Kanopy, one of the streaming video services available at Harvard which makes available hundreds of award-winning documentary and feature films from around the world, has just shared the latest films they’re highlighting. Below are some newly available titles that may be of interest.
What can you do with Kanopy films? Here are a few ideas:
- Watch them independently
- Show them in class
- Create playlists for sharing and assigning
- Screen them for a student organization
Have questions about Kanopy? Ask a librarian!
Here are some newly available titles that may be of interest:
Accidental Courtesy: Musician Daryl Davis Meets and Befriends Members of the Ku Klux Klan
Musician Daryl likes to meet and befriend members of the Ku Klux Klan- something few black men can say. In his travels, he’s collected robes and other artifacts from friends affiliated with the Klan, building a collection piece by piece, story by story, and person by person in hopes of eventually opening a “Museum of the Klan”, a testimony to what knowledge and respectful, personal communication can accomplish. In ACCIDENTAL COURTESY, Daryl’s journey takes him to across the country, from old friends who have left the Klan, to friends still active in the organization, including a current Imperial Wizard of the KKK.
Crossing Arizona: The Immigration Crisis in Arizona
A Sundance Film Festival favorite, CROSSING ARIZONA offers an up-close multi-dimensional look at the hotly debated issues of immigration and border security through the eyes of people directly affected by it at America’s flashpoint – in Arizona’s Sonora Desert on the border with Mexico. This timely documentary reveals the complicated dilemmas presented by the crisis, and the surprising political stances people take when immigration policy fails everyone. The film has screened around the world for several years, garnering 8 international awards and honors.
Imbokodo – The Widows of Marikana
video 1 of playlist “Fighting for a Living – South African Communities Demanding Change
In this powerful short film, two women – recently widowed, share their experiences of trying to get justice for the death of their husbands at the hands of the South African Police Service. On 16 August 2012, 34 people were killed during strike action for a living wage. The day became known as the Marikana Massacre. A commission of inquiry was set up to determine who was responsible for the killings, but the families of the deceased miners were shut out of the proceedings. Imbokodo tells the story of how the widows, together with their legal team, fought for the right to tell their husband’s stories. Four years later, neither the police who shot the miners nor those who ordered them to have been held accountable. There has been no official state apology to the families who lost their loved ones. Imbokodo is a call to action and an inspiring testament to the growing leadership of these women as they honor the memories of their husbands and demand justice.
Reportero: Journalists Risking their Lives to Report on the Mexican Drug War
This film follows a veteran reporter and his colleagues at Zeta – a Tijuana-based independent newspaper as they stubbornly ply their trade in one of the deadliest places in the world for members of the media. As the drug war intensifies and the risks to journalists become greater, will the free press be silenced?
Admissions: Student Stories from Undocumented America
This film delves into the inherent contradictions and psychological implications of undocumented students trapped at the intersection of education policy and broken immigration system. The stories of four students demonstrate both the dehumanizing effects of marginalization and their determination to receive a higher education.
Experimental sound design, unsynchronized imagery, and a sophisticated metaphorical language are used to tell their poignant narratives: Jong Min discovering why he can’t find his green card, Viridiana buying fake papers with her mother, Charlie’s desire to study philosophy while picking strawberries, and Blanca’s identity crisis when she returns to Mexico speaking “like a gringa.” Admissions creates a dialogue and creates awareness of the complex issues of immigration, education and belonging.
Hooligan Sparrow: A Champion for Girls’ and Womens’ Rights in China
The danger is palpable as maverick activist Ye Haiyan (a.k.a Hooligan Sparrow) and her band of colleagues travel 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.
The Cost of Construction: An Unflinching Examination of Worker Safety in America
This documentary investigates the string of controversial deaths in Las Vegas, Nevada during the construction of MGM’s CityCenter, the most expensive private construction project in US history. The story unfolds to reveal a nationwide pattern of ineffective regulations, lax oversight, and dangerous negligence at the highest corporate and government levels, exposing a national safety system in which an average of 12 workers die every day.