Barack and Michelle Obama Unveil 7 Netflix Originals

The Obamas’ production house is collaborating with Netflix.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama (L) and former US President Barack Obama.

(Photo: AP)

Former US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday announced a list of seven fresh originals that their production company, Higher Ground Productions, will be working on with Netflix. The deal between the Obamas and Netflix was finalised in 2018. Almost a year later, we finally have a range of TV shows and films to look forward to.

Here’s what you can expect:

1. Bloom

Set in post-World War II New York, Bloom will be a minority-centric narrative diving into the hurdles faced by women and people of colour right after the second World War - a time that is remembered for both its difficulties as well as progress. It will be produced by Callie Khouri.

2. Listen to Your Vegetables & Eat Your Parents

A half-four series meant for preschoolers, Listen to Your Vegetables & Eat Your Parents will follow children and their families as they embark on a global adventure, learning about the food they eat.

3. Film Adaptation of David W. Blight’s Biography

It will be based on the American personality David W. Blight’s biography ‘Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom’. David is a famous American author.

4. Adaptation of New York Times’ ‘Overlooked’

New York Times’ ‘Overlooked’ is a series of obituaries that attempts to undo the erasure of white narratives in American media by adding obituaries of remarkable people of colour, women and other minorities. The Netflix adaptation of this would be a scripted anthology series.

5. Adaption of ‘The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy’ by Michael Lewis

Published in 2018, the book is an examination of Trump’s presidency in the US with respect to the American government’s Energy, Commerce and Agriculture department. Netflix and Higher Ground Productions will be adapting it into a series.

6. Crip Cramp

A documentary based on the global social Disability Rights Movement that aims to secure equal opportunities and rights for the differently abled.

7. American Factory

American Factory is a documentary focused on the events in Ohio, USA, after a Chinese billionaire set up a factory and hired almost 2,000 people. The factory was set up in a former General Motors plant. Higher Ground Productions has described it as the story of what happens when “high-tech China clashes with working-class America”. American Factory has already been screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

(With inputs from New York Times)