Ten of Netflix’s documentary features and series have been made available free on the streaming platform’s YouTube channel, including the acclaimed nature documentary Our Planet narrated by Sir David Attenborough and Period. End of Sentence. that tells the story of how a sanitary pad machine inspires women from a village outside Delhi to manufacture and market their own pads.
The streaming platform has announced that this is a measure taken to allow teachers and students access to the content, and each title also has educational resources available on the Netflix blog. “We’ll be doing Q&As with some of the creators behind these projects so that students can hear from them firsthand. We hope this will, in a small way, help teachers around the world,” read the official statement.
The documentaries are currently available in English, but subtitles in more than a dozen languages will be available later this week. They cover a variety of topics: from nature and social issues to commentary on racism and art design.
Here’s the full list of Netflix documentary films and docu-series currently free to watch on YouTube:
Our Planet (Series) : Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, this eight-part series from the creators of the award-winning Planet Earth, is an ambitious four-year project that has been filmed in 50 countries across all the continents of the world, with over 600 members of crew. It focuses on the diversity of habitats around the world, from the Arctic wilderness and deep oceans to the landscapes of Africa and jungles of South America.
Period. End of Sentence. (Short Film): In a rural village outside Delhi, women lead a quiet revolution, as they fight against the deeply rooted stigma of menstruation. A documentary short directed by Rayka Zehtabchi tells the story of how a sanitary pad machine installed in the village inspires these women learn to manufacture and market their own pads, empowering the women of their community. They name their brand “FLY,” because they want women “to soar”!
13th (Film): The title of Ava DuVernay’s documentary refers to the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which reads, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States.” The film establishes the progression from that second qualifying clause to the horrors of mass criminalization and the sprawling American prison industry, with archival footage and interviews with activists, politicians, historians, and formerly incarcerated people.
Chasing Coral (Film): With breathtaking visuals, this documentary traces the journey of an an man, a self-proclaimed coral nerd, top-notch camera designers, and renowned marine biologists as they invent the first time-lapse camera to record bleaching events of coral reefs as they happen.
Explained (Select Episodes): Created in partnership with Vox Media Studios and Vox, this series will take viewers inside a wide range of culturally relevant topics, and ideas, exploring current events and social trends, touching topics across politics, science, history and pop culture.
Babies (Select Episodes): A landmark series that explores the miracle of the first full year of life through the genre-defining work of leading scientists from across the globe. The series examines the journey every person embarks on, from helpless new-born to independent toddler. It is shot over the course of three years and follows 15 international families in their babies’ first year of life.
Knock Down the House (Film): Director Rachel Lears presents the story of the 2018 midterm elections in the U.S. that tipped the balance of power, through the eyes of four working-class women who run for Congress — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela, Cori Bush, Paula Jean Swearengin — and mount grassroots campaigns against powerful incumbents.
The White Helmets (Short Film): The original short documentary, set in Aleppo, Syria and Turkey, follows three volunteer rescue workers in early 2016 trying to save civilians affected by the war. It is helmed by Academy Award-nominated director Orlando von Einsiedel and producer Joanna Natasegara.
Abstract: The Art of Design (Season 1): The series goes inside the minds of the world’s greatest designers, showcasing the most inspiring visionaries from a variety of disciplines whose work shapes our future, with respect to art, science, and philosophy of design.
Zion (Short): A portrait of Zion Clark, a young wrestler born without legs who grew up in foster care. Clark began wrestling in second grade against his able-bodied peers. The physical challenge became a therapeutic outlet and gave him a sense of family. The Netflix original documentary short is directed by Floyd Russ.
