- Film And TV
- 01 May 19
The programming will roll out over several years.
High Ground Productions, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's new production company, has announced a slate of seven different projects which will be released in partnership with Netflix.
The content will cover a variety of formats, ranging from documentaries to scripted series, and narratives, including a Fredrick Douglas biopic. The Obamas started Higher Ground last spring to create content that explores human resilience and determination in the face of adversity.
“We created Higher Ground to harness the power of storytelling. That’s why we couldn’t be more excited about these projects,” President Obama said in a statement. “Touching on issues of race and class, democracy and civil rights, and much more, we believe each of these productions won’t just entertain, but will educate, connect, and inspire us all.”
The first film to be released from Higher Ground Productions will be American Factory, a documentary which screened at Sundance Film Festival that follows a Chinese billionaire who opened a factory in post-industrial Ohio. Bloom is described as an "upstairs/downstairs drama series set in the world of fashion in post-WWII New York City" and depicts the tribulations and triumphs of women and people of color.
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Overlooked is an anthology series adapted from the New York Times' obituary column of the same name that looks at remarkable people whose deaths were not initially reported by the paper. Listen To Your Vegetables & Eat Your Parents is a children's show that takes viewers "on an adventure that tells us the story of our food."
Fifth Risk is a documentary series on everyday heroes in the government and military based on The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy, by Michael Lewis (Moneyball). Finally, Crip Camp is a feature-length documentary about a summer camp for disabled teenagers in the early '70s.
“We love this slate because it spans so many different interests and experiences, yet it’s all woven together with stories that are relevant to our daily lives,” former First Lady Michelle Obama said in a statement.