Netflix has finally joined the likes of quaranstreamers — all streaming platforms and creators that have made their content accessible for free this lockdown season.
Home Box Office (You guessed it, HBO. Or did you?), CBS All Access, SundanceNow, among other streaming platforms had already either waived their membership fees or made the content available for free for at least a month.
In their own way, these platforms are making a contribution towards fighting the corona epidemic by helping people quarantine better. More power to them!
Following suit, Netflix has announced to make 10 educational documentaries and films available for free on its US YouTube channel.
In a blog post on its website, Netflix revealed that for years it had been collaborating with schools to screen its educational content in classrooms. But with schools now shut, this was no longer possible.
So on the request of many such educators, Netflix decided to make at least 10 films and documentaries accessible for all.
The list includes Vox media’s Explained series, Sir David Attenborough’s Our Planet, and the Oscar-winning short film Period. End of Sentence.
While the documentaries are currently all in English, the subscription-based streaming platform has assured of release subtitles in at least 12 other languages.
The platform has also asked all parents and teachers to check each film’s rating for them to make an informed choice for their children or students.
The following are details of the 10 docs and films made available on Netflix US YouTube channel this week.
The Entire Playlist:
This entire playlist contains all the documentaries that have been made available for free on YouTube.
1. Abstract (Series – Season 1)
The series takes you inside the minds of the world’s greatest designers, showcasing the most inspiring visionaries from a variety of disciplines whose work shapes our culture and future.
2. Explained (Series – select episodes)
This enlightening explainer series from Vox explores current events and social trends pulled from the zeitgeist – touching topics across politics, science, history, and pop culture.
3. Our Planet (Series)
Narrated by the legendary documentary filmmaker Sir David Attenborough, this eight-part series explores the unique and precious wonders of our natural world.
Our Planet combines stunning photography and technology with a never-before-filmed look at the Planet’s remaining wilderness areas across 50 countries and their animal inhabitants.
4. Zion (Short)
This is an 11-minute, short but gripping portrait of Zion Clark, a young wrestler born without legs. Clark, who grew up in a series of foster care homes, first began wrestling in second grade against his able-bodied peers.
He soon identified physical challenge as a therapeutic outlet, and wrestling became the only constant in his somewhat unstable childhood.
5. Period. End of Sentence. (Short)
This short doc is based on the quiet revolution of the women of a rural village in India to fight against the deep-rooted stigma of menstruation.
Directed by Rayka Zehtabchi, the short film tells the story of a village whose women didn’t have access to sanitary pads for generations. This led not only to health problems but also to girls missing school or dropping out entirely.
Then one day, a sanitary pad machine was installed in the village, and the women learned to manufacture and market their own pads. We also discover how their road to empowerment was, in part, enabled by American schoolgirls, who raised the initial money for the machine.
6. Chasing Coral (Film)
Discover the collective will and wisdom of an ad man, a self-proclaimed coral nerd, camera designers, and marine biologists as they invent the first time-lapse camera to record bleaching events as they happen.
The film promises breath-taking photography of an unseen world, nail-biting suspense, and startling emotion – all in one.
7. Babies (Series – select episodes)
This landmark series explores the epic journey every person embarks on, from a helpless newborn to an independent toddler.
The film features the latest research from eminent scientists about their discovery into the infant mind. From the first bond, a baby shares with its parents, to learning to feed, sleep through the night, crawl across the room, speak their first words, and discover the world around them – right up to those first steps of toddlerhood.
8. Knock Down the House (Film)
Four exceptional women set out on grassroots campaigns against powerful incumbents during the 2018 midterm elections in America that tipped the balance of power.
Gender inequality, racism, global warming, financial crisis, shoddy public healthcare – all come together in this galvanic and inspiring memoir of a historic election.
9. 13th (Film)
The title refers to the 13th Amendment to the American Constitution. It reads,
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for the crime of which the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States.”
The progression from that second qualifying clause to the horrors of mass criminalization and the sprawling American prison industry is laid out in this work of grand historical synthesis.
10. The White Helmets (Short)
Set in Aleppo, Syria, and Turkey in early 2016, the film follows three volunteer rescue workers who put everything on the line to save civilians affected by the intensifying violence of war.
The film is both a snapshot of harrowing realities of ordinary Syrian life and a humbling portrait of the power of the human spirit.
Have a happy and educational lockdown, y’all!
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