Documentary
18th MIFF sees the Asia premiere of doc film The Commandant’s Shadow
Mumbai: As part of the ongoing Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF), the Asia premiere of the highly talked about documentary film ‘The Commandant’s Shadow’ directed by Daniela Volker was hosted at the festival.
Walking the red carpet of the film were filmmaker Daniela Volker, Executive producer and creative entrepreneur Sajan Raj Kurup, Co/Executive producer Wendy Robins and festival director and MD, NFDC Prithul Kumar.
The screening also saw industry members, Adman Prahlad Kakkar, actor- Producer Masumeh Makhija, Producer Succhanda Chatterjee and Shona Urvashi among others in attendance.
With a wide release across the USA, the documentary follows Hans Jürgen Höss, son of Auschwitz’s Commandant Rudolf Höss, confronting his father’s terrible legacy for the first time and as he is introduced to Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, a Jewish survivor of the camp. Their historic meeting, eight decades later, in Anita’s London living room, alongside their children Kai Höss and Maya Lasker-Wallfisch, delves into their very different hereditary burdens and raises questions about love, guilt, and forgiveness.
Documentary
Netflix and Warner Music ink landmark documentary deal
The streaming giant has just unlocked one of the richest vaults in music history. Its rivals should be worried
CALIFORNIA AND NEW YORK: Netflix and Warner Music Group have signed an exclusive multi-year deal to produce documentary series and films drawn from the label’s storied artist roster, the companies announced on Friday — a move that hands the streaming platform access to one of the most formidable catalogues in music history.
Warner Music Group represents legends including David Bowie, Cher, Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin and Joni Mitchell, alongside contemporary superstars such as Charli XCX, Coldplay and Bruno Mars. That is a staggering breadth of material for a platform hungry for prestige content and subscriber growth to match.
Under the agreement, Warner Music will work with Unigram, the production company aligned with the label, which will serve as the studio for its long-form projects. Each title will be developed in collaboration with the artists themselves or their estates, ensuring the kind of intimate access that turns a documentary into an event.
The deal reflects an intensifying race between music-rights owners and streaming platforms eager to turn deep catalogues into premium visual content. Music documentaries have become a vehicle for fan-driven, culturally resonant programming — a trend underscored by Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” film, which grossed over $260 million globally and reminded every platform chief just how lucrative the genre can be.
Netflix already boasts formidable credentials in music storytelling, with “Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé” and “Quincy” among its highest-profile releases. The Warner deal sharpens that edge considerably. Rival platforms have not been idle: Disney+ has released “The Beach Boys”, while Max has drawn attention with “Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.” Apple Music, meanwhile, has pushed into original content through its Apple Music Live series, producing documentaries and livestreamed concerts featuring Harry Styles and Billie Eilish.
The battle for music’s visual soul, then, is well and truly on. Netflix has just made its boldest move yet.
