Netflix’s success with original series like Orange Is the New Black and House of Cards has subtly changed how we watch TV. Now, the company is attempting to make its original documentaries a destination as well.
Netflix just landed exclusive rights to Virunga, a film about Virunga National Park in the Congo, and the fight to protect its endangered mountain gorillas, and the park itself, from rebels. Netflix also nabbed rights to docs Mission Blue and E-Team.
Earlier this year, Netflix debuted The Square, a documentary about the Tahrir Square uprising, which was nominated for an Oscar. It also released Brave Miss World, the story of Miss World competitor Linor Abargil, who was abducted and raped weeks before the competition; and Mitt, a film about Mitt Romney’s failed presidential run, though that title saw less success. Documentaries like The Act of Killing and 20 Feet From Stardom fared better on Netflix than in theaters, and that second-screen popularity no doubt caused the push for more original titles, as did competition from sites like Amazon and Vimeo.
This cause-driven focus is also tied to Netflix’s international growth. Earlier this month, they put out a call for “taggers” in the U.K. and Ireland, illustrating their steady expansion into global markets. If you have a documentary with a pressing message, what better way to get it to hundreds of millions of subscribers and circumvent the insular festival circuit? Lisa Nishimura, vice president of original documentary and comedy programming at Netflix, told the New York Times they are, “really free from the constraints that other platforms have.”
And the awards nods continue: While Orange Is the New Black and House of Cards picked up Emmy nominations earlier this month, as did The Square and Brave Miss World.
H/T New York Times | Screengrab via Grain Media/Vimeo