Streaming on Kanopy

Best Documentary Movies on Kanopy

Top 20 documentary movies available to stream on Kanopy right now, ranked by ratings.

1

20 Days in Mariupol(2023)

8.6 IMDb100% RT83 Meta

As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war's atrocities.

2

Human(2015)

8.6 IMDb

A collection of stories about and images of our world, offering an immersion to the core of what it means to be human. Through these stories full of love and happiness, as well as hatred and violence,

3

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father(2008)

8.5 IMDb94% RT82 Meta

In 2001, Andrew Bagby, a medical resident, is murdered not long after breaking up with his girlfriend. Soon after, when she announces she's pregnant, one of Andrew's many close friends, Kurt Kuenne, b

4

Samsara(2011)

8.4 IMDb75% RT65 Meta

Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial

5

The Cove(2009)

8.4 IMDb95% RT84 Meta

The Cove tells the amazing true story of how an elite team of individuals, films makers and free divers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate the hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and

6

Man with a Movie Camera(1929)

8.3 IMDb98% RT96 Meta

A cameraman wanders around with a camera slung over his shoulder, documenting urban life with dazzling inventiveness.

7

Koyaanisqatsi(1983)

8.2 IMDb91% RT72 Meta

Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration:

8

Ennio(2022)

8.2 IMDb91% RT75 Meta

A portrait of Ennio Morricone, the most popular and prolific film composer of the 20th century, the one most loved by the international public, a two-time Oscar winner and the author of over five hund

9

The Look of Silence(2014)

8.2 IMDb96% RT92 Meta

An optician grapples with the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-1966, during which his older brother was exterminated.

10

The Act of Killing(2012)

8.2 IMDb96% RT92 Meta

In this chilling and groundbreaking documentary, former Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of various film genres. As they recreate their past atrocities

11

Blackfish(2013)

8.1 IMDb98% RT83 Meta

Notorious killer whale Tilikum is responsible for the deaths of three individuals, including a top killer whale trainer. Blackfish shows the sometimes devastating consequences of keeping such intellig

12

The Corporation(2003)

8 IMDb89% RT73 Meta

Since the late 18th century American legal decision that the business corporation organizational model is legally a person, it has become a dominant economic, political and social force around the glo

13

Honeyland(2019)

8 IMDb100% RT85 Meta

When nomadic beekeepers break Honeyland’s basic rule (take half of the honey, but leave half to the bees), the last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and restore natural balance.

14

Tomorrow(2015)

7.9 IMDb93% RT71 Meta

Climate is changing. Instead of showing all the worst that can happen, this documentary focuses on the people suggesting solutions and their actions.

15

I Am Not Your Negro(2017)

7.9 IMDb99% RT95 Meta

Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United States.

16

Anvil! The Story of Anvil(2008)

7.9 IMDb98% RT82 Meta

At 14, best friends Robb Reiner and Lips made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, hailed as the "demi-gods of Canadian metal" influenced a musical generation that includes Metallica, S

17

The Thin Blue Line(1988)

7.9 IMDb100% RT79 Meta

This unique documentary dramatically re-enacts the crime scene and investigation of a police officer's murder in Dallas.

18

Jiro Dreams of Sushi(2011)

7.8 IMDb99% RT77 Meta

Revered sushi chef Jiro Ono strives for perfection in his work, while his eldest son, Yoshikazu, has trouble living up to his father's legacy.

19

Finding Vivian Maier(2014)

7.7 IMDb95% RT75 Meta

Vivian Maier's photos were seemingly destined for obscurity, lost among the clutter of the countless objects she'd collected throughout her life. Instead these images have shaken the world of street p

20

Häxan(1922)

7.6 IMDb93% RT

Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen's legendary film uses a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that the witches of the Mi

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