Netflix’s release slate for June packs a punch, with exciting new titles and nostalgic watches alike coming to the platform. And whether you’re looking for an underdog story, a family comedy, or a historical romance, Netflix has a string of award-winning movies worth adding to your watch list.
Despite the different decades they are from, these movies are sure to make for a nice weekend binge-watching session. Here are five award-winning films you can stream on Netflix U.S. this month, available exclusively from June 1.
Out of Africa
Life and love underneath different skies
Out of Africa is a romance-historical drama that is a once-in-a-generation type of movie. Based on the memoir by Karen Blixen, the 1985 film follows Danish baroness Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) as she moves to Kenya in the early 20th century to run a coffee plantation. While struggling with the realities of life in Africa and a turbulent marriage, she begins a passionate and complicated relationship with a free-spirited hunter, Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford).
The chemistry between Meryl Streep and Robert Redford takes center stage, but sharing the space are the landscape visuals of the film’s setting. Out of Africa swept its awards season, winning seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Cinderella Man
The comeback that changed the boxing world
June seems to be the month for sports (especially boxing), with Netflix bringing in a slew of classic sports hits of their respective decades. And one of them is the iconic Cinderella Man, one of the best boxing films of all time.
Based on a true story, the boxing movie follows heavyweight boxer James J. Braddock (dubbed the “Cinderella Man”), whose promising career appears to be over after a string of losses and injuries during the Great Depression. Unable to find steady work and struggling to provide for his wife and three children, Braddock takes odd jobs to keep food on the table. When an unexpected opportunity lands him a last-minute fight against a top-ranked contender, no one has high hopes. However, Braddock pulls off the shocking upset, igniting one of the most notable comebacks in boxing history.
QuizAward-winning movies on Netflix
Trivia challenge
From Alfonso Cuarón’s masterpiece to a K-pop demon slayer — how well do you know Netflix’s finest award-winning films?
DramaOscarsDirectorsStorylinesWorld Cinema
In which language is Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar-winning film Roma primarily spoken?
Correct! Roma is spoken primarily in Spanish and Mixtec, honoring the indigenous heritage of Cleo, the film’s central character. Cuarón deliberately cast Yalitza Aparicio, a non-professional actress of Mixtec descent, to authentically portray the role.
Not quite. While Spanish is heavily featured, Roma is also spoken in Mixtec, reflecting the indigenous background of the housekeeper Cleo. This bilingual choice was a deliberate artistic and cultural decision by director Alfonso Cuarón.
How many Academy Awards did Roma win at the 2019 Oscars?
Correct! Roma won three Oscars: Best Director for Alfonso Cuarón, Best Cinematography (also for Cuarón, who shot the film himself), and Best Foreign Language Film. It was the first Netflix film ever to win Best Director.
Not quite — Roma took home three Academy Awards. These were Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Foreign Language Film, making it a landmark night for both Alfonso Cuarón and Netflix as a studio.
In Marriage Story, which two cities represent the geographical and emotional divide between the main characters Charlie and Nicole?
Correct! Charlie is a New York theater director and Nicole is drawn back to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career, and this coast-to-coast divide perfectly mirrors their emotional and professional separation throughout the film.
Not quite. The emotional geography of Marriage Story is split between New York and Los Angeles. Charlie’s theater world roots him in New York while Nicole’s Hollywood ambitions pull her to LA, making the two cities powerful symbols of their growing distance.
All Quiet on the Western Front, which won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film in 2023, is an adaptation of a novel by which author?
Correct! Erich Maria Remarque wrote the seminal anti-war novel Im Westen nichts Neues in 1929, drawing on his own experiences as a German soldier in World War I. The 2022 Netflix adaptation became the most decorated German film in Oscar history.
Not quite. The novel was written by Erich Maria Remarque and published in 1929. It remains one of the most powerful anti-war novels ever written, and the 2022 Netflix adaptation brought it back to global attention with its stunning Oscar wins.
Which director helmed The Power of the Dog, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Director in 2022?
Correct! Jane Campion won Best Director for The Power of the Dog, making her only the third woman ever to win in that category at the Oscars. The film is set in 1920s Montana and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a brooding, intimidating rancher.
Not quite. Jane Campion directed The Power of the Dog and won the Oscar for Best Director, making history as only the third woman to receive that honor. She had previously been nominated for The Piano back in 1994.
My Octopus Teacher, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature in 2021, follows filmmaker Craig Foster building a relationship with an octopus in which location?
Correct! Craig Foster spent a year free-diving daily in a cold kelp forest off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, forming an extraordinary bond with a wild octopus. The film became a surprise Oscar winner and introduced millions to the remarkable intelligence of cephalopods.
Not quite. The film was shot in a kelp forest near Cape Town, South Africa, where filmmaker Craig Foster free-dived every day for a year to observe and bond with the same wild octopus. The remote, haunting underwater landscape became almost a character in itself.
Emilia Pérez, which won multiple awards at Cannes 2024 and received numerous Oscar nominations, was directed by which filmmaker?
Correct! French director Jacques Audiard wrote and directed Emilia Pérez, a bold Spanish-language musical crime film about a cartel boss who transitions and seeks a new identity. The film won the Jury Prize at Cannes and made awards history with its massive Oscar nomination haul.
Not quite. Emilia Pérez was directed by French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, who made the bold choice to craft an entirely Spanish-language film despite not being a native speaker. It became one of the most talked-about films of 2024, earning a record-breaking number of Oscar nominations.
In the Netflix film KPop Demon Hunters, what is the primary role of the main characters within the K-pop world?
Correct! In KPop Demon Hunters, the protagonists are members of a K-pop girl group who live double lives as demon slayers, blending the glitzy world of idol culture with supernatural action. The film leans into the contrast between polished pop performances and intense monster-fighting sequences.
Not quite. The central characters in KPop Demon Hunters are K-pop girl group members who secretly serve as demon hunters, living dual lives on and off the stage. The film cleverly uses the disciplined, high-pressure world of K-pop as a backdrop for its supernatural storyline.
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Russell Crowe carries the film as Braddock with his strong performance, with Renée Zellweger playing a solid support character as his wife Mae, who is trying to balance her anxieties surrounding her husband’s profession with her desperation to make ends meet. Paul Giamatti also adds to the lead cast in his role as Joe Gould, Braddock’s longtime friend and manager. For his performance, Giamatti won a Critics’ Choice Award and received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
Rocky
An impossible shot at greatness
We cannot discuss boxing movies without mentioning Rocky, one of the most culturally significant sports movies ever made. And Netflix has brought the entire Rocky franchise to Netflix U.S. this month, so don’t miss out on Sylvester Stallone’s iconic movies.
Rocky follows Rocky Balboa, a small-time, Italian-American boxer from Philadelphia who gets the opportunity of a lifetime when heavyweight champion Apollo Creed chooses him as an opponent for a highly publicized title fight. This happens after Creed’s opponent drops out of the fight, and with no available opponents, he chooses the local contender because of his nickname, “The Italian Stallion.” Suddenly, Rocky finds himself in the biggest fight of his career, which requires some rigorous and often unorthodox training.
All this leads to the iconic showdown, with Rocky and Creed giving it their all for a nail-biting fight. Stallone famously wrote the screenplay and insisted on starring in it himself. The result became the performance of his lifetime. Rocky won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Film Editing.
Creed
Legacy and a fight to carry it forward
If you haven’t gotten enough of the Rocky franchise, don’t worry; Netflix is also bringing Rocky’s spin-off franchise, Creed, to its platform this month.
The film follows Adonis “Donnie” Johnson, the son of former heavyweight champion Apollo Creed and Rocky Balboa’s former opponent, who dreams of becoming a boxer despite never knowing his father. Hoping to prove himself, Donnie asks the retired Rocky to become his trainer, marking the beginning of an unexpected bond. As Donnie works his way through increasingly difficult opponents, he also struggles with the weight of his father’s legacy and the pressure that comes with carrying the Creed name.
Oscar-winning actor Michael B. Jordan delivers a strong performance, flanked by Stallone’s incredible supporting turn. Creed earned Stallone a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor, along with an Academy Award nomination and a BAFTA nomination in the same category.
Little Miss Sunshine
A journey that takes everyone for a spin
If you’re looking for a funny and emotional film to watch on family movie night, Little Miss Sunshine is streaming on Netflix this June. The film follows seven-year-old Olive Hoover, whose dream of competing in a beauty pageant sends her dysfunctional family on a cross-country road trip in a battered yellow Volkswagen van. Along the way, lots of family drama goes down, revealing deeper issues and insecurities that tie back to individual struggles.
Despite its modest $8 million budget, Little Miss Sunshine became one of the biggest indie hits of the 2000s, earning more than $100 million at the worldwide box office. It earned four Academy Award nominations, winning two: Best Supporting Actor for Alan Arkin and Best Original Screenplay.
More Netflix programming to watch this month
There’s a lot of catching up to do on Netflix if you are not aware of the platform’s release schedule for the month, from exclusive Netflix Original movies and shows to old licensed titles that have already landed, so make sure you keep an eye out for those.
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Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
May 25, 2026
