For a list of licensed films please visit the Streaming Media LibGuide. This LibGuide does not list all the films available in collections and databases such as Academic Video Online.
Some Netflix Original educational documentaries are available for one-time educational screenings. To find out which titles are available for educational screenings, visit media.netflix.com and search for the title or browse our recent and upcoming releases. Below is an non-exhaustive list of these titles.
If you don't have a personal Netflix account you can utilized the Netflix YouTube page to show and share documentaries. Note that not all of the Netflix Original Documentaries are available through the YouTube page and, as of November 2020, Netflix has not plans to add additional titles to YouTube.
For more information, click the links below:
March 2025 update: An A-Z list is now available for these Netflix documentaries - it is a searchable & browsable version of the list below.
As of 3/13/2025 (previous check 5/1/2024) the following titles are available for a one-time educational screening. You must have a personal Netflix account in order to show these titles in the classroom during a face-to-face traditional setting. Always double-check the details page for each title, before showing, to ensure that the Grant of Permission is still applicable. Films released on Netflix after 2021 have a link that reads "Before screening this title, read the Educational Screening Permission (ESP)."
There is no longer a simple way to search Netflix for a list of documentaries so unless you have a specific Netflix-owned documentary title that you want to search, it can be difficult to browse media.netflix.com. That is why the list is checked at least once a year - typically at the start of the Fall and Spring semesters. You might also find the supplied Google search to be helpful. It is also recommended that you limit the google search to a specific time frame to see new posts on that site.
Tabitha Ochtera MLIS, Serials & Media Librarian, created 2018
updated 2025 (by Tabitha Ochtera, MLIS, MBA, Associate Director, Head of Electronic and Digital Services)