In a recent interview, renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg said that movies released by streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon "shouldn't qualify for the Oscars."
"The rise of streaming is a danger for those who make movies"
While promoting his next film Ready Player One, which will be released on March 28, 2018 in France, the American director told ITV News that "films exploited in SVOD (Streaming Video On Demand), can not be called "cinema films". Indeed, for him, from the moment films are developed in television format, they must be defined as television movies. Steven Spielberg completes by stating that some of them "may deserve an Emmy, but not an Oscar".
He adds that "often, these films (available on streaming platforms, editor's note) are shown in cinemas for a few days, simply to meet the criteria for qualification for the Oscars. For him it is undeniable, "they should not be appointed". He also claims that the rise of streaming services like Netflix or Hulu "is clearly a danger for filmmakers". Indeed, he declares that fewer and fewer directors dare to fight to set up their business and raise funds. Often they choose security by trusting SVODs and let them finance their films with the commitment of a week-long exhibition in cinemas for a possible Oscar qualification.
Steven Spielberg is not the only one to have slightly exhausted the streaming giants. Recently, it was Christopher Nolan who has not been very kind to Netflix, pointing to their strategy of putting content online, although he describes their work as "revolutionary". Pedro Almodovar also said that it was "inconceivable to award a Palme d'Or to a film that is not released in cinemas". It therefore seems unlikely that filmmakers will ever collaborate with Netflix or Hulu.
Before discovering Ready Player One, the new Spielberg in theaters on March 28, watch the director's interview about Netflix.
