documentary
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Natalie Portman will narrate a dolphin documentary for Disney+
Disney is clearly determined to flex its star power (and giant budget) ahead of its streaming service launch on November 12th. The company has announced that Natalie Portman will narrate Dolphin Reef, a nature movie that will debut alongside Disney+ itself on November 12th. The documentary will follow a young Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Echo, who has to deal with both the social life of his pod and the fellow inhabitants of the coral reef he calls home.
Apple's new documentary chief is a producer from 'Jesus Camp'
Apple now has a leader for its burgeoning documentary plans. Deadline reports that the company has hired A&E's Molly Thompson as its new Head of Documentaries. She founded A&E's IndieFilms and most recently headed the broader network's documentary team, but she may be best known as an executive producer for numerous major non-fiction shows, including Jesus Camp, Cartel Land and Murderball.
The makers of 'Chef's Table' have a new Netflix series about street food
Michelin-starred fine dining is passé. As evidenced by the exploding popularity of street food, good eats these days are found at trucks and carts tucked away outdoors, prepared by families with decades of hard graft behind them, and not a single experience of culinary school. Enter Netflix's new series, Street Food, which tells the stories of these chefs as they cook up a dazzling array of noodles, soups and snacks on the streets of nine Asian countries.
Discovery streaming service will be the main home for BBC nature shows
Discovery is widening the scope of its streaming service plans, although it might not be great news for nature buffs. The network has unveiled a deal with BBC Studios that will see the BBC's history, nature and science documentaries form one of the "pillars" of a Discovery streaming service due to launch by 2020. On top of that, the service will be the exclusive streaming home for BBC nature docs outside of the UK, Ireland and China, including series like Blue Planet, Life and Planet Earth -- it's not clear what will happen with existing titles on sites like Netflix, but you might not want to count on them sticking around.
Canada's film board to release a documentary about Twitch streamers
An upcoming documentary might be able to answer some of the things you've been wanting to know about Twitch video game streamers, such as how they build their communities or earn money from the platform. The National Film Board of Canada and European channel Arte France is releasing a four-part documentary webseries entitled Streamers on March 27th. It focuses on 14 professional Twitch streamers, including GoldGlove, CohhCarnage and MANvsGAME, who boast 1.38 million, 1.06 million and 503,000 followers, respectively.
'The Atomic Tree' explores the bonsai that survived a nuclear blast
Filmmakers don't accidentally make a movie for virtual reality headsets. Creating VR media is a multi-step process involving specialized cameras and equipment, not to mention an entirely new approach to storytelling. Creators tell a story in VR because they crave a deeper human connection than the one offered by a static, 2D screen, even if it means their work will be seen by fewer people.
A Jonas Brothers documentary is coming to Amazon Prime Video
While The Jonas Brothers are getting ready to hit the road for their comeback tour, cameras have been following them around for an Amazon Prime Video documentary. Fans will get an inside track on the siblings' life story as well as their "family's perspective on everything."
HBO documentary on Theranos' rise and fall premieres March 18th
You may be familiar with the gist of Theranos' rapid rise and equally rapid decline, but HBO is betting that you don't know the whole story. The broadcaster is premiering a documentary on the former medical technology darling, The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, on March 18th. It's directed by Going Clear's Alex Gibney and aims to shine a new light on Elizabeth Holmes' company using "insider footage" as well as interviews with people directly involved in the saga, including whistleblower employees and the Wall Street Journal reporter who uncovered the scandal.
'Apollo: Missions to the Moon' documentary includes unheard audio
The 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing is coming up, and the National Geographic channel is determined to mark the occasion in style. It's premiering its Apollo: Missions to the Moon documentary in July, and this isn't just a rehash of the footage you've seen countless times. The documentary will cover the Apollo Space Program with raw media instead of narration, and some of it you likely haven't experienced. This includes "never-before-heard" mission audio plucked from 800 hours of recordings as well as video (from NASA, TV and home movies) newly transferred from 500 hours of film. Unless you were fortunate enough to witness events the first time around, this could easily feel fresh.
Watch the first trailer for HBO's 'The Case Against Adnan Syed'
Nearly five years after Serial first aired and raised questions about the murder conviction against Adnan Syed, HBO is picking up the story to lay out more details about the crime and conviction. The premium cable company dropped its first trailer for its upcoming documentary The Case Against Adnan Syed, which is set to air later this spring.
Netflix gave Gwyneth Paltrow money to make a 'Goop' series
Whatever you think about the authenticity of Goop's health offerings, you're about to see a lot more of them online. Gwyneth Paltrow's outfit is launching a documentary series on Netflix that will examine "physical and spiritual wellness" issues. Goop wants to tell "bigger stories" that need a TV budget, content chief Elise Loehnen told Variety. Paltrow, Loehnen and Goop editors will host the string of 30-minute episodes when they premiere in the fall.
Amazon buys Sundance's prize-winning documentary 'One Child Nation'
Amazon's spending spree at this year's Sundance festival now includes at least one of the event's award winners. The internet giant has bought the rights to One Child Nation, the documentary that just won a grand jury prize at the festival. The cash value is relatively modest ("high-six figures" according to Variety), but Amazon is clearly interested in the prestige rather than the immediate financial value.
Apple gets first crack at documentaries from Ron Howard
Apple may have more than a few documentaries on tap for its upcoming streaming video service. Variety has learned that Apple has a "first-look" deal with Imagine Documentaries, the production company from Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. The move will give Apple the chance to snap up non-fiction works before other companies can jump in. While this won't guarantee that Apple will buy everything Imagine makes, it could leave competitors with shows that Apple either doesn't think will sell or don't fit its family-friendly culture.
Recommended Reading: How we got two Fyre Festival documentaries
Fyre Fight: The inside story of how we got two warring Fyre Festival documentaries in the same week Scott Tobias, The Ringer We've known for a while now that Hulu and Netflix were both working on documentaries chronicling the ill-fated influencer trainwreck that was the Fyre Festvial. We also knew Netflix was set to debut its version on January 18th. Before it could do so, Hulu debuted its film earlier this week, getting its take on the event that never happened to viewers first. So... why are there two in the first place? And why was Hulu in a rush to be first? The Ringer takes a closer look at just that, including whether or not one is more ethical than the other.
Hulu beats Netflix with its own Fyre Festival documentary debut
Both Hulu and Netflix have been working on documentaries about the disastrous Fyre Festival, and Hulu has now released its version just a few days ahead of Netflix. Fyre Fraud, as its name suggests, gives a look into how those behind Fyre Festival defrauded investors as well as attendees. And the film shows how the event turned out to be an utter fiasco lacking the luxurious food, accommodations and performances initially promised.
Netflix’s ‘Fyre’ shows how fraud built and doomed Fyre Festival
Netflix has released a trailer for its upcoming Fyre Festival documentary, and it recaps both how hype around the event was built as well as how it all came crashing down. A good portion of the trailer also focuses on Billy McFarland, the Fyre Festival co-founder who has now been convicted of fraud and sentenced to six years in prison. Through a number of interviews, Fyre reveals how McFarland continued to pull in investors while falsely promising that profits were to be had.
Amazon revisits Lorena Bobbitt’s trial in new ‘Lorena’ trailer
Last year, Amazon greenlit a Jordan Peele-produced documentary series on Lorena Bobbitt, and now it has released a trailer for the upcoming four-part series. Bobbitt made headlines in 1993 when she cut off her husband's penis, and the resulting sensationalistic media coverage obscured her side of the story as well as any meaningful conversation about domestic abuse and sexual assault. Lorena takes a look at Bobbitt's trial, how it was covered and discussed, and gives Bobbitt a chance to talk about what happened and how it affected her life. "I didn't choose to be in the spotlight," Bobbitt says in the trailer. "But there's no going back."
Detective sues Netflix for defamation over 'Making a Murderer'
The latest twist in the story of Netflix's acclaimed Making a Murderer series is going to play out in the courts once again, but this time Netflix is directly involved. That's because one of the detectives in the case, Andrew Colborn, has filed a defamation lawsuit (PDF) naming the streaming company, its executives Lisa Nishimura and Adam Del Deo, documentary directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos and editor Mary Manhardt as defendants. The former police officer claims that he was not a "public official," and that the documentary misrepresented him as someone who planted evidence while leaving out key information about the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach. The filing calls out specific scenes, like a close-up shot of a blood vial with a hole in the top during episode four as "manipulated" facts that suggest evidence tampering when he says it was a result of standard testing and storage. People have called out the series for allegedly leaving out details before, but the stakes here are higher. Colburn is seeking a judgement against the defendants and also a clarification to attempt to clear his name.
Netflix’s Fyre Festival documentary debuts January 18th
Fyre Festival was billed as "the cultural experience of the decade," but as we all know, it actually turned out to be a massive disaster that was far from the luxurious, celebrity-filled event it was advertised to be. A lot has gone down since it all fell apart, but soon you'll be able to see where it all went wrong, thanks to a new Netflix documentary. Written and directed by Chris Smith (Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond), Fyre gives viewers a look into the festival as described the organizers themselves.
Netflix is getting a documentary series about dogs
Netflix is bringing the cute and cuddly cheers with a new documentary series about dogs -- because you can only stream so many true crime shows before locking yourself indoors. Fittingly titled Dogs, the six-episode docuseries charts the bond between "people and their beloved four-legged friends" across continents and even war zones.
