Picture: Movart
Netflix documentaries come in all shapes and sizes, and one that the streamer is licensing in April covers the high-stakes Miss Universe competition in the Philippines.
Directed by a 23-year-old Belgian filmmaker and director, Tom Sys (Beyond The Curtain, And That’s how I Met My Wife) under his studio Movart, which he founded alongside Erik Sopracasa. It is the first time you’ve been able to go behind the scenes of the Miss Universe Philippines competition, looking into the extraordinary women vying for the crown through behind-the-scenes access and interviews that span three and a half months in the run-up to the prestigious competition.
In an email to What’s on Netflix, Sys said, “As a young, international filmmaker navigating Hollywood, this milestone represents not just a personal achievement but also a testament to passion, perseverance, and the power of storytelling on a budget.”
Sys has said the documentary is inspired by documentaries like Netflix’s own Drive to Survive and Break Point. “Pageantry is often misunderstood, reduced to glitz and glamour, but at its core, it is an art form—one that demands dedication, sacrifice, and an unbreakable spirit,” Sys says, “Through A Queen’s Runway, I hope to bring a newfound respect to this craft, immersing audiences in a journey filled with twists, triumphs, setbacks, and breakthroughs. It’s a story of sweat, determination, and passion. It’s a reminder that beneath the gowns and crowns are individuals with character, ambition, and heart.”
Amongst the contestants to feature in the documentary are Chelsea Manalo, Shamcey Supsup-Lee, and Christi McGarry.
Netflix has picked up the global rights to the new documentary for four years, which will be added on April 10th, 2025, through 2029. You can see the trailer for the doc below:
In addition to streaming on Netflix globally, the documentary will be streaming on iWantTFIC on a Pay-Per-View basis this month following its premiere in Manila in January.
A Queen’s Runway isn’t the only documentary Netflix will be distributing in April. In addition to their Original docs, they will soon become the SVOD home of UnBroken, a new WWII documentary about a filmmaker retracing her family’s steps during the war. For a complete list of what’s still to come to Netflix throughout April 2025, keep it locked here on What’s on Netflix.
Picture Credit: Movart
