Online documentaries, non-US-only, no politics?
June 29, 2010 8:56 AM   Subscribe

In bed, need some good documentaries that're available on-line. Not that interested in politics or nature. Must be viewable in Canada. Suggestions?

I'm in bed with bursitis (hips v. painful) for the nonce and I'm trying to find some decent distractions. Googling around is getting me lists of sites rather than specific recommendations, and I am having a hard time separating out the chaff, and keep running into "This video is not available in your country." Plus I am a bit drugged and my Google-fu/concentration is lousy right now. Please hope me

Eliminating politics and nature eliminates a wide swath. Stuff I've liked has involved interesting subcultures, social problems/issues. I have found the PBS "Frontline" series and enjoyed a number of those.

I have a <3yo -- helpful if you can tell me "NSFW" (NSFW stuff totally welcome; I'll just save it for naptime).
posted by kmennie to Media & Arts (14 answers total) 22 users marked this as a favorite
 
Can you get Netflix streaming? I don't know how long it would take to set up the service, but it's the absolute best.
posted by Madamina at 8:59 AM on June 29, 2010


When he was in Montreal and we wanted to watch documentaries together, my boyfriend and I loaded up movies from here: topdocumentaryfilms.com

They have a lot of categories, and we found some really awesome things.
posted by Tequila Mockingbird at 9:02 AM on June 29, 2010


Signe Chanel is a documentary/series about the behind the scenes work leading up to a fashion show at the House of Chanel. It's fascinating because it's not just about the designer Lagerfield, but more about the seamstresses, shoemakers, lace weavers, etc. that actually construct the clothes. It's on YouTube in its entirety (which you can see in Canada, right?). Here's the link to the first part of the first episode.
posted by bluefly at 9:04 AM on June 29, 2010


Sign up at the NFB: "NFB.ca is a website where you can watch films produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Our mission is to make these films accessible to all Canadians."

They've placed over 700 full-length films, trailers and clips online, free for personal use (and on a subscription basis for schools and institutions.)
Our collection includes animation, documentaries, experimental films and alternative dramas. We showcase films that take a stand on issues of global importance that matter to Canadians – stories about the environment, human rights, international conflict, the arts and more. Works that push the boundaries, give a voice to the underrepresented, and build bridges between cultures.
Enjoy! :) And feel better!!!!
posted by zarq at 9:11 AM on June 29, 2010


Not documentaries, but TED lectures are fun, and usually about 20 minutes. http://www.ted.com/
posted by annsunny at 9:14 AM on June 29, 2010


One more thing, can you see Vimeo in Canada? They have a documentary film channel that may interest you.
posted by bluefly at 9:15 AM on June 29, 2010


I'm in the UK, and I can access American PBS/NOVA documentaries that have been uploaded to youtube by their copyright holders (so they're not in 10-minute chunks). For example, The Great Robot Race.
posted by Mike1024 at 9:21 AM on June 29, 2010


sorry, I have no way of knowing what you will or will not be able to view in Canada, but here's a list of sites we use:
snagfilms
spreety
FactualTV (subject quality is very hit-and-miss)
big think
TopDocumentaryFilms (as mentioned above)
I suppose National Geographic is out for Canadians, but perhaps not.
posted by desjardins at 10:00 AM on June 29, 2010


No one knows about persian cats
posted by pyro979 at 10:03 AM on June 29, 2010


Seconding Century of the Self and adding Nigel Turner's fascinating The Men Who Killed Kennedy.
posted by zoomorphic at 10:19 AM on June 29, 2010


Welcome to the Hot Docs Doc Library, celebrating Canada's rich documentary filmmaking heritage.
posted by at the crossroads at 11:04 AM on June 29, 2010 [1 favorite]


VBS.TV, a "network" whose content is provided by Vice, "airs" documentaries that tend to focus on the fringe of culture.

Their travel series, in particular, is fascinating.
posted by aflores at 11:38 AM on June 29, 2010


Anvil. The Story of Anvil. A must
posted by A189Nut at 12:31 PM on June 29, 2010


Ah. But not online. Sorry.
posted by A189Nut at 12:31 PM on June 29, 2010


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