Netflix films excluded from the Cannes Film Festival Competition

Last year, the Cannes Film Festival received a lot of criticism for selecting two films produced by Netflix, as part of the Competition. The Festival does not want to suffer the same fate as last year and introduces new rules.

The Out of Competition category, the only and last possibility for Netflix

They had been whistled during their screening: the films Okja and The Meyerowitz Stories, two works signed Netflix, had been debated for having been nominated in Competition for the Palme d'Or. A controversy that will not take place this year, since the films produced by the streaming giant have been excluded.

In a recent interview with the French Film, Thierry Frémaux, the president of the Cannes Film Festival, indicated that Netflix productions will no longer be able to claim the Palme d'Or, although he does not question their quality. He even goes on to insist that they are "extremely brilliant artistically." The main concern is "their own service model that is the opposite of ours". He goes on to add that "any film that wishes to compete in competition at Cannes will first have to commit to being distributed in French cinemas". A provision that he wants to apply from this year 2018.

Before definitively excluding him from the Competition, the president had tried to convince the streaming giant to release his films in theaters, in vain. If Netflix films have been excluded from the Competition, they will however be able to compete in the official selection, in the out-of-competition category.

To these new rules is added the prohibition of selfies on the red carpet. Thierry Frémaux points out that this practice had created "an untimely disorder". Same fate for the previews of journalists in Cannes which have also been deleted.

These new devices are now introduced for this 71st ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival. Note that it will take place from May 8 to 19 and that it will be chaired by none other than Cate Blanchett.