Your Guide to All the Netflix Documentaries You Can Legally Screen

This Academy Award nominated documentary is one of the most powerful and underrated original films Netflix has to offer. Directed by Evgeny Afineevsky, Winter on Fire follows a peaceful student protest in the Ukraine that quickly devolves into a violent revolution. Though it was criticized for being a bit one-sided, Winter on Fire stands as a great explanation of a civil rights movement the average person likely doesn’t know about.

Here’s where you can find the grant of permission for Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom.

Stream Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom on Netflix

At the center of this documentary about a woman re-learning to communicate after a hemorrhagic stroke is a deeply human story. The documentary follows Lotje Sodderland, a 33-year-old woman learning to readjust to the world and her new point of view. However, the more she settles into her new reality and increased hallucinations, the more she takes comfort in David Lynch’s work. Directed by Sodderland and Sophie Robinson, it’s a personal story about progress, setbacks, the complexities of the human mind, and how much art can help. It was also executive produced by Lynch.

Here’s where you can find the grant of permission for My Beautiful Broken Brain.

Stream My Beautiful Broken Brain on Netflix

Directed by Dan Krauss, this documentary follows a group of doctors, families, and patients making end-of-life decisions for their loved ones. It’s absolutely a sad documentary, but the Oscar-nominated film is also a short one, clocking in at 24 minutes.

Here’s where you can find the grant of permission for Extremis.

Stream Extremis on Netflix

This short film marked one of the first times Netflix ever won an Academy Award in the documentary category. Directed by Orlando von Einsiedel, The White Helmets follows the day-to-day operations of the volunteer members of the Syrian Civil Defense. The film explains how these workers put their lives on the line to save innocent lives in the middle of violence between Syria and Turkey. It’s a heartwarming story of hope and human goodness in the middle of a sad conflict.

Here’s where you can find the grant of permission for The White Helmets.

Stream The White Helmets on Netflix

Directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, this story about sexual assault and cyberbullying is one of the most disturbing watches in Netflix’s library. The film follows the lives of two teenagers who were victims of online abuse following their sexual assaults — Audrie Pott and Daisy Coleman. However, only one of these young women is able to tell her own story. Pott committed suicide shortly after her assault. It’s a powerful film that shows just how important and unregulated cyberbullying is.

Here’s where you can find the grant of permission for Audrie & Daisy.

Stream Audrie & Daisy on Netflix

Ava DuVernay’s documentary about the connection between race and America’s criminal justice system is a must watch for any documentary lover. The documentary takes its names from the 13th Amendment of the Constitution, which freed slaves and prohibited slavery, but the film argues that the racial prejudice of the justice system has created another system of oppression. Featuring interviews from prominent activists, academics, and politicians, this Oscar-nominated documentary makes an excellent case as well as a disturbing but important watch.

Here’s where you can find the grant of permission for 13th.

Stream 13th on Netflix

Thanks to Netflix, you can legally screen a Werner Herzog film. Directed by Herzog and volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer, Into the Inferno follows these two filmmakers as they travel across the world and attempt to better understand man’s relationship with volcanoes. It’s a strictly by-the-books doc, but it’s hard not to be interested in one of nature’s most intense phenomenons.

Here’s where you can find the grant of permission for Into the Inferno.

Stream Into the Inferno on Netflix

If you’ve ever been interested in learning more about the dangers elephants face as a result of the ivory trade, this documentary is for you. Directed by Richard Ladkani and Kief Davidson, The Ivory Game explains how this battle between poachers and environmentalists has become a global concern.

Here’s where you can find the grant of permission for The Ivory Game.

Stream The Ivory Game on Netflix

Directed by Joe Piscatella, this documentary is sure to be an uplifting and inspiring watch. Joshua follows the teenaged Joshua Wong, a kid who became the rallying voice of dissent during the 2014 Hong Kong Occupy Movement. The documentary chronicles how this unlikely leader inspired many and launched an unexpected movement.

Here’s where you can find the grant of permission for Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower.

Stream Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpowers on Netflix

There are few documentaries more relevant to today’s media climate than Brian Knappenberger’s take on the Hulk Hogan v. Gawker trial. On a surface level, the court case that led Gawker to bankruptcy is insane, filled with confusing arguments, large personalities, and a shadowy backer with a vendetta against the media organization. However, the argument the documentary makes about the importance of the freedom of the press is essential.

Here’s where you can find the grant of permission for Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press.

Stream Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press on Netflix

If a documentary about coral could be a horror movie, this would be it. Directed by Jeff Orlowski, the film follows a team of divers, photographers, and scientists as they revisit one dying reef. What starts as an explainer on the importance of coral reefs quickly devolves into a warning about the effects of climate change.

Here’s where you can find the grant of permission for Chasing Coral.

Stream Chasing Coral on Netflix