Netflix Acquires Indigenous Documentary Ceremony for 2027 Release

Netflix has acquired Ceremony, an Indigenous feature documentary, and plans to launch it on the streaming service in 2027. The Hollywood Reporter reported the deal on 2 November 2026. Acquiring a film means buying the rights to show it, so the purchase gives the film a worldwide streaming home after its festival run.

The film follows the Nuxalk Nation in British Columbia, Canada, as the community works to restore the population of the ooligan, a small fish that has long been part of its life and culture. The documentary premiered at the SXSW festival in Texas, where it won the audience award, according to Playback. SXSW's 2026 schedule listed it as a documentary feature.

It has also won prizes at Hot Docs and the Sydney Film Festival, the trade report says. The Canadian premiere took place at Hot Docs in Toronto on 1 May, according to the Nuxalk Nation.

The film is directed and produced by Slts'lani Banchi Hanuse, a Nuxalk documentary filmmaker and British Columbia-based director, as the Nuxalk Nation describes him in its September statement. Hanuse wrote the script with Jessica Mayhew. The film was produced by Smayaykila Films, and the cinematography is by Luke Connor and Jean-Philippe Marquis. Playback reports that the project was in production for more than a decade.

For a documentary, the path from festival to streaming can be long. Films often premiere at festivals, sell to distributors, and wait months or years for a release date. This deal fixes a date a year away, which gives viewers a clear point to look for the film. It also means that a story rooted in one First Nation's work reaches the same screens as the company's other titles.

Festival prizes and a streaming sale do not, on their own, say how many people will watch. What the deal does settle is where and when the film will arrive. Netflix has not, in the reporting so far, shared a specific launch month or the terms of the purchase.