Quick Facts
| Title | The Dads |
| Type | Documentary short film |
| Director / Producer | Luchina Fisher |
| Executive Producers | Dwyane Wade, Jon Marcus (59th & Prairie Entertainment) |
| Production | A Little Light Productions, in association with 59th & Prairie Entertainment and This Little Company |
| Netflix Premiere | November 17, 2023 |
| Awards | 2024 Daytime Emmy (Outstanding Short Form Program); 2024 GLAAD Special Recognition Award |
| Where to Watch | Netflix |
| 2026 Follow-Up | Feature-length documentary “The Dads” (72 min.) premiered at SXSW, March 14, 2026 |
Netflix acquired The Dads, a short documentary billed as a quiet meditation on fatherhood, brotherhood, and masculinity, which counts 13-time NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade among its executive producers. The film debuted on Netflix on November 17, 2023.
About The Dads
Five fathers of transgender children go on a weekend fishing trip in rural Oklahoma with Dennis Shepard, father of murdered gay college student Matthew Shepard, in director Luchina Fisher’s (Mama Gloria) film, exploring what is common across races, generations, and experiences in the search for purpose. As the men cast their lines into the river, they discuss what has brought them together: love for their children.
The story of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was beaten, tortured, and left to die on October 6, 1998, famously inspired Moises Kaufman’s play The Laramie Project, later adapted into a Sundance-premiering HBO film of the same name. After the tragedy, Dennis Shepard and his wife Judy became prominent advocates for LGBTQ rights and founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation, an anti-violence organization in their son’s name. Matthew’s murder also helped inspire the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, though it took more than a decade to pass.
In addition to Dennis Shepard, participants in the documentary include Stephen Chukumba, Frank Gonzales, Jose Trujillo, Peter Betz, and Wayne Maines (father of transgender-rights advocate Nicole Maines). Fisher produced the short for A Little Light Productions, with Wade and Jon Marcus producing through 59th & Prairie Entertainment, in association with This Little Company.
The Dads went on to win the 2024 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Program and a 2024 GLAAD Special Recognition Award. You can also explore 365 Days This Day Soundtrack.
Music & Score
The Dads is a verite-style documentary short built around real conversation and location sound rather than a composed score, and no commercial soundtrack album has been released for it. Viewers looking for the film’s music should expect ambient, unobtrusive scoring typical of intimate character-driven documentaries rather than a standalone soundtrack release.
2026 Update: A Feature-Length Follow-Up
Luchina Fisher returned to expand the Emmy-winning short into a feature-length documentary, also titled The Dads, which world-premiered at SXSW on March 14, 2026. Running 72 minutes and again executive produced by Dwyane Wade, the feature follows a wider community of fathers of trans and nonbinary children over the course of a year — through retreats, protests, family milestones, and a pivotal U.S. Supreme Court decision — as they navigate an intensifying anti-trans political climate. A streaming home for the feature had not been announced at the time of writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Dads about?
The Dads is a Netflix documentary short following five fathers of transgender children on a fishing trip in rural Oklahoma with Dennis Shepard, father of Matthew Shepard, exploring fatherhood and unconditional love across generations.
When did The Dads premiere on Netflix?
The Dads premiered on Netflix on November 17, 2023.
Does The Dads have a soundtrack?
No commercial soundtrack has been released. The film relies on verite location sound and understated ambient scoring rather than a standalone musical score.
What awards has The Dads won?
The Dads won the 2024 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Program and received a 2024 GLAAD Special Recognition Award.
Is there a follow-up to The Dads?
Yes. A feature-length documentary also called The Dads, again directed by Luchina Fisher and executive produced by Dwyane Wade, premiered at SXSW on March 14, 2026, expanding on the original short’s themes.
Related reading: more Movie Soundtracks, our Netflix guides, and our Streaming guides.