortalists

2014
6.4
Two eccentric scientists struggle to create eternal youth in a world they call “blind to the tragedy of old age.” As they battle their own aging and suffer the losses of loved ones, their scientific journeys ultimately become personal.
Sepideh

2013

Sepideh

2013
6.4
Sepideh wants to become an astronaut. She spends her nights exploring the secrets of the universe, while her family will do anything to keep her on the ground. The expectations for a young Iranian woman are very different from Sepideh's ambitions, and her plans to go to university are in danger. But Sepideh holds on to her dream! She takes up the fight and teams up with the world's first female space tourist, Anousheh Ansari.
Educating Peter

1992

Educating Peter

1992
6.2
A young boy with down syndrome attends his first year in a "regular" classroom. This documentary traces that year and the changes that take place for Peter, his teacher, and the other students. Oscar-winning documentary short from 1992.
Nails

1979

Nails

1979
7
This Oscar-nominated documentary short tracks the shift in the relationship of an individual to his work between the 19th century and today. Focusing on how nails are made, we first see a blacksmith laboring at his forge, shaping nails from single strands of steel rods. The scene then shifts from this peaceful setting to the roar of a 20th century nail mill, where banks of machines draw, cut, and pound the steel rods faster than the eye can follow.
Buying Sex

2013

Buying Sex

2013
6.2
Timely and wise, this feature documentary explores the state of prostitution laws in Canada. Buying Sex captures the complexity of the issue by listening to the frequently conflicting voices of sex workers, policy-makers, lawyers and even the male buyers who make their claim for why prostitution is good for society. Examining the realities in Sweden and New Zealand, and respecting the differences of ideology as Canada works its way toward an uneasy consensus, the film challenges us to think for ourselves and offers a gripping and invaluable account of just what is at stake for all of us.