Netflix announced today that it has acquired 3D printing documentary Print the Legend, which won the Special Jury Recognition Award for Editing & Storytelling in the Documentary Feature Competition at SXSW this year.

Netflix describes the film:

The Netflix original documentary goes behind-the-scenes of the top American 3D printing brands as they fight for dominance in the rapidly developing, groundbreaking field of 3D printing….3D printing is changing the world – from printing human organs to guns, to dismantling the world’s industrial infrastructure by enabling home manufacturing. It’s “the next Industrial Revolution.” “Print the Legend” follows the people racing to bring 3D printing to your desktop and into your life. For the winners, there are fortunes – and history – to be made. “Print the Legend” is both a 3D Printing Documentary, capturing a tech in the midst of its “Macintosh Moment,” and, even more so, a compelling tale about what it takes to live the American Dream.

The film delves into the people behind the machines and asks tough questions about the industry’s creative drive to enable consumers to produce anything from trinkets to handguns, including being there with provocateur Cody Wilson as he uploads his printable-gun files to the internet, setting off a worldwide media firestorm. The film roots its core story in the rise and challenges of start-ups MakerBot and Formlabs as they vie to release consumer models and control the narrative of their market to compete with established industrial players Stratasys and 3D Systems.

It was directed, shot, and edited by Luis Lopez & Clay Tweel and produced by Steven Klein. It was developed, produced, and financed by Chad Troutwine and Audax Films, led by Co-Producer Andrew Kortschak and Executive Producer Walter Kortschak. It was also produced by Dan O’Meara. Exhibit A Films, including producer Seth Gordon (who worked on Netflix’s Mitt) and Executive Producer Mary Rohlich “led the filmmaking team.”

“It’s so rare for a film to capture history in the making, and Luis Lopez and Clay Tweel have done just that in their skillful presentation of the elation and betrayals experienced by young entrepreneurs detailing the groundbreaking technology of 3D printing,” said Lisa Nishimura, Netflix VP of Original Documentary and Comedy. “This is a compelling glimpse into a game changing technology as it nears an inflection point going from the fantasy world of a few obsessed visionaries to a must-have technology that may enter every home.”

No release date was announced, but Netflix says it will premiere exclusively on its service in all of its territories this year

Image via YouTube