Kanopy (Firm)

The US Space Shuttle Challenger explodes with seven astronauts aboard. The New York Mets win the World Series, and in the Phillipines-- the year of “people power”. 1986 was also the year of “power dressing “. Aggressive suits and shoulder pads reflected women’s success in the workplace and TV shows like Dynasty and Dallas had us dressing up. A nostalgia for the 60's was everywhere. Here’s the best of 1986 from the runways of the world…...

First Day is a documentary that follows the lives of 11 young Australians as they experience their first day at school. We follow the children and their families in the weeks leading up to the first day and observe the variety of ways in which family cultures and contexts affect the preparation of each child for school. When the first day arrives, we follow the children waking up, getting ready, getting to school, and their reactions to being there....

In China, the tragic student massacre at Tienanmen Square. San Francisco trembles in the worst earthquake since 1906. The design world loses legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland. 1989 was also the year of the color craze in fashion. The hemline controversy of short versus long ends with pants as the new option. Here’s the best of 1989 from the runways of the world…Romeo Gigli, Genny, Gianfranco Ferre, Antony Price, Bruce Oldfield, Donna Karan,...

Follow the history of the universe from just after the big bang to the far future, when the universe will consist of virtually empty space at maximum entropy. Learn what is well founded and what is less certain about this picture of a universe winding down.

Since the early days of the railroad there has been the ability to move massive amounts of freight to expand the literal horizons of where business is done. Today that trend continues except technology and good old-fashioned American know-how is leading the way. Moving a ton of freight nearly 500 miles on a gallon of fuel is now the benchmark for efficiency. You will see how the technology is revolutionizing the locomotives and companies like Gunderson,...

One of the world's greatest living painters, the German artist Gerhard Richter has spent over half a century experimenting with a tremendous range of techniques and ideas, addressing historical crises and mass media representation alongside explorations of chance procedures. The first glimpse inside his studio in decades, Gerhard Richter painting is exactly that: a thrilling document of the 79-year-old's creative process, juxtaposed with rare archival...

This beautifully realized documentary chronicles the life and work of Qi Shu Fang, one of the preeminent masters of Chinese Opera living in the United States. It is a story of ambition, love, the creative impulse and the struggle to survive against all odds. The film highlights the intricacies of Peking Opera, an art form that is hardly known in the West and is declining in popularity in China. At the same time it explores why Ms. Qi, her husband,...

In African mythology, as in myths around the world, it's not uncommon to find characters traveling to the land of the dead to face an ultimate challenge and experiencing a transformation as a result. Become familiar with three African mythological characters who brave the land of the dead, and witness how the experience affects them.

Nineteenth-century Romanticism"”with its escape from an increasingly complex and industrialized world to the simplicity and purity of nature"”is experienced through the literature of Hugo, Bronte, Shelley and Byron. In a scene from Les Miserables, Victor Hugo sees society as the force that makes men evil. Attitudes toward passions are typified in scenes from Wuthering Heights. Ideals of life and death are brought home in the reenactment of Shelley's...

Begin this episode by tracing the historical background of Judaism in Elizabethan London, and how the portrayal of Shylock conforms to contemporary conventions of comic villains. Then see how Shakespeare breaks free of the stereotypes of his time, developing the character and the play as a penetrating meditation on justice and mercy.