Is there a reason Netflix can't do a limited release in a few French theaters, as many as necessary to satisfy the eligibility requirements? Or are they not particularly concerned about being ineligible for the Palme d'Or? Which is also a valid stance.
French law requires movies shown in theaters in France to stay off streaming for 36 months. It's an absurd regulatory capture on par with us auto dealer requirements.
Wait wait...French law as in law by the French government? You get hit wit fines by the government if you defy it? Or an industry norm like "If you allow streaming within 36 months of a theatrical release we won't talk to you/union workers won't work for you/no awards for you"?
If it's an actual law, that sounds utterly absurd. Good on Netflix for not playing ball.
We have laws on the percentage of "foreign" music you are allowed to play on radio stations (to fight against the evil english language), laws that prevent TV channels from playing films on friday or saturday evening (to protect those poor cinemas), laws that govern the number of pharmacies by number of inhabitants and disallow ownership of multiple pharmacies or ownership by non-pharmacists (to protect them against the great evil that is competition)...
It sounds logical at first, but combined with the single-ownership rule, it's actually a clever way to protect the "mom&pop store" model. Which is good for the owners, but bad for the consumers - no economies of scale, no competition, no supermarkets... Like being back in the early 50s
That there should be a licensed pharmacist at all times in the store - fine. But why does the store have to belong to one? To take a stereotypically German example, we don't say that all garages have to be owned by mechanics :)
To be a bit more precise, the law on it self doesn't define the delays between different media releases, it only enforce those. Delays are defined by agreement between the different industry actors. I guess that the fact there's no big French streaming company make those delays quite unbalanced in favor of movies theatres and tv channels (that often produce movies released in theatres)
A film should only be shown in a theater to create a true cinematic experience. I don’t think the regulation is absurd at all. If Netflix makes films and shows them only within a TV format, than it’s a tv show.
The cinematic arts requires a cinema by definition.
A film requires an extremely large format display. Not a small high definition display. Ideally it'd be a large, high definition display.
How a film is displayed informs how the film is shot. The same would go for audio as well. How the audio is heard informs how the audio is mixed and mastered.
Not to be condescending, but it's really not hard to understand. People don't make films to be shown on a phone for instance. Or if they do make films to be shown on a phone, then it's not a film they'll be making.
The working definition of a "TV show" is a series with regular installments/showings overtime, or at least many shorter length shows. A "movie" is the opposite, with just one production film. This is flexible, of course, as a movie can have later installments, but it is not its primary purpose. There are many "movies" that never make it to the Cinemas because of bad production value, ie bad movies!
Your definition would call Netflix's recent film "Bright" a show, which of course it is not. Cannes is being ridiculous.
Securing a distributor has nothing to do with the Cannes film festival main sections, only with the Cannes market.
But an admissible film has to be distributable in a french cinema. The Semaine and Quinzaine even allow Sundance premieres. Let's see what the Quinzaine director says on the Netflix decision, because their profile and selection was superior in the last decade over the official selection. I could see them honoring Bong.
Comparing it The Last Jedi or Black Panther is not equivalent at all, because Cannes cares about artistic qualities only, and Marvel and Lucasfilm Ltd. are not respected for that.
The Last Jedi or Black Panther obviously wouldn't win the Palme d'Or and even if they did the audience for such films would not care a whit. So I've always thought that they simply didn't bother because there's no benefit.
Netflix submitting films is cheating because they are using the festival not only as free advertising for their platform but it also goes against the spirit of the festival where film makers can showcase their work and easily have distributors buy their work.
No one is stopping Netflix from buying films showcased at Cannes, in fact that is highly encouraged (for anyone buying, at that) but for them to act like they are being mistreated is border line stupid. Especially coming from one of the largest tech and media companies in the world.
Major multinational corporations that act like the world is against them really rubs me the wrong way and for multinational corporations to take advantage of an extremely empowering art festival is even more sleazy.
Are you getting this from somewhere? Cannes has this to say about itself:
> What is the mission of the Festival de Cannes?
> In order to achieve this level of longevity, the Festival de Cannes has remained faithful to its founding purpose: to draw attention to and raise the profile of films, with the aim of contributing towards the development of cinema, boosting the film industry worldwide and celebrating cinema at an international level. And to this day, this profession of faith constitutes the first article of the Festival regulations.
> The spirit of the Festival de Cannes is one of friendship and universal cooperation. Its aim is to reveal and focus attention on works of quality in order to contribute to the evolution of motion picture arts and encourage the development of the film industry throughout the world.
The criteria for eligibility are that the film was produced within the previous 12 months, that it hasn't been released internationally, that it hasn't been submitted to any rival international film festivals, and that, if chosen, the film will be released in French theaters in accordance with French law. Netflix is blocked by that last one, because the French law of cinematic releases says you can't stream them. I don't see what would block Marvel films if they wanted to enter, though.
