The die is cast! Netflix will not participate in the 71st Cannes Film Festival and is withdrawing all the works it was supposed to present there.
"We want our films to be treated equally with those of other directors. There is a risk, if we go there, that our films and our directors will be treated disrespectfully at the Festival."
So said Ted Sarandos, director of programs of the VOD platform. It was during an interview with Variety that he announced his withdrawal from the Festival. He considers it "useless" to present films produced by the Netflix platform for the festival if they can not be in the running for the prestigious Palme d'Or. Let us recall that the president Thierry Frémaux had announced that henceforth, all films wishing to compete in Cannes must imperatively be released in cinemas. An understandable rule but one that Netflix faces for a very specific reason.
Netflix is subject to the French regulations currently in force regarding the chronology of media. Indeed, the applicable provisions provide that for a film released in cinemas, distribution on DVD or VOD is only possible 4 months later. As far as television broadcasting is concerned, it takes 10 months. It is therefore easy to understand the problem faced by the streaming giant, whose wish is to be able to distribute its films simultaneously in theaters and on VOD. It remains to be seen whether this French system (considered increasingly obsolete) will be reviewed in the coming years.
Regarding this new regulation in force for the Festival de Cannes, Ted Sarandos added:
"This rule is completely contrary to the spirit of film festivals around the world, whose role is to help films be discovered and distributed"
The debate is therefore closed when it comes to Netflix in Cannes, even if it may return to the table at one time or another. We can regret the cancellation of some broadcasts by Netflix, including the highly anticipated The Other Side of the Wind, an unfinished film by Orson Welles (Citizen Kane) that the platform has worked to save from oblivion. In the meantime, discover without further delay the official selection of the 71st Cannes Film Festival.
