Sean Baker, director of The Florida Project, brought up a strange proposal late on Saturday: “Wouldn't it be great if @netflix offered a “theatrical tier” to their pricing plans? For a nominal fee, Netflix members could see Netflix films in theatres for free. I know I'd spend an extra 2 dollars a month to see films like Roma or Buster Scruggs on the big screen.”
Baker admitted this was “just an idea with no details ironed out. But we need to find solutions like this in which everybody bends a bit in order to keep the film community (which includes theatre owners, film festivals and competitive distributors) alive and kicking.”
Joseph Kahn, a music video director who has worked with artists such as Lady Gaga, noted that it's riskier for traditional studios, as opposed to Netflix, to take big bets on “unorthodox creative”. He cited the example of DuVernay's film, A Wrinkle in Time, which “bombed” for Disney and possibly “cost some executive their job. If released on Netflix no big deal as long as the subscriber base increases next quarter.”
“Ultimately the Oscars are meant to promote the theatrical experience,” Kahn added. “Netflix releasing in one theatre and claiming they should be celebrated the same way as BlacKkKlansman or even yes, Green Book, is not remotely fair.”
But Spielberg's stance overlooks the experience for audiences globally. In countries such as India, it's common for Oscar-nominated movies to not ever show up. BlacKkKlansman, The Favourite, and Vice — all three nominated for Best Picture at the 2019 Oscars — haven't released in Indians cinemas, while Oscar-winner Green Book had a limited run in big cities. Roma, on the other hand, has been available to every Netflix member globally since its release on the platform.
Prasanna Ranganathan, an associate producer on upcoming Indian film Dream Girl, said as much in his tweets, in that “Netflix is making films accessible for everyone around the world”. Moreover, he noted that “Netflix is producing more content than any other studio & giving opportunities to under-represented artists and filmmakers to make content with virtually no restrictions.”
“If the Academy's commitment to diversity & inclusion as articulated in its A2020 strategy is as robust as it seems, excluding Netflix and its diverse artists, storytellers & filmmakers from awards consideration makes no sense,” Ranganathan concluded.
In a tweet late on Sunday, Netflix responded via its Film Twitter account that it “loves cinema” but it also loves “access for people who can't always afford, or live in towns without, theaters”, “letting everyone, everywhere enjoy releases at the same time” and “giving filmmakers more ways to share art”.