David Farnor | On 12, Dec 2017

Netflix is continuing its commitment to short-form documentaries with a new line-up of non-fiction shorts for 2018. The streaming giant has announced its slate for early next year, two of which were previously announced as a part of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival shorts program.

“We are proud to showcase stories from around the globe, told by filmmakers who help us see the world from unique and important new vantage points,” says Lisa Nishimura, VP of Original Documentary Programming. “This impressive and diverse slate of documentary shorts illustrates how filmmakers, both acclaimed and emerging, can deftly transport us into some of the most transcendent, enriching, raw and unexpected moments in life.”

Here’s the line-up:

The Trader (Sovdagari) – 9th February

Gela sells secondhand clothes and household items from the back of his minibus while travelling the Eastern European country Georgia in search of spuds. Money is meaningless in this market—potatoes are lucre. Young and old peer into his truck, their eyes lighting up at the sight of modern conveniences like sponges and lint brushes. It’s a riddle that pits rural value against urban valuation, dirt versus gold. Directed by Tamta Gabrichidze. Sundance announced last week this would be a part of its 2018 shorts program and it won the Best Short Documentary Award at Hot Docs,

Ladies First – 9th March

Directed by Uraaz Bahl, this tells the inspirational story of Deepika Kumari who, as a girl born on the roadside to abject poverty in rural India, went in search of food, stumbled upon archery, and within four years became the number one archer in the World.

Ram Dass, Going Home – 6th April

Ram Dass is one of the most important cultural figures from the 1960s and 70s. A psychedelic pioneer, author of Be Here Now, beloved spiritual teacher, and outspoken advocate for death-and-dying awareness, Ram Dass is now himself approaching the end of life. Since suffering a life-changing stroke twenty years ago, he has been living at his home on Maui and deepening his spiritual practice — which is centered on love and his idea of merging with his surroundings and all living things.

End Game – 4th May

Also making its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival is End Game. Directed by Academy Award winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, End Game is an intimate vérité style documentary that follows visionary medical practitioners who are working on the cutting edge of life and death – and dedicated to changing our thinking about both.

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