After tackling what is arguably the world’s most stressful job, the U.S. Presidency, what comes next?
For George W. Bush, it was painting; for his father, George H.W. Bush it was parachute jumping. For Barack Obama it’s Netflix and Oscar nominations.
“American Factory” — a documentary that comes from Higher Ground Productions, a production company created by former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama — has received a 2020 Oscar nomination for best documentary feature.
The documentary was nominated alongside National Geographic’s “The Cave,” Netflix’s “The Edge of Democracy,” PBS’ “For Sama,” and Neon’s “Honeyland. “
The directors of American Factory, Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, gave viewers a look into the struggling auto-industry through the eyes of employees at an Ohio car factory, highlighting their struggles when a foreign company enters the market and re-opens a General Motors factory.
Barack Obama thanked the American Factory production team in a tweet Monday shortly after the nomination was announced, saying the Oscar nod was exactly what he and Michelle hoped for when starting Higher Ground Productions.
In 2018, Barack and Michelle Obama joined together with Netflix to create Higher Ground Productions, CNBC reports.
In a statement to CNBC, Obama shared that he and Michelle hoped to use the company to share the stories of the many fascinating and diverse people they’d met during a lifetime of public service.
A little over a year later, that decision is paying off.
Now only the hardest question remains: What feels better: an Oscar nomination, or winning the U.S. presidency? Seeing as Ronald Reagan’s film career only fetched him a Golden Globe, the Obamas may be the only ones who know the answer.