The documentary division of Netflix rose to fame after producing a number of hits like “Making a Murderer”, which garnered several awards, simultaneously gripping public imagination with innovative approaches to true crime.

Following this, Netflix strongly encouraged documentaries by an investment of an estimated sum of USD 3 billion in the industry. Netflix’s entry into this market has helped demystify documentaries for people who were previously disinterested towards nonfiction films.

“People who have never watched a documentary in their life are watching them on Netflix,” quoted Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos during the UBS 42nd Annual Global Media and Communications Conference.

If you’re a person who doesn’t frequent documentaries this is the place to start. Let’s take a look at the top documentaries you mustn’t miss: (which is in no particular order, or is it?)

FYRE

“That’s not fraud. That is, uh… I would call that… false advertising.”

-Ja Rule, investor in Fyre Festival

Goes as “the greatest party that never happened”, this 90 minute documentary sheds light on a luxury music festival in a private island in the Bahamas. The 3-day festival, which was promoted extensively by a host of supermodels including Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid and other instagram models, helped the exponential increase in the reputation of the festival. The guests paid approximately $12,000 expecting the promised VIP experience which included private villas, custom Boeing 737 flights from Miami, gourmet food. But when they turned up, it was nothing like the advertisements. Billy McFarland, the brainchild of Fyre, ended up getting sued for a $100 million in a class action lawsuit by the attendees.

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann

“I’ve done thousands of cases, but with this case, I’ve seen the worst things a human being can see.”

-Julian Peribañez, investigator.

Reported as “the most heavily reported missing-person case in modern history”, the eight episode documentary series revolves around the famous, mysterious and intriguing case of Madeleine McCann which as of date, remains unsolved. It is now 12 years since the 3-year-old was abducted at a resort in Portugal. The investigation covered in the docuseries goes through a lot of twists (like the head of the investigation unit, was himself put under investigation!). All in all, someone lurks around the world knowing the truth and all we have are infinite theories.

Drive to Survive

“If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.”

-Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing Team Principal

This docuseries features the inside outs of the biggest motorsport event in the world, the Formula One. It gives exclusive access to the big shots in this fast paced industry, following almost every team and its drivers throughout the racing calendar. Not only does the series focus on all the latest action on the track, but also takes time away from the circuit to provide a unique insight to the teams and the people that make the championship what it is. The fine narrative offers a captivating glimpse and gives the non-motorsport fans plenty of reasons to start following the sport!

Losers

“If you’re not going to be a good loser, you’re not going to be a good winner, either.”

In a “winning is everything society”, this docuseries profiles the athletes who have turned the agony of defeat into human triumph. The sport documentary presents detailed conversations with individuals characterised by their shortcomings. It follows eight remarkable true stories of athletes who experienced more downs than ups, enabling them to make the most out of the high moments and finally take a shot at redemption from failure.

Dirty Money

“We didn’t find anything they were doing that was illegal, and that’s the thing that’s startling about this”

-Senator Claire McCaskill

From the director of “Enron: The smartest guys in the room” which is another enticing documentary which explores the fall of the Enron Corporation, arguably the most shocking example of modern corporate corruption; Dirty Money exposes brazen acts of corporate greed and  sleaze. This six part documentary takes a look at and uncovers stories of scandals in business which ultimately shows us just how much cash rules everything around us. It also features the “con”fidence man, Trump and his history of bankruptcy and failed businesses.