Netflix Unveils Amanda Knox Documentary
Netflix, home of the docuseries smash Making a Murderer, will unveil four original documentaries at the Toronto International Film Festival that goes on Sept. 8-18, including one about Amanda Knox. Netflix describes Amanda Knox, which debuts on Netflix Sept. 30, as “a human story that goes past the headlines to examine the often fraught relationship between true crime tragedy, justice and entertainment.”
An American student in Italy, Knox stood trial for murder in that country and was eventually released after close to four years in prison.
Also on the Netflix doc slate is The White Helmets, from the filmmaking team behind Virunga. Set in Aleppo, Syria and Turkey in early 2016, it follows three volunteer rescue workers amidst the strife. It debuts on Netflix Sept. 16.
Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer’s Into the Inferno, about the “deeply rooted relationship” between humans and volcanoes, debuts on Netflix Oct. 28. Leo DiCaprio’s The Ivory Game is a thriller about ending African elephant extinction; it debuts on Netflix Nov. 4.
“The breadth of our slate at the Toronto International Film Festival speaks to Netflix’s continued celebration of diverse voices and styles in the world of nonfiction,” said Lisa Nishimura, Netflix VP of original documentary programming. “We are committed to pushing the boundaries of the documentary form, and our films screening at Toronto represent both emerging talent and iconic filmmakers during a thrilling time for documentaries.”
Netflix previously announced that Ava DuVernay’s The 13th, about the history of racial injustice in the U.S., will be the first ever nonfiction film to premiere opening night of the New York Film Festival.
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Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.