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My Robot Sophia
Inventor David Hanson is on a relentless quest to bring compassion to Sophia, the most recognized humanoid robot in the world. My Robot Sophia poses pressing questions around AI and what it means to be human.
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Native American Renaissance
There are currently almost 10 million Native Americans in the United States. Once confined to reservations and condemned to poverty, they are now proudly reclaiming their culture. In North Dakota, the Fort Berthold tribe is profiting from the oil craze. Thanks to 3black gold4, the Indian reservation has been transformed into a small American town with infrastructure and health insurance for all. A symbol of the new Indian success story, Sean Sherman was named among the 100 most influential personalities of 2023 by Time magazine. In his gourmet restaurant, recipes are made exclusively from ingredients present in the United States before the arrival of European settlers in the 17th century. Johnny Tail Feathers is trying to reconnect with his roots by reintroducing the sacred bison to the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. From the vibrant, shimmering pow wows that bring together thousands of natives in New Mexico to the new oil Eldorado of the Dakotas, this documentary plunges into the America of the Amerindians.
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Critical Condition: Health in Black America
Black Americans are nearly twice as likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease than White Americans, and their life expectancy is about five years shorter. Why? In a special feature-length documentary, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson investigates the dramatic health disparities in the US, even as scientists confirm that there are no meaningful genetic differences between races.
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Secrets of the Forest
Can forests help cool the planet? Follow scientists working in spectacular forest landscapes in Costa Rica, Brazil, Australia, and beyond as they try to untangle complex networks of trees, fungi, and creatures large and small, all in a quest to tackle the twin threats of climate change and species extinction.
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Hummingbirds of Hollywood
Amid the glamour of Hollywood, Terry Masear finds herself on a transformative journey as she nurtures wounded hummingbirds, unraveling a visually captivating and magical tale of love, fragility, and healing. Meet Cactus, Jimmy, Wasabi, Alexa, and Mikhail, Masear's diminutive patients, as we celebrate their small victories while lamenting their tiny tragedies. The compassion and empathy that Masear shows her Lilliputian charges serve as a lesson to us all--the delicate beauty in profound acts of kindness.
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Revolutionary War Weapons
In 1775, a ragtag army of farmers and tradesmen defeated the most powerful army in the world to win American independence. What military technology did the American colonies use in their fight for freedom, and how did it help propel them to one of history's most unlikely victories? Archaeologists and historians uncover the real stories of innovation, skill, and strategy that determined the outcome of important battles. From the Brown Bess musket to the world's first military submarine, get a close-up look at the powerful and sometimes ingenious weapons that helped win independence.
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To Dye For: The Documentary
After discovering their child's life-altering sensitivity to synthetic dyes, parents and first-time filmmakers set out to uncover the impacts of these additives. They journey to meet with the world's leading synthetic dye experts, conducting in-person interviews with scientists, researchers, and impacted families. This exploration reveals a series of shocking stories and surprising discoveries.
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Lead Belly: The Man Who Invented Rock & Roll
An engaging and immersive documentary that presents a comprehensive exploration of the life and legacy of iconic blues singer Lead Belly. Through original in-depth interviews with influential musicians like B.B. King, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Harry Belafonte, and others, this film provides a truly unique inside view of Lead Belly's extraordinary journey. The documentary showcases a compelling mixture of rare video footage and live performances, offering viewers an intimate experience of Lead Belly's captivating presence and exceptional musical talent. From his remarkable ability to sing his way out of two prison sentences to his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Lead Belly's story is one of perseverance, resilience, and artistic brilliance. With its rich tapestry of cultural history and profound insights into Lead Belly as both an artist and a historical figure, this documentary sheds light on the man behind the legend and highlights his enduring influence on the evolution of rock & roll music.
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Knight Life
Meet the dedicated men and women who bring the Middle Ages to the present day, training for years to perfect their skills. They become expert horseback riders, learn to joust in full armor, and perfect intricate swordplay to thrill their audiences day after day. They endure bruises, broken bones, and heartbreaking losses all in pursuit of being crowned the champion of the Knight Life.
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Cane Fire
The Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi is seen as a paradise of leisure and pristine natural beauty, but these escapist fantasies obscure the colonial displacement, hyper-exploitation of workers and destructive environmental extraction that have actually shaped life on the island for the last 250 years. Cane Fire critically examines the island's history -- and the various strategies by which Hollywood has represented it--through four generations of director Anthony Banua-Simon's family, who first immigrated to Kauaʻi from the Philippines to work on the sugar plantations. Assembled from a diverse array of sources--from Banua-Simon's observational footage, to amateur YouTube travelogues, to epic Hollywood dance sequences -- Cane Fire offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of the economic and cultural forces that have cast Indigenous and working-class residents as "extras" in their own story
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Simon Schama: The Holocaust, 80 Years On
In the year marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the last concentration camps, renowned historian Sir Simon Schama confronts the history of the Holocaust as not just a Nazi obsession, but as a European-wide crime. In the most personal and unflinching film of his career, Simon visits mass killing sites in Lithuania, the home of his mother2s family. He travels to the Netherlands, a nation famed for its long history of tolerance and where he lived and worked as a young historian, to answer the question of why fewer Jews survived here than in any other Western occupied country. And despite a lifetime dedicated to documenting Jewish history, this film also captures the emotional toll of Simon's first ever visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau
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In Search of Edgar Allan Poe: Meet the Man Behind the Myth
A definitive documentary that explores the triumphant but tragic story of the brilliant poet, master short story writer, and influential critic Edgar Allan Poe. It recounts how he invented the detective story, pioneered science fiction, and shaped the horror tale, yet was plagued by alcohol, lost love, and a penchant for self-destruction. The film sheds new light on the mysterious circumstances surrounding Poe's death and his enduring influence on later writers.
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Want More Documentaries? Check out Kanopy's movie and television sections for titles you can stream using the hoopla app our website. All you need is a library card to sign up. |
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Mercer County Library System
2751 Brunswick Pike Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648 609-882-9246
https://mcl.org
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