Feb 10, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Obama-produced "American Factory" wins best documentary Oscar

Rebecca Falconer

Barack and Michelle Obama close the Obama Foundation Summit, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, October 2018. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

"American Factory," the first Netflix film produced by Barack and Michelle Obama's production company, Higher Ground, won an Oscar for best documentary feature Sunday.

What they're saying: The former president and first lady both tweeted their congratulations to filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, who directed the film, which documents what happened to an Ohio factory after it was reopened by a Chinese billionaire. "So glad to see their heart and honesty recognized — because the best stories are rarely tidy or perfect," Michelle Obama said. "But that's where the truth so often lies."

Go deeper: The Obamas and Netflix reveal details for 7 of their productions

Go deeper

Sara Fischer

"Parasite" makes history with Oscars win

Director Bong Joon-ho accepting an Oscar for "Parasite" onstage during the 92nd Academy Awards. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

"Parasite" won the top award at the Oscars on Sunday night — becoming the first foreign language film to do so in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards.

Why it matters: It's a historic moment for the entertainment industry, which has been criticized for its lack of diversity on and off the screen.

Go deeperArrowUpdated Feb 10, 2020 - World
Dion Rabouin

The next phase in the streaming wars begins

Reproduced from CivicScience; Chart: Axios Visuals

Netflix is the No. 1 streaming service in terms of the number of current users, capturing 64% of respondents in a recent survey of U.S. adults. But its future growth is much less certain, according to new data from CivicScience.

Why it matters: Since the start of the year, Netflix stock has caught fire again, outpacing Disney's stock by almost 13% year to date — up 7.9%, with Disney off by 4.6%.

Go deeperArrowJan 27, 2020
Sara Fischer

Exclusive: Netflix reveals its 9 government takedown requests

Photo: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

Netflix has taken down just nine pieces of content around the world in response to written government demands since it was founded 23 years ago, the company revealed for the first time.

Why it matters: As Netflix aims to grow its business abroad, it wants to be transparent about the way it handles censorship efforts in markets it looks to invest in.

Go deeperArrowFeb 7, 2020 - Economy & Business