(L-R) Julia Reichert, Lindsay Utz, Steven Bognar, Jeff Reichert and Julie Parker Benello accept the Documentary - Feature - award for 'American Factory' onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on February 09, 2020 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)Barack and Michelle Obama's production company scored an Oscar win on Sunday for "American Factory," a documentary that chronicled what happened to workers when a Chinese billionaire purchased a manufacturing plant in the U.S. Midwest. "American Factory" is the first release from their company Higher Ground Productions, which the former U.S. president and first lady founded in 2018. Julia Reichert, an American documentary filmmaker who worked on the film, said during her acceptance speech Sunday. "American Factory" follows the lives of thousands of workers who were laid off from their auto jobs in Moraine, Ohio, in the 2008 recession.
cnbc.comLOS GATOS, Calif. - The Obamas' first project for Netflix, "American Factory," is as interesting for what it isn't as what it is. "American Factory," however, isn't a "feel-good" movie; rather, it's a nuanced, thought-provoking documentary, looking at the cultural differences between Chinese management and American workers at a Dayton, Ohio manufacturing plant, reflecting President Obama's reputation for wonkiness more than anything else. "American Factory" doesn't necessarily make the cultural gap appear insurmountable. But as inaugural events go, "American Factory" is an impressive ground-breaking exercise, heightening interest -- perhaps especially beyond the documentary genre -- in what's to come. "American Factory" premieres Aug. 21 on Netflix and in select theaters.
