Kanew also directed the documentary Black Rodeo (1972) capturing the events surrounding the first ever performance of an all-black rodeo in the neighborhood of Harlem in New York City.
Kanew directed Gotcha! (1985) and Tough Guys (1986), the final film pairing actors Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster, having initially directed Douglas in 1983's Eddie Macon's Run. His other directorial efforts includeTroop Beverly Hills starring Shelley Long, V.I. Warshawski starring Kathleen Turner, Natural Enemies starring Hal Holbrook and Louise Fletcher, Babij Jar, a Holocaust drama, National Lampoon's Adam and Eve, several TV episodes, and for the stage and video versions of the Kirk Douglas one-man show "Before I Forget" (2009).
