Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Barack and Michelle Obama say they joined American Factory to help share people's stories.
The former president and first lady explained their involvement with the new Netflix documentary in a promo with the film's directors, Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, released Wednesday.
American Factory is the first title to debut from the Obamas' production company, Higher Ground. The documentary follows the closing of a General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio, and its reopening by a Chinese company.
"We want to be in relationships with people and connect with them and work together with them," Barack Obama says.
"If you know someone, if you've talked to them face-to-face, if you can forge a connection, you may not agree with them on everything, but there's some common ground to be found and you can move forward together," he adds.
Michelle Obama said American Factory is "not an editorial," but a way to "let people speak for themselves." Barack Obama hopes the film helps people connect with others.
"We want people to be able to get outside of themselves and experience and understand the lives of somebody else, which is what a good story does," he says. "It helps all of us feel some sort of solidarity with each other."
The Obamas signed a multi-year deal with Netflix in May 2018. The couple announced a slate of new projects in April to be released over the next several years.
"Touching on issues of race and class, democracy and civil rights, and much more, we believe each of these productions won't just entertain, but will educate, connect and inspire us all," Barack Obama said at the time.
American Factory premieres on Netflix and in select theaters Wednesday.
