Netflix has acquired two acclaimed documentary shorts with strong African creative connections, bringing the films to audiences worldwide and highlighting the growing international reach of African filmmakers and co-productions.
Among the acquisitions is One Last Order, an award-winning documentary short produced by Kenya’s LBx Africa and New York-based Insignia Films. The film is co-directed by Kenyan filmmaker Sam Soko and Lauren DeFilippo, who previously worked together on the documentary feature Free Money, also available on Netflix.
Produced by Soko, DeFilippo and Amanda Pollak, One Last Order tells the story of Sighle Williams, whose 37 years working at the window of Mac’s Drive-Thru in Gainesville, Florida, made her a beloved figure in the local community.
The filmmakers said the project began as a search for a story but ultimately became an exploration of everyday human connection.
“We went looking for a story and found a practice. Joy, shared daily, with whoever pulls up next,” Soko and DeFilippo said in a joint statement. “We have carried it with us ever since. We are thrilled Netflix is sharing it with you too.”
The film has enjoyed a successful international festival run, earning several major honours, including the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Short, Audience Award and Teen View Award at the Nantucket Film Festival; the Jury Award for Documentary and Audience Award at Aspen Shortsfest; and the Audience Short Film Award at the Miami Film Festival.
For LBx Africa, the acquisition underscores the potential of international creative partnerships and the ability of African filmmakers to tell stories that resonate beyond the continent.
Also joining Netflix’s documentary slate is An Open Field, a 38-minute film by South African filmmaker Teboho Edkins. The documentary premiered in the Short Documentary Competition at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) in 2025, where it won the IDFA Award for Best Short Documentary.
An Open Field follows Edkins and his father, producer Don Edkins, as they return to the site in Ethiopia where Teboho’s younger brother, Max Thabiso Edkins, and 156 other people were killed in the Boeing 737 MAX crash in 2019.
The film explores grief and remembrance as the Edkins family encounters a local community that continues to mourn the victims alongside their families.
Produced by Don Edkins through Day Zero Films and co-produced by Carine Chichkowsky through Survivance, the documentary also reflects longstanding creative relationships within the African documentary filmmaking community.
Don Edkins previously co-produced South Sudanese filmmaker Akuol de Mabior’s No Simple Way Home alongside Soko and Tiny Mungwe. The film, a co-production involving LBx Africa and STEPS, premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlinale in 2022.
Together, the acquisitions reflect Netflix’s continued interest in distinctive documentary storytelling and demonstrate how African filmmakers and production companies are increasingly contributing to stories with global appeal.
