Going After Netflix, Cannes Bans Streaming-Only Movies From Competition Slots (slate.com)

An anonymous reader writes: The Cannes Film Festival is taking a stand against Netflix. Responding to a rumor that the streaming service's Okja, directed by Bong Joon Ho, and The Meyerowitz Stories, directed by Noah Baumbach, would be excluded from awards consideration after being included in the Competition lineup, the festival released a statement clarifying and adjusting its positioning going forward. The short version: From now on, if you want to compete at Cannes, your movie had better be released in French movie theaters -- not just online. There has long been a point of tension between Cannes and Netflix, to the extent where the inclusion of Okja and The Meyerowitz Stories came as a bit of a surprise. Netflix films had previously been snubbed and festival officials had advocated for "discouraging" the streaming service's online-first approach to release. The two movies included in Cannes' lineup this year are slated for theatrical bows stateside, but according to the festival's official statement, "no agreement has been reached" to get the moves into French cinemas and the effort to reach one was made "in vain." However, the statement does clarify that this rule goes into effect next year, so Okja and The Meyerowitz Stories will remain in competition and eligible for the Palme d'Or.

Comments

They should either ban digital or get over it

[drinkypoo]

I can see the argument for banning something not shot on film, if film is your thing. But if you're going to allow that, then banning something for being straight-to-streaming is wrong.

Re:They should either ban digital or get over it

[Austerity Empowers]

I can see the argument for banning something not shot on film, if film is your thing. But if you're going to allow that, then banning something for being straight-to-streaming is wrong.

Not having learned the lesson of ballet and opera, some are inclined to preserve the portions of the art-form that are entirely irrelevant, at any cost, including their art.

Re: They should either ban digital or get over it

[saloomy]

Their relevancy is being able to select which movies are seen by distribution companies and high-powered executives. With online distribution, just about any decent film maker can offer their movies to Netflix and bypass Cannes altogether. I don't know, but I'd bet movies that are independent pay or reward the CFF if their movie gets picked up, so the CFF is just protecting their market.

Re:They should either ban digital or get over it

[tlhIngan]

Movie theatres are digital now. There is no difference between showing a DRM'd watermarked big budget blockbuster on a big screen or hooking your xbox up to it (Halo was so freaking awesome that night!)

So, Netflix FR, rent an old movie theater, spend 35K on a digital projector, and charge a buck for admission to watch your movies. You need 2 employees, one to run the movies and clean between each show, the other to sell tickets. Don't even sell concessions, take it as a loss leader and meet all the requirements and make them fuckers fume and dance next year when they have to change the req's yet again if they want to keep you out.

Then again, I don't care about Cannes. I have Netflix. :)

The problem is the rules.

First, to be eligible in the Cannes film festival, your film must be shown in a theatre. Easy enough to do for anyone.

BUT, French law has it that no streaming service may show that film until three years after its theatrical debut. Now we have a problem since it disallows simultaneous streaming and theatrical releases, as well as many films that show at various film festivals and then head to digital distribution months after the showing.

That's the real problem

Re: They should either ban digital or get over it

[ArmoredDragon]

Most film/artistic rewards are usually about somehow benefiting those who run them. For example, it's a pretty open secret that you can't win the Oscars without doing some heavy bribery:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03...

In other words, if you've ever wondered why a rather average movie can win so many awards (I'm looking at you, Lost in Translation) it's because somebody paid good money for it to happen.

That said, it's best to just ignore them.

Re:They should either ban digital or get over it

[squiggleslash]

I would take the opposite point of view. What medium it's recorded on is irrelevant - I can't for the life of me see why that would matter to Cannes or anyone else. The point is that it's the intention that the work be shown on a large screen in front of an audience. That reflects the type of work in much the same way that a website and a novel may contain the same number of words, but you'd expect the latter to be written in an entirely different way to the former, in part because the intent is for someone to sit down and read it on their lap over a period of days rather than navigate to the good bits using the computer at their desk.

From Canne's point of view a good way to gauge that intention is to require it be shown in a cinema. That way they can feel reasonably that they're getting the same kind of work, comparing like with like.

Now, is it technologically behind the times? That's arguable. Likewise it's arguable that a test that something should only be eligible for "Novel of the year" that it be printed, bound, and sold in a bookshop, would be behind the times too. But the latter test would be far more behind the times than the former. Netflix doesn't have cinemas yet, and it's doubtful most cinematographers of straight-to-Netflix viewers have a screen hundreds of feet wide in mind when composing shots. So, subtle as it may be, if Cannes has not accepted TV or straight-to-VHS movies before, it's probably right it bans straight-to-Netflix content too.

Netflix canned by Cannes

[Spy Handler]

missed an opportunity with the title

Re:Netflix canned by Cannes

[Darinbob]

Netflix net flicks canned by Cannes.

Re: Netflix canned by Cannes

[senatorpjt]

Since they're going to allow them this year, "Cannes kicks can on canning Netflix net flicks"

Rip Cannes 1947-202X

[netsavior]

When you decide to narrow your view of what a film is, while the whole world pivots to something else, you can only last for so long.

I mean the fall from prominance will be quick, even if the festival lives on for a few decades after they actively choose irrelevance.

Re:Rip Cannes 1947-202X

[omnichad]

Referring to movies as films is a bit like calling an mp3 a tape.

No, it's like calling a collection of MP3's an album. Which people do.

Re:Rip Cannes 1947-202X

[Anonymous Coward]

McDonalds is successful, but I wouldn't call it good

Who?

[s1d3track3D]

Cannes just became MORE irrelevant.

FYI Cannes/RIAA/MPAA/BMG/Old Media, etc., burying your head in the sand is not the best strategy in the long run.

You have offended the church!

[Puls4r]

Typical old-business-model bullshit. You're not making the theaters money so they won't let your play in their lot.

Next you'll tell them the world is round. And we know how THAT ended up last time.

Re:Flirting with irrelevance

[omnichad]

What's a "Palm d'Or" anyway? French for "Oscar"?

You're meant to type that into Google, not the comment box.

That's easily solved

[maroberts]

Netflix buys a small French cinema, has one off showings of its movies.

Problem solved.

Re:Flirting with irrelevance

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

No, that's Palm d'Hairy.

France Media Chronology Law

[Guillermito]

The article doesn't mention the real problem: France Media Chronology Law. It states that if a film is shown in theaters in France, then the distributors should wait three years until they make it available for streaming. If it wasn't for this law, Netflix could just release the films on a limited number of theaters to appease the Cannes officials.

Re:France Media Chronology Law

[phayes]

Yup, in France you MUST protect the Cinema owners lobby, & then Canal+ the paid TV channel.

Why? Because that is how France financed French movies & TV series over the past few decades and no other distribution system can be conceived of by French politicians.

This is temporary as fewer people go to theaters

[Maxo-Texas]

Netflix and other streaming services need to simply start their own awards.

And then when everything is streaming and going straight to disk and theaters are dead- Cannes will be irrelevant.

Their choice I guess..

[XSportSeeker]

Well, it's their festival, so it's their choice I guess. As it's our own to pay attention to it.

But surely they must be aware that they are reducing the festival from a competition to promote the art, to a shrill for the cinema business.

I mean, look at parts of the full quote:
"The Festival de Cannes is aware of the anxiety aroused by the absence of the release in theaters of those films in France".
What anxiety? Does anyone care these days if a movie isn't released in theaters? Is this the 80s or something?

"The Festival de Cannes asked Netflix in vain to accept that these two films could reach the audience of French movie theaters and not only its subscribers. Hence the Festival regrets that no agreement has been reached".
Why is a film festival taking active part in negotiating film releases in theaters? This only shows bias, which is extremely bad for any sort of competition.

"Any film that wishes to compete in Competition at Cannes will have to commit itself to being distributed in French movie theaters. This new measure will apply from the 2018 edition of the Festival International du Film de Cannes onwards".
This is where it becomes irrelevant then. I don't fucking care whether a movie is being shown in French movie theaters or not, and I bet a whole ton of french people also don't.

But it's great that they let us know. Because if someone asks why a great movie he/she watched on Netflix didn't show up on the festival at all, there's the answer: a biased approach of selection. We're gonna select the best films around the world, as long as they paid their due to the french movie theater industry.

Re:Of course

[Dutch Gun]

Wouldn't that be "non non non"?

Their festival, their rules.

[Mal-2]

It's a bit like auto racing. Every class isn't just open to any vehicle you want to enter, there are qualifications for each. This is why so many automakers release limited run production cars -- so that they can then race them in "stock" classes. They may only build 50 for sale, but it's a production vehicle, so they get to enter it.

Similarly, if someone wants their film in consideration for Cannes, they'll have to sneak it into a French theater or two. This hurts pretty much nobody, and is not an immense hoop to jump through. It's just the way the game is played.