Netflix has made two shows available entirely for free on the streaming service, so that viewers without a subscription will be able to watch them.
READ: 7 films about racial injustice that are must-watches
The shows, When They See Us and 13th, both look at the awful realities of racial injustice, and the filmmaker behind both projects, Ava DuVernay, tweeted the good news on Thursday evening.
Have you seen When They See Us yet?
She wrote: "Some News" WHEN THEY SEE US is now available in front of @Netflix’s paywall for free. 13TH too. And it’s also on Youtube now. Billboards for both are now up in NYC + LA." She added that Selma was also available to watch, having been made available for free download by Paramount Pictures.
13th has also been made available to watch for free
When They See Us follows the story of the Central Park Five, a group of innocent teenagers who were wrongly accused of attacking a woman, and incarcerated before being eventually exonerated over ten years later. Meanwhile, 13th looks at the deeply dysfunctional prison system in the US.
The shows are available for free
Ava's followers on Twitter praised the gesture, with one writing: "I watched 13th to open my eyes. Just finished episode one of When They See Us. Both are amazing. I’ve recommended 13th to a bunch of people. It’s a great way to understand quickly what’s going on before you get a chance to read some books."
READ: 15 powerful and essential books on racial injustice to add to your reading list
Another added: "I recently saw 13th and it blew my mind. I could never imagine people using prisons for commercial gain and then making a sustainable system around prisoners. Shocking." A third person tweeted: "Congratulations and thank you. You've enabled my 26-year-old Vermont niece and those like her to watch 13th. It shook her to the core. It starts with hearts and culture, then policy."
