5 Can't-Miss Documentaries Hitting Netflix in September

If the arrival of Jaws: The Revenge or Bratz: The Movie on Netflix doesn’t float your boat, there are plenty of non-fictional alternatives. Check out these five documentaries debuting on the service in September.

1. RAIDERS! THE STORY OF THE GREATEST FAN FILM EVER MADE (2015)

Drafthouse Films

In 1981, a small band of middle-schoolers in Mississippi decided to take their summer break and make a shot-for-shot homage to Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. One summer became several; the group filmed for years, with their footage earning praise from Spielberg himself. Decades later, they reunite to film the one scene they never had a chance to finish. (9/16)

2. AMANDA KNOX (2016)

Netflix

One of several Netflix original documentaries premiering this fall, Amanda Knox takes a look at the 2007 murder case that made international headlines. An American college student studying in Italy, Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were accused of murdering roommate Meredith Kercher. What followed was a nightmarish obstacle course through Italy’s court system, with the defendants being tried, prosecuted, exonerated, and then roped back in. The film features exclusive interviews with both Knox and the case’s dogged prosecutor, Giuliano Mignini. (9/30)

3. EXTREMIS (2016)

LifeMatters

Originally shown at Robert De Niro’s Tribeca Film Festival in April, Extremis is a 24-minute documentary short that takes a close look at the end-of-life decisions faced by physicians and families in an Oakland, California intensive care unit. (9/13)

4. KEEPERS OF THE GAME (2016)

Tribeca Digital Studios

The Akwesasne Mohawk Territory straddling Canada and New York is home to a formidable girls’ lacrosse team, the Salmon River Shamrocks, who spend their 2015 season struggling with adversity on and off the field: some players are dealing with personal issues, while male players voice doubts over the ability of their female counterparts. A New York Times’ Critics Pick. (9/1)

5. MAN ON WIRE (2008)

Magnolia Pictures

Philippe Petit became an instant celebrity when he attempted a highly illegal wire walk between the Twin Towers in August 1974. In his own words, Petit relates his motivation for the performance, his plan to sneak past guards and equip the 200-foot gap with the proper equipment, and what he was thinking while his head was in the clouds. (9/1)