Netflix hit Steven Spielberg with a classy clapback after he shared his disdain for the company’s Oscar achievements.
The iconic director holds a place in the directors branch on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He recently used his position to speak out against supporting films that debut on Netflix. Rather than being eligible to win an Academy Award, he’d prefer for them to be in the running for the Emmys. Which is diminishing, in a way, since the Emmys are dedicated to television. IndieWire explained this comes from Alfonso Cuaron’s Netflix movie, “Roma,” winning honors for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Achievement in Directing, and Best Achievement in Cinematography.
Well, Netflix replied to Mr. Spielberg’s biased opinion by expressing their genuine “love” for cinema and motivations for doing the work they’ve been so successful in.
“We love cinema. Here are some things we also love:
-Access for people who can’t always afford, or live in towns without, theaters
-Letting everyone, everywhere enjoy releases at the same time
-Giving filmmakers more ways to share art
These things are not mutually exclusive.”
Contrary to Spielberg’s concerns, A-list movie figures have defended the streaming platform’s place in the industry. Ben Affleck acknowledged to the Associated Press that Netflix is “defining the future.”
“It’s fun to be part of what Netflix is doing because they’re heavily invested in telling stories, they want a lot of stuff out there. And there’s a thrill, a rush, an excitement to that.”
He also told the Today show, in regards to Steven’s opinion, “People are working to try to define how that [changing business] will be. For me and Charlie [Hunnam, co-star in ‘Triple Frontier’], to do a movie for Netflix is no different from doing a movie anywhere else. We’re just trying to do our job.”
“Insecure’s” Jean Elie also added on Twitter, “Why would you want to stop others from shining/sharing the light?”
Meanwhile, Bruce Campbell from “Army of Darkness” was very direct saying, “Steven Spielberg is gunning to make sure Netflix never has another Oscars contender like Roma. Sorry, Mr. Spielberg, Roma ain’t no TV movie – it’s as impressive as anything out there. Platforms have become irrelevant. Make a movie with Netflix.”
Discover more from Baller Alert
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
