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Hollywood's Biggest Director Wants To Block Netflix From The Oscars — & Potentially Curb Diversity

Alexis Reliford
March 3, 2019, 8:30 PM
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix.
If you ask Steven Spielberg, Netflix got a little too close to winning a Best Picture Oscar this year. Now, the acclaimed Hollywood director is advocating for rule changes at a post-Oscars Academy meeting, according to Variety.
Spielberg’s proposed rule change would deem films that are only “in a couple of theaters for less than a week” ineligible for Academy Award nominations. This potentially would have shut out Roma – which played in theaters for three weeks ahead of being streamed on Netflix before securing a Best Picture nod – as well as Best Short Documentary winner Period. End of Sentence., The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and several more nominees from the past few years.
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Spielberg’s belief that “the greatest contributions we can make as filmmakers is to give audiences the motion picture theatrical experience,” per IndieWire, is a noble one, but changing the rules could actually hurt more filmmakers than it helps.
This is why others in the industry, including Ava DuVernay, disagree with Spielberg's proposal. DuVernay pointed out the international benefits of streaming services such as Netflix, which “distributed Black work far/wide.”
“190 countries will get WHEN THEY SEE US...I’ve had just one film distributed wide internationally,” DuVernay wrote. “Not SELMA. Not WRINKLE. It was 13TH. By Netflix. That matters.”
Other producers and filmmakers were also quick to point out how shutting out Netflix and other streamers would in turn also shut out filmmakers of color and other independent artists who aren’t always able to secure theatrical distribution.
“It’s possible that Steven Spielberg doesn’t know how difficult it is to get movies made in the legacy system as a woman or a person of color,” The Black List founder Franklin Leonard tweeted. “In his extraordinary career, he hasn’t exactly produced or executive produced many films directed by them.
“You may pitch your movie to all the top studios, and get passes at each one, not because your film isn't great,” said independent writer and director Nijla Mu’min, who’s feature Jinn is currently streaming on Amazon. “You may have to explore other options for getting your work seen.”
Cosigning was Dream, Girl associate producer Prasanna Ranganathan, who called out the sincerity behind the Academy’s recent push for diversity following 2015’s #OscarsSoWhite.
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“If the Academy’s commitment to diversity and 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 wrote.
Still, some agree with Spielberg and think that “if Netflix is going to behave like a studio, there should be some sort of standard” in terms of theatrical distribution.
“The [original] rules were put into effect when no one could conceive of this present or this future. We need a little clarity,” one Academy governor said to IndieWire.
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