Recently, Steven Spielberg has been under quite a bit of fire for his controversial view that the rules for the Oscars should be changed to make it so that movies that can be found on streaming sites like Netflix should not be eligible for an Academy Award. Spielberg is set to meet with the Academy Board of Governors to discuss changing these rules soon.
It should not come as a surprise that Steven Spielberg would be against movies that are on streaming services being eligible for an Academy award, because to those paying attention to what he says they would know that he has previously stated that it’s not fair to put films that are only in theaters for a couple of weeks and films that go through the traditional long-standing theatrical model in the same category. Spielberg aims to alter the rules so that movies on streaming services like Netflix should only be eligible for an Oscar if they also go through the traditional theatrical release.
Netflix, of course, is the main online streaming service that would be effected by this proposed change to the rules as it has been winning Oscars. This year, three of the Oscars Netflix brought home were for the film Roma by Alfonso Cuaron. Roma was only in theaters for three weeks before it was made available on the Netflix website to stream.
Initially, Netflix has stated that it would premier its movies both in theaters and on their website, but has since loosened up on that stance. Netflix recently released a tweet claiming that their love of cinema is why they believe that movies should be made more accessible to people other than just those who have access to theaters, financially or geographically.
Ava DuVernay is also against the eligibility restrictions Steven Spielberg is planning to propose, as seen by some tweets that she posted. This should not come as a surprise as she also directed an Oscar nominated movie for Netflix, 13th.
Whether you’re for or against the new rule Spielberg is proposing, the meeting will not be held until April. Filmmakers and film buffs alike are awaiting eagerly with anticipation for this April meeting with the Academy, with the most interested in the outcome being Netflix.
