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Netflix pays whopping $10 million for documentary about Ocasio-Cortez's political campaign
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Netflix pays whopping $10 million for documentary about Ocasio-Cortez's political campaign

Called largest payment for rights to documentary film from a festival

Netflix has paid a record-breaking $10 million for rights to a Sundance Film Festival documentary about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.), the Daily Mail reported.

What's the perspective?

The film-streaming company won the rights for the film, "Knock Down the House," during a heated auction on Wednesday, according to Deadline.com. The news outlet called the amount Netflix paid the largest documentary sale from a film festival.

The film follows Ocasio-Cortez as she ran her 2018 campaign for a seat in the House of Representatives. On Thursday, it won the prestigious Sundance Festival Favorite Award in a competition against 120 other films that were screened at the festival.

Others that competed for the rights to "Knock Down the House" included Amazon, Hulu, NEON, and Focus. Amazon was not likely a good fit because Ocasio-Cortez was critical of the deal the online giant made to build its headquarters in New York City, near her 14th district, Deadline reported.

In the film, director Rachel Lears follows Ocasio-Cortez and three other Democratic politicians: Cori Bush, Amy Vilela, and Paula Jean Swearengin.

Bush, who lost in the 2018 race for Missouri's s 1st congressional district in the U.S. House, is running again in the 2020 election.

Vilela ran in 2018 and lost as a Democratic candidate for Nevada's 4th congressional district seat in the House.

And Swearengin ran for the West Virginia's Senate seat and lost in the 2018 primary.

At age 29, Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest women ever to be elected to Congress. She is also known for writing the Green New Deal proposal that was announced this week. Ocasio-Cortez claims the plan would guarantee every American family a job with a livable wage, paid vacations, and "retirement security." A livable wage would also be paid to people who are "unwilling to work," Fox News reported.

Also under the plan, the so-called socialist Democrat also wants to abolish air travel, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and replace and every building in America so it meets an energy efficiency code.

Anything else?

"Knock Down the House" began as a kickstarter project and its filmmakers raised $28,111 to launch the project.

Netflix also purchased rights to the documentary "American Factory," for $3 million. That film follows a Chinese billionaire as he opens a factory in Ohio and clashes with working-class Americans.

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