Did you know that with your library card you have access not only to books, but to many other services, including a video streaming service called Kanopy? Kanopy is a video streaming service similar to Netflix that you can download to your phone or TV. The platform includes over 30,000 films to choose from. What sets it apart from other streaming services is that most of the films are independent and partner with different organizations to provide a movie collection you won’t see anywhere else. The partners include independent filmmakers including PBS, and the Criterion Collection to name a few.
So how do you get started? Go to https://www.kanopy.com/en/westlakelibrary and add your Westlake Porter Public Library card. From there you will be able to set up your account with your preferred e-mail and password. You should be all set to search and browse different movies of interest. Every month you get 15 tickets on Kanopy that you can use to watch each film. Most films require 2-4 tickets per film or documentary so essentially you have access to watching about 4-7 films of your choice per month. You get a full three days to access the film from the time you redeem your tickets.
With the holidays upon us, I am going to highlight some of the unique holiday films/documentaries currently available on Kanopy.
3 tickets
This nostalgic documentary miniseries highlights how Christmas traditions evolved across the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Featuring notable cultural moments, the series covers everything from the Apollo 8 Christmas Eve broadcast in the ’60s to the rise of holiday sitcom episodes in the ’90s. Each decade’s episode combines personal anecdotes, historic footage, and iconic holiday trends, from tinsel and house lights to Cabbage Patch Kids and Nintendo consoles.
2 tickets
Alice Gloomgardy waits until Christmas Eve morning to tell her father that she won’t be home for Christmas. She then finds out her two siblings also waited until the last minute to tell their dad. He thought all his kids were coming home this year; now he must spend Christmas alone. To make up for it, Alice decides to throw a Gloomgardy Zoom Party for her father and invites all of her wacky extended family. Things get complicated when her dad doesn’t want to go unless she keeps three Christmas conditions. Now, Alice has less than 8 hours to pull off a virtual Christmas miracle.
2 tickets
Tim Allen plays Luther Krank, a man who decides to skip Christmas and all the surrounding trappings and go on a vacation with his wife Nora (Jamie Lee Curtis) instead. But when his daughter decides at the last minute to come home for the holiday, he is forced to put Christmas back together. Based on the novel “Skipping Christmas” by John Grisham.
2 tickets
An American couple bring their 10-year-old daughter to her grandfather’s hotel in Italy to tell her that they are separating. Hoping to bring them back together, she asks to celebrate one last Christmas together, even though it’s August.
2 tickets
A documentary about the struggle and triumph of African-American family, community, and culture, using Kwanzaa as a vehicle to celebrate the African-American experience. The seven principles of Kwanzaa (unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith) are so important to African-Americans today. The documentary explores the holiday’s growth out of the Black Power Movement in the 1960s to its present-day reality as a global, pan-African holiday embraced by over 40 million celebrants.
2 tickets
In this Jim Henson holiday classic, Rugby the Tiger, who was young Jamie’s favorite Christmas toy last year, thinks he should go under the tree again this year.
2 tickets
Captures the wonder and music of the holidays with a mix of classic carols and original songs from the Bocelli family’s multi-generational album. It’s a magical Christmas special for the whole family.
2 tickets
Just days before Christmas, 1983, the Oliverio family readies their Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian tradition stretching back to the old country. Amidst the festivities, Tony Oliverio, a young man with big dreams and an even bigger heart, is yearning to find love. When he meets the gorgeous Ivy Leaguer Beth, romance blossoms, and it looks like Tony’s holiday might make a turn for the better! But their budding romance faces some serious obstacles, including his Great Grandma Nonnie, who thinks Beth isn’t good enough for Tony, his determined and dramatic ex-girlfriend, and Beth’s ex-suitor, who is out to steal back her heart! Come on inside and pull up a chair – FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES is a deliciously warm and inviting, feel-good family gathering you’ll want to visit again and again!
