Best New Documentaries on Netflix: July 2020
Welcome to a new regular feature from What’s On Netflix. Every month, we’ll provide you with a fresh roundup of the new documentaries added to your favorite streaming platform.
We’re only a week or so into July, but some of these titles are already performing very well in the top tens. There are loads of new documentaries landing this month so whatever you’re in to, there’s sure to be something you’ll enjoy. Keep reading to find out all of the new documentaries landing on Netflix this July.
Unsolved Mysteries (Season 15) N
Episodes: 6
Available on Netflix: 1 July 2020
A reboot of the classic TV show exploring intriguing mysteries in all their forms. If you’re interested in true crime, the supernatural, cryptids, or UFOs, you will love Unsolved Mysteries. Some of the mysteries featured in this collection are truly chilling, and the involvement of the Stranger Things production team keeps this reboot feeling fresh. It’s no surprise this series shot to the top of Netflix’s ‘most watched’ list.
#AnneFrank – Parallel Stories (2019)
Runtime: 1hr 34
Available on Netflix: 1 July 2020
Dame Helen Mirren narrates this moving documentary about women whose lives ran parallel to the iconic diarist, Anne Frank. However, unlike Anne, these women survived the horrors of the holocaust.
David Foster: Off the Record (2019)
Runtime: 1hr 31
Available on Netflix: 1 July 2020
Revealing music documentary on David Foster: Grammy Award-winning composer and producer. As well as candid interviews with Foster himself, the documentary also features well-known faces in the music industry such as Michael Buble, Andrea Boccelli, Celine Dion, and Barbra Streisand.
RIDE ON TIME (Season 1)
Episodes: 24
Available on Netflix: 1 July 2020
This Japanese docu-series examines some of the country’s top male music groups. Features Japanese music icons such as King & Prince, Hey! Say! JUMP, KAT-TUN, Kansai Johnny’s Jr., Snow Man, Tomoyuki Yara, Travis Japan, Bi shonen, SixTONES, HiHi Jets, Kis-My-Ft2, and Koichi Domoto.
I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
Runtime: 95 minutes
Available on Netflix: 3 July 2020
Documentary based on James Baldwin’s unfinished novel, Remember This House, exploring race in modern America.
Although unfinished, Baldwin’s novel intended to be a personal account of the lives and assassinations of three of his close friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. I Am Not Your Negro is narrated by Samuel L Jackson.
A Kid from Coney Island (2019)
Runtime: 1hr 35
Available on Netflix: 6 July 2020
Documentary following the career of basketball legend, Stephon Marbury. Featuring his rise, fall, and time in the NBA.
Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (2020)
Runtime: 1hr 36
Available on Netflix: 8 July 2020
The synopsis provided by Netflix has already piqued our interest on this one:
“Dazzling and tender-hearted, legendary astrologer Walter Mercado vanished at the peak of his fame. This documentary poignantly explains what happened.”
On Est Ensemble / We Are One (2020) N
Runtime: Around 1hr 30
Available on Netflix: 14 July 2020
Activists around the world fight injustice and drive social change in this French documentary that follows their participation in the music video “Solidarité”. According to this article, the documentary highlights the individual struggles that the activists endure to make the world a better place.
The Business of Drugs (Limited Series) N
Episodes: TBC
Available on Netflix: 14 July 2020
To understand the origins and true impact of the business of drugs, a former CIA analyst (Amaryllis Fox) investigates the economics of six illicit substances in this Original docu-series. Featuring big names such as cocaine, heroin, synthetics, meth, cannabis and opioids.
Father Soldier Son (2020) N
Runtime: 1hr 40
Available on Netflix: 17 July 2020
Synopsis provided by IMDb:
“Isaac and Joey have a superhero for a father. They worship their Dad, Brian Eisch, a decorated, third-generation soldier who spends most of their childhood deployed in Afghanistan while other family members care for the boys. When Brian is injured and returns home a different man, all three must reconcile with the aftershocks of war. As Brian fights to retain control of himself and his loved ones, fate continues to challenge his belief in justice and self-determination.”
The Last Dance (Limited Series)
Episodes: 10
Available on Netflix: 19 July 2020
This EPSN docu-series follows the Chicago Bulls during the 80s and 90s, particularly focussing on Michael Jordan’s last season with the team.
Street Food: Latin America (Season 1) N
Episodes: TBC
Available on Netflix: 21 July 2020
Don’t watch this one on an empty stomach: it’ll make you hungry! This cooking travel docu-series explores the local delicacies of Latin American street food.
Fear City: New York vs The Mafia (Limited Series) N
Episodes: TBC
Available on Netflix: 22 July 2020
Another one for the true-crime fans. Here’s the synopsis provided by Netflix:
“Five Mafia families ruled New York with a bloody fist in the 1970s and ’80s, until a group of federal agents tried the unthinkable: taking them down.”
Love on the Spectrum (Season 1) N
Episodes: 4
Available on Netflix: 22 July 2020
Docu-series exploring how people with autism negotiate the world of dating and romance.
The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion (2019)
Runtime: 1hr 7min
Available on Netflix: 22 July 2020
This documentary explores how hip hop changed fashion, from 1980s streetwear and beyond.
Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons (Season 4) N
Episodes: 4
Available on Netflix: 28 July 2020
The popular prison documentary series returns for its fourth season on Netflix. Hosted by Raphael Rowe, a BBC journalist who previously served time for murder and robberies which he didn’t commit.
Last Chance U (Season 5) N
Episodes:
Available on Netflix: 28 July 2020
The fifth and final series of popular docu-series, Last Chance U. The show covers college football teams in the US. This season focuses on Laney College in Oakland, California.
The Speed Cubers (2020) N
Runtime: 40 mins
Available on Netflix: 29 July 2020
Synopsis from a Netflix press release:
“Speed Cubing, which is the competitive sport of solving a Rubik’s Cube in mere seconds, has grown into a worldwide phenomenon in recent years. For nearly a decade in the sport, Feliks Zemdegs from Australia, has reigned unchallenged as the king of cubers, the greatest of all time. That is, until now. The cubing world was stunned when an unknown challenger named Max Park from California took home the Gold in 2017 and emerged onto the global stage. Since then, Max’s rise to the top has been swift and steady, save for one obstacle in his way – Feliks. The two have been trading wins and world records steadily, neither one able to truly dominate while the other still competes. But rather than developing into a bitter rivalry, Feliks & Max have instead grown their competitive relationship into a tender yet complicated friendship.”
Which Netflix documentary are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below!
Courtesy of: whats-on-netflix.com
