October is here, which means Halloween and pumpkin spice season are upon us. October also means a new slate of documentaries are coming to streaming services.
This month sees the debut of new documentaries, like Netflix’s “Life on Our Planet,” Max’s “The Matthew Shepard Story: An American Hate Crime” and Hulu’s “Jiro Dreams of Sushi.” The titles embrace criminal scandals, nature or human rights history.
Here, WWD has rounded up the documentaries coming to streaming in October.
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“Race to the Summit”
Image Credit: Netflix Ueli Steck was known as “the fastest climber in the world” until Dani Arnold broke his Eiger speed record in 2011. In this new documentary, the two climbers compete to become the fastest climbers in the world. The two dueled across the great north faces of the European Alps, many of which the pair climbed “solo,” without any safety equipment.
- Date: Oct. 4
- Platform: Netflix
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“Life on Our Planet”
Image Credit: Netflix Ever wondered how species that are now extinct survived on planet Earth? There are currently more than 20 million known species on Earth, but that’s only a fraction of what has existed throughout time. “Life on our Planet” explores the rise and fall of species lost to the past.
- Date: Oct. 25
- Platform: Netflix
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“Beyond the Headlines: The College Admissions Scandal With Gretchen Carlson”
Image Credit: Getty Images The documentary about one of the biggest college admissions scandals in American history arrives on Hulu. Gretchen Carlson takes viewers behind the scenes of how celebrities and prominent individuals cheated the system and illicitly paid for their children’s admission to some of America’s most prestigious institutions. William “Rick” Singer was the mastermind behind the scandal that rocked news headlines.
- Date: Oct. 2
- Platform: Hulu
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“Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am”
Image Credit: Craig Barritt Acclaimed author Toni Morrison went from a humble childhood in Lorain, Ohio, to become one of the most prominent authors of her time. She would find herself on book tours with Muhammad Ali and the front lines of the civil rights movement. In this documentary, Morrison explores race, history and the human condition.
- Date: Oct. 17
- Platform: Hulu
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“Jiro Dreams of Sushi”
Image Credit: Getty Images “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” helped spawn an entire trend of documentaries about food. The film follows Jiro Ono, whose sushi-making skills earned him international acclaim at his 10-seat restaurant located in a Tokyo subway station. At 97, Jiro Ono is still working.
- Date: Oct. 31
- Platform: Hulu
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“The Matthew Shepard Story: An American Hate Crime”
Image Credit: Getty Images In 1998, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard was murdered when he was brutally tied to a fence and beaten to death in an anti-gay hate crime. It become one of the most famous anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in the United States. This documentary honors his legacy after the 25th anniversary of his passing.
- Date: Oct. 9
- Platform: Max
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The Devil on Trial
Image Credit: courtesy photo In what was one of the strangest trials in U.S. history, “The Devil on Trial” follows the first time a defense in a court case relied on “demonic possession” for a criminal trial. The film details the firsthand account of the alleged demonic possession and the murder that followed. The case has often been referred to as the “Devil Made Me Do It” case.
- Date: Oct. 17
- Platform: Netflix