or


[02/05/21 - 10:02 AM]
Higher Ground Productions Announces New Slate of Netflix Projects
The content encompasses a range of fiction, non-fiction and kids & family across both series and feature films.

[via press release from Netflix]

Higher Ground Productions Announces New Slate of Netflix Projects

HOLLYWOOD, Calif (February 5, 2021) - Higher Ground Productions, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's production company in partnership with Netflix, today announced a new slate of upcoming projects. The content encompasses a range of fiction, non-fiction and kids & family across both series and feature films. This announcement builds on their existing slate of projects which includes Academy Award winning documentary American Factory, the Emmy Award nominated Becoming, as well as the acclaimed Crip Camp, winner of the 2021 International Documentary Association award for Best Feature.

Higher Ground Productions, which is co-led by Priya Swaminathan and Tonia Davis, along with Ada Chiaghana and Alex Pitz, focuses on telling stories that embody the values the Obamas have championed throughout their lives. The projects selected are a reflection of these values and a commitment to quality storytelling. Higher Ground expects to make additional project announcements in the coming months.

"We created Higher Ground to tell great stories," said President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama. "This group of projects builds upon that goal and the incredible path forged by films like Crip Camp, Becoming, and the Oscar-winning American Factory. From science fiction to the beauty of our natural world to the relationships that define us, Higher Ground continues to strive for fresh perspectives, compelling characters, and a healthy dose of inspiration. We couldn't be more proud to team up with the brilliant artists behind each of these stories. Each of them has something important to say."

"It has been thrilling to watch President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and the Higher Ground team dive into original programming and produce incredible stories," said Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO and Chief Content Officer, Netflix. "American Factory, Crip Camp and Becoming have captivated audiences all around the world, and their new slate highlights the variety and depth of programming on the horizon as well as new and exciting storytellers."

Projects currently in different stages of development, to be released over the next several years (all titles are working titles) include the following:

Films

Exit West is a feature film based on Mohsin Hamid's critically-acclaimed novel. A love story set against an epic global migration enabled by a supernatural phenomenon, Exit West is the story of two people as they seek a better life together, all the while yearning for a home to which they may never return. The New York Times named the novel one of the 10 Best Books of 2017, it was selected for the Booker Prize longlist, and former U.S. President Barack Obama named it one of the best books he read in 2017. The film stars Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) who will also executive produce via his Left Handed Films banner, and will be directed by Yann Demange (White Boy Rick) and co-produced with Joe Russo, Anthony Russo and Mike Larocca for the Russos' AGBO.

Satellite is a science fiction feature film written by Ola Shokunbi, and produced by Kiri Hart and Stephen Feder for Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman's T Street.

Tenzing is a feature film based on the true story of Tenzing Norgay, the man who first reached the summit of Everest, the highest mountain in the world, along with Sir Edmund Hillary. This is the story of an unsung hero and the unique bond he formed with another outsider that enabled them to make history together. BAFTA nominee Jennifer Peedom (Sherpa), who has spent years on Everest herself, will direct. Tenzing marks her first foray into narrative film. Academy Award nominee and BAFTA winner Luke Davies (Lion) wrote the spec script based on the book "Tenzing: Hero of Everest" by Ed Douglas. Peedom and Davies are producing alongside HGP. David Michôd (The King) and Norbu Tenzing Norgay will executive produce.

The Young Wife is a feature film from writer and director Tayarisha Poe (Selah and the Spades). It follows Celestina, 29, on the day of her first wedding. Or not a wedding, exactly, but a party. A party where there's movement, and Celestina is out of sync. The guests flood in; a storm approaches.

Series

Firekeeper's Daughter is a series based on the debut novel by Angeline Boulley, set to publish in Spring 2021 by Henry Holt & Co. The novel is a YA thriller that follows an 18-year-old Native girl as she reluctantly goes undercover in a police investigation on her Ojibwe reservation. Mickey Fisher (Reverie, Extant) will serve as showrunner, and will co-write with Wenonah Wilms (Horsehead Girls) who will also serve as an executive producer. Like author Boulley, Wilms is from the Ojibwe tribe (Sault Ste. Marie and Red Cliff bands, respectively) and will bring her lived experiences to this series.

Great National Parks is a natural history docuseries that will explore some of the most wondrous national parks and wild spaces on Earth. Highlighting extraordinary species and habitats, the series will illustrate the importance of protecting the world's remaining wildernesses and making them accessible for all. Higher Ground is producing the series with Wild Space Productions and wildlife filmmaker James Honeyborne of the award-winning series Blue Planet II.

Recently Announced:

Ada Twist, Scientist is an animated preschool series based on the best-selling book series by author Andrea Beaty and illustrator David Roberts featuring a young Black scientist who will explore helping people through scientific discovery, collaboration and friendship. Higher Ground is producing alongside executive producers Chris Nee and Kerri Grant.

The G Word with Adam Conover is a hybrid comedy series hosted by Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) based on The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy by bestselling author Michael Lewis (The Big Short, Moneyball). Higher Ground is producing alongside Adam Conover, Jon Cohen, and Jon Wolf of Fair Point.

About Higher Ground Productions

Higher Ground, founded by President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, is focused on telling the stories that embody the values the Obamas have championed throughout their lives. Higher Ground produces scripted films, TV series, children's programs and documentaries exclusively with Netflix, and podcasts exclusively with Spotify. Its first release American Factory won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and its first podcast, The Michelle Obama Podcast, was its biggest Spotify Original in history.

About Netflix

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with 204 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.





  [february 2021]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
 


· ADA TWIST, SCIENTIST (NETFLIX)
· FIREKEEPER'S DAUGHTER (NETFLIX)
· G WORD WITH ADAM CONOVER, THE (NETFLIX)
· OUR GREAT NATIONAL PARKS (NETFLIX)





[10/03/25 - 02:17 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting '25 MLB Wild Card Series
Across eight games, the MLB Wild Card Series is averaging 4.4 million viewers, up 65% from last year.

[10/03/25 - 12:37 PM]
BET+ Sets October 23 Premiere for "Carl Weber's The Family Business" Season 6
The 10-episode season will premiere with two episodes, followed by one episode weekly, with the finale on Thursday, December 18.

[10/03/25 - 12:07 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Continues to Shatter Records - Growing Two Weeks in a Row Since Season Premiere for First Time Since 2005
Plus: "High Potential" hit a season high in Total Viewers (4.24 million), growing by double digits over the show's comparable third episode from last fall.

[10/03/25 - 10:57 AM]
Legends, Champions and Icons of October Highlight FOX Sports' Postseason Broadcaster Lineup
FOX Sports begins its Postseason coverage Saturday, October 4 at 4:00 PM ET on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports App and FOX One as the New York Yankees face the Toronto Blue Jays.

[10/03/25 - 10:05 AM]
All-New Season of "Gold Rush" Returns with High-Stake Risks and Land Fury on Friday, November 7 at 8PM ET/PT on Discovery
With only a few short months to mine, top bosses and rising underdogs collide in a race to claim new ground, move more dirt, and strike it rich.

[10/03/25 - 09:12 AM]
FOX Nation Secures Exclusive U.S. Rights to Docuseries "Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar"
The acclaimed series will make its anticipated U.S. debut on FOX Nation on Monday, October 6.

[10/03/25 - 08:02 AM]
TNT Sports to Be Exclusive Home of 2025 NLDS & NLCS
Both best-of-five NLDS series begin Saturday, October 4.

[10/03/25 - 08:01 AM]
TNT Sports Sets BIG EAST Men's College Basketball Schedule for Inaugural 2025-26 Season
TNT Sports' regular season BIG EAST men's basketball schedule will feature 40 appearances by St. John's, UConn, Creighton, Xavier, and Marquette, programs that each clinched berths in last season's NCAA Men's Tournament.

[10/03/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "27 Nights" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a woman is admitted by her daughters to a psychiatric clinic for her carefree ways, an expert must judge if she is ill or simply wants to enjoy life.

[10/03/25 - 04:01 AM]
Video: "Steve" - Official Trailer #2 - Netflix
Over one intense day, the devoted head teacher of a last-chance reform school strives to keep his students in line while facing pressures of his own.

[10/03/25 - 03:02 AM]
Miguel Herran Will Play Poli Diaz in "El Porto the Vallecas," the New Film by Daniel Calparsoro for Netflix
Inspired by true events, the film follows the life of Policarpo "Poli" Díaz (Miguel Herrán), a young man from Vallecas who, despite a childhood marked by poverty and family violence, became a boxing legend in 1980s Spain, even fighting for the world lightweight title.

[10/03/25 - 03:01 AM]
Netflix Honors Jane Goodall with Posthumous Release of "Famous Last Words" Docuseries Following Her Passing
The series showcases reflective interviews with some of the world's most influential cultural figures, who agreed to sit down and discuss their legacy, and give their final words, with the understanding that it would only be shared with the world after they passed.

[10/02/25 - 04:09 PM]
ESPN Delivers the Most-Watched WNBA Semifinals Ever
Game 5 between the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces averaged 1.8 million viewers, peaking at 2.1 million.

[10/02/25 - 03:01 PM]
Video: "Twisted Wonderland" - Trailer - Disney+
Your favorite villains reimagined in ways you've never dared to dream.

[10/02/25 - 02:51 PM]
ESPN's Record-Setting Day One of MLB Wild Card Series
Coverage of Red Sox versus Yankees averaged 6.5 million viewers, peaking at 9.9 million.