In its official Twitter account, representatives for the streaming service seem to have reacted to reports that the veteran filmmaker is pushing for a change in eligibility rules for the Academy Awards.
- March 5, 2019
AceShowbiz - Netflix representatives have declared "we love cinema" as Steven Spielberg campaigns for movies produced by streaming services to be ineligible for the Oscars.
The "Jurassic Park" director has been vocal in his criticism of Netflix and how the streaming service allocates some of its films a short theatrical run to make them eligible for the Oscars even though they are available to watch at home the same day.
Over the weekend Marrch 02 - 03, it was reported that the veteran filmmaker and governor of the Academy's directors branch, was pushing for a rule change following the success of Alfonso Cuaron's "Roma", a Netflix film, at the 2019 Academy Awards, where it was nominated for 10 prizes, including Best Picture, and won three.
And on Monday, Netflix representatives seemingly responded to the headlines, making a clear statement about their position on cinema, via a Twitter post.
"We love cinema. Here are some things we also love," they wrote on the official Netflix Film account. "-Access for people who can't always afford, or live in towns without, theaters -Letting everyone, everywhere enjoy releases at the same time -Giving filmmakers more ways to share art. These things are not mutually exclusive."
We love cinema. Here are some things we also love:
— Netflix Film (@NetflixFilm) 4 March 2019
-Access for people who can't always afford, or live in towns without, theaters
-Letting everyone, everywhere enjoy releases at the same time
-Giving filmmakers more ways to share art
These things are not mutually exclusive.
Spielberg is reportedly set to introduce the idea of a change in eligibility rules at an upcoming board meeting, in which he will apparently push for films to have an exclusive theatrical window of at least four weeks to qualify for major Oscars.
In a statement to IndieWire, a spokesman for Spielberg's production company, Amblin Entertainment, said, "Steven feels strongly about the difference between the streaming and theatrical situation. He'll be happy if the others will join (his campaign) when that comes up (at the Academy Board of Governors meeting)."
The news has reignited the debate about Netflix's place within cinema, with Ava DuVernay, whose 2016 documentary 13th was distributed by Netflix, one of those to criticise Spielberg's sentiment.
One of the things I value about Netflix is that it distributes black work far/wide. 190 countries will get WHEN THEY SEE US. Here’s a promo for South Africa. I’ve had just one film distributed wide internationally. Not SELMA. Not WRINKLE. It was 13TH. By Netflix. That matters. https://t.co/lpn1FFSfgG
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) 3 March 2019
"One of the things I value about Netflix is that it distributes black work far/wide. 190 countries will get (miniseries) WHEN THEY SEE US," she tweeted. "I've had just one film distributed wide internationally. Not SELMA. Not WRINKLE (in Time). It was 13TH. By Netflix. That matters."
