Netflix released 50 original films last year; of those, Dee Rees' Mudbound went on to nab a few Oscar nominations that have solidified its relevance within the current cinematic landscape. A year prior, Ava DuVernay's 13th was in consideration for the Best Documentary Feature award. While neither film walked away with any trophies, it was seen as a telling tale for the future of cinema and streaming's continued infiltration into more traditional forms of entertainment.
However, notable film icon Steven Spielberg is not a staunch supporter of original films that are intended for streaming services, revealing how it "poses a clear and present danger to filmgoers." The Ready Player One director has gone on record to say that "I don’t believe that films that are given token qualifications, in a couple of theaters for less than a week, should qualify for Academy Award nominations," a strategy used by Netflix in order to qualify for major film awards. He goes on to admit that "once you commit to a television format, you’re a TV movie. If it’s a good show, you deserve an Emmy. But not an Oscar."
Spielberg believes that television has entered another golden age through the advent of streaming, which is beginning to have an effect on the film industry as well. Clearly, the director believes that at its most rudimentary level, in order to qualify as a movie, a project must be shot for the silver screen and shown properly in theatres worldwide.
His sentiments echo that of Christopher Nolan, who is also a cinematic purist. The man behind the Dark Knight trilogy has stated that "Netflix has a bizarre aversion to supporting theatrical films. They have this mindless policy of everything having to be simultaneously streamed and released, which is obviously an untenable model for theatrical presentation. So they’re not even getting in the game, and I think they’re missing a huge opportunity."
