Netflix preps Amanda Knox, Werner Herzog docs

Netflix will launch four new docs at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, including a project about Amanda Knox, and another from vaunted filmmaker Werner Herzog.

The US streaming service has invested heavily in original factual programming and its four-strong premiere slate for TIFF is its latest docs move.

Amanda Knox explores the notorious case of Knox, a US citizen convicted and then acquitted of the murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher while both were living in Italy. Rod Blackhurst (Here Alone) and Brian McGinn, who makes Netflix series Chef’s Table, direct the film.

From Werner Herzog, Into the Inferno, explores the world’s most mythical volcanoes, taking in the geological phenomena in Indonesia, Ethiopia, Iceland and North Korea.

Austria-based Tera Mater, which is a subsidiary of Red Bull, and US prodco Vulcan Productions have teamed for another of the TIFF selections, The Ivory Game. It goes into the dark world of illicit ivory trafficking.

The White Helemts is a short film following volunteer rescue workers in Syria and Turkey. It is being made by Academy Award-nominated director Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara.

The White Helmets and Amanda Knox roll out in September on Netflix in the US and globally, with the The Inferno and The Ivory Game following in in October and November respectively.

Lisa Nishimura, Netflix vice president of Original Documentary Programming at Netflix said: “We are committed to pushing the boundaries of the documentary form, and our films screening at Toronto represent both emerging talent and iconic filmmakers during a thrilling time for documentaries.”