Streaming services for non-library use are often tricky to navigate for educational screenings. While personal DVDs are protected under Section 110 and clips are covered by fair use, sharing films from a personal subscription vendor does not fall under any copyright exemption.
However, some educational documentaries are available on Netflix for one-time educational screenings. Available titles will display a grant of permission on their details page on the Netflix Media Center. These one-time educational screenings must be non-profit and non-commercial and cannot be used for a political campaign. The following documentaries are available for educational use as long as they are accessed by a Netflix account holder and do not use the Netflix logo in promotion. These titles are organized by subject to help academic librarians find the perfect documentary for your lesson plan or educational screening.
Art and Film
Films about movies and art are a great choice for every cinephile. In this category, we recommend, They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead. They'll Love Me When I'm Dead focuses on legendary director, Orson Welles, during the final fifteen years of his life. Years after the success of Citizen Kane, Welles searches for a comeback during this often unexamined period in his life. They'll Love Me When I'm Dead would be a great addition to any movie lover's film collection.
Another great pick is Abstract: The Art of Design, a docu-series that looks at design beyond an artistic level and takes a look at its roots in science and philosophy.
Criminal Justice
Netflix offers a great selection of true crime and criminal justice documentaries. Among their titles that are available for educational screenings, we recommend The Innocence Files. This docu-series discusses personal stories of wrongful conviction and the lengths a non-profit organization goes to to get these cases overturned.
Netflix offers other documentaries on justice in our court system, including, Athlete A, Nobody Speaks: Trials of the Free Press, and The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez. These titles would be ideal for library programming events focusing on criminal justice.
Economics
The documentary, Rotten, tackles our food production system through an economic lens. This series looks into corruption and ongoing problems, like food waste, in the food production industry.
The subject of economics is also explored in American Factory, a film about a factory opened by a Chinese billionaire in Ohio, and Saving Capitalism, an exploration on how capitalism can be fixed to better serve individuals. All of these titles would stir discussion in a unique library programming event.
Environmental Studies
Among the many great environmental documentaries offered by Netflix, we recommend Chasing Coral. This educational documentary follows a team of marine biologists and camera designers as they set out to invent a time-lapse camera to record the effects of bleaching on our ocean’s coral.
Other environmental studies titles include Into the Inferno, an exploration of the world's volcanoes, The Ivory Game, a look into the world of ivory trafficking, and Our Planet, a series that showcases the wilderness of our planet through photography.
Health/Addiction Studies
Among health related titles for educational screenings, we recommend The Bleeding Edge. This educational film depicts the conversion between the rise of technology and healthcare, specifically high-risk new implant devices. Other healthcare matters, like of end of life decisions, are explored in End Game and Extremis.
The effects of addiction are depicted in Heroin(e), Icarus, The Pharmacist, Recovery Boys, and Take Your Pills.
History/Politics
An insightful documentary offered by Netflix is Mercury 13, the overlooked story of the thirteen women screened for spaceflight in 1961 before the men in the Mercury 7 took flight. This documentary presents a great opportunity to teach untold history through film.
Another historical piece is Bobby Kennedy for President, which uses archival footage to portray the turbulent world of Bobby Kennedy. Politics is also explored in Knock Down the House, a look at grassroots campaigns during the 2018 midterm elections.
Human Rights
Complex stories of human rights are portrayed in many Netflix original documentaries. We recommend Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. This film tells the story of a movement started by a summer camp for teenagers with disabilities.
Check our interview with Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution filmmaker, Jim Lebrecht.
Other titles in this category include, Immigration Nation, Living Undocumented, One of Us, and Resurface. These films would be excellent selections for academic librarian who want to grow their collections of human rights media.
Technology
Films that tackle the rapid expansion of technology are important and topical focus points for an educational screening. We recommend checking out The Social Dilemma, a deep dive into how social media affects our minds and relationships.
Other technology-focused titles include Follow This, a behind-the-scenes look at Buzzfeed, and The Great Hack, an exploration on data as an asset in the modern world. These topical and educational documentaries would be insightful additions at an educational screening.
Women’s Studies
The documentary short, Period. End of Sentence. depicts women in a rural village outside of Delhi as they fight against the stigma against menstruation. This impactful documentary would be a great addition to a library screening focusing on women's studies.
Titles like Audrie & Daisy, City of Joy, Feminists: What Were They Thinking?, Reversing Roe, and Seeing Allred are also available for educational screenings.