Netflix Responds To Steven Spielberg And His Proposed Academy Rule Change

As Netflix, Amazon, and others have expanded to produce and/or distribute their own films, this has resulted in questions about awards recognition and qualifying for the Academy Awards. The 91st Academy Awards saw Alfonso Cuarón win Best Director for “Roma,” a film that saw its mass distribution through Netflix. And while this has opened doors for smaller films to see mass release, streaming has also been facing blowback from one of the biggest names in film.

Steven Spielberg has been, arguably, the biggest critic of these films being eligible for award consideration, and will be voicing this at the Academy’s upcoming annual board of governors meeting, reports the Los Angeles Times. In an interview from March 2018, Spielberg expressed his desire for a rule change to exclude films from Netflix, Amazon, and other streaming services from the Oscars in favor of the Emmys because of the digital distribution base, viewing them more like TV movies.

Now, coming via NBC News, Netflix has responded to Spielberg. On Sunday, Netflix issued a list of defenses against Spielberg’s stand through its Netflix Film Twitter account. These included access to films for people in low-income areas, towns with no theaters, giving filmmakers a way to share their work, and simultaneous releases.

The Academy and Spielberg have not responded since Netflix’s tweet defending their platform. And given the film releases planned for Netflix in 2019 that include “Triple Frontier,” John Lee Hancock’s “The Highwaymen,” and Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” this is an issue that may not be resolved for some time.