It’s official: Netflix will not have its own festival. On October 30th, the brand informs us that it cancels its « Netflix Film Club » in France. The reason? The claim of unfair competition and non-compliance with the French cultural exception policy from some French film professionals. Netflix, has known a great rise of subscription during these last 2 years due to the lockdown, but it was not at all the case of the French cinema largely weakened by the sanitary situation.
But because of its ultra-accessible streaming offer, Netflix struggles to gain credibility with real professionals in the industry, judging it too mainstream, the entertainment brand fails to promote an image of quality film distribution; a problem that could have been alleviated by the setting up of a dedicated and recognized festival. But here again, the platform faces a blind wall.
So, is Netflix a simple streaming player or the true owner of the future of cinema?
Today, and even more so following the repeated lockdowns and the more or less long closure of cinemas, the border between streaming and classic cinema is becoming increasingly thin. Indeed, many producers have joined the Netflix adventure by betting on streaming for the broadcasting of certain nuggets, impossible to release in theaters.
As a result, and no pun intended, Netflix has no reason to blush at the films released in theaters. For instance, the platform has as exclusive release the films Marriage Story by the American Noah Baumbach, Pieces of Women by the Hungarian Kornél Mundruczó, Roma by the Mexican Alejandro Cuaron, which was awarded 3 Oscars. But also the Korean film Okja by Bong Joon-ho, which was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017 and has generated a lot of reaction, since it was not released in theaters.
These examples prove that Netflix has plenty to claim a cinema that can also be of quality, on par with its theatrical counterparts. A cinema that is also international, that does not limit itself to any border, easier to access.
Many director and filmmaker refuse to integrate Netflix as a broadcaster and producer of « qualitative » films, and want to continue to make cinema live in theaters. A debate that reminds us of the transition from argentic to digital.
Netflix, can it be associated with auteur films?
Thus, the project of the platform, is not only to entertain its users, but also to allow them to access a diversified offer, including the best of cinema and this internationally. The platform allows to centralize a good number of quality films, recognized by the greatest, and accessible by all. The objective? To put in light « the fruit of the imagination of venerated filmmakers with the singular style. » Mulholand Drive by D. Lynch, Fight Club by D. Fincher or even more recently The 400 Blows by F. Truffaut; Netflix continues more and more to open its catalog to great references of cinema.
In addition, by seeking to offer increasingly quality content, by producing auteur films, Netflix is positioned as a fervent defender of film development and could have a significant contribution to this industry.
So, in your opinion, is Netflix part of the future of cinema?
____________ Noémie TSILA
Word count: 408
Works Cited –
Netflix. (n.d.). Netflix, Auteur film. https://www.netflix.com/fr/browse/genre/29764
Roméo, L. (2021, October 30). France: clap de fin pour le «Netflix Film Club», les professionnels du cinéma respirent. RFI. https://www.rfi.fr/fr/france/20211030-france-clap-de-fin-pour-le-netflix-film-club-les-professionnels-du-cin%C3%A9ma-respirent
Bernard-Bruls, D. (2021, March 26). Netflix souhaite bénéficier des aides publiques pour la culture. Capital.fr. https://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/netflix-souhaite-beneficier-des-aides-publiques-pour-la-culture-1398410
Illustrations –
Wifiscan. (2020, February 26). Netflix in theater [Photograph]. Wifiscan. https://wifiscan.fr/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/cinema.jpg
Roma. (2017). [Film Poster]. Allo Ciné. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTU0OTc3ODk4Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzM4NzI5NjM@._V1_FMjpg_UX1000_.jpg
