Ever since its launch, Netflix has been the gold standard for quality documentaries. Over the years, this OTT platform has been responsible for a number of amazing projects. 2023 itself has been a productive year for the streaming service. They have released projects like Arnold, Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now, Wham!, Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street, Break Point, Tour de France: Unchained, etc.
Here is a list of Netflix documentaries that have received awards.
American Factory
The 2019 documentary titled American Factory narrates the story of a Chinese glass manufacturing company called Fuyao. This 110-minute-long project showcases Fuyao’s journey, especially revolving around their factory in Moraine, Dayton, Ohio.
According to Tudum by Netflix, the synopsis of American Factory reads, “A Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio, hiring roughly 2,000 American workers in the process. Though the early days unfold with plenty of energy and optimism, the story soon takes a turn. It spotlights the setbacks and frustrations of reconciling high-tech Chinese production sensibilities with working-class America.”
The directors of American Factory were Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert. Its producers were Julie Parker Benello and Jeff Reichert. Furthermore, it won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Icarus
Released in 2017, Icarus narrates the story of Bryan Fogel, an amateur cyclist, and his experiences with injecting himself with performance-enhancing hormones. Furthermore, it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 90th Academy Awards.
According to Tudum by Netflix, the synopsis of this 121-minute-long documentary reads, “Icarus starts as a first-person exploration of doping in sports. Director Bryan Fogel is an amateur cyclist who starts a doping routine that includes injecting hormones and other performance enhancements. However, when Fogel connects with Dr Grigory Rodchenkov, head of the Russian anti-doping program, a larger scandal begins to unfold. Rodchenkov becomes an international whistleblower who draws attention to an Olympic doping scandal.”
The director of Icarus is Bryan Fogel himself. It was written by Fogel and Mark Monroe. Furthermore, its producers were Dan Cogan, Fogel, David Fialkow, and Jim Swartz.
13th
The 2016 Netflix documentary titled 13th explores the prison-industrial system and the “intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States”. This documentary is titled after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
According to Tudum by Netflix, the synopsis of this documentary reads, “13th tells the story of mass incarceration in America, drawing troubling through lines between America’s history of slavery and its current carceral system. Through a series of interviews with influential writers, activists, politicians, and more, 13th paints a grim picture of the purpose of the country’s prison system — not as a place for rehabilitation, but as a method to exploit free labor that the 13th Amendment dismantled when it abolished slavery.”
13th got nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 89th Academy Awards. Furthermore, it won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards.
The director of 13th was Ava DuVernay.
