Encouraging Netflix to start having their own film and TV festivals is almost like encouraging the cool new kid with the shiny ball to pack it up and go home in a way. In other words it’s the establishment that is Hollywood and the Cannes Film Festival telling Netflix that they might be welcome at their festival and others, but they will never win an award due to the fact that they are considered a hybrid of movies and TV, and are therefore not worth the effort of doling out an award. It might not come down to hearing those exact words uttered from the elitists that run the festival, but the sentiment is very much there.
Netflix could perform for the festival with its many offerings like a well-trained pet, but they would never be given the kind of consideration that ‘true cinematic films’ are. It’s true at least, Netflix is not shown in the theaters and therefore is not considered to be real cinema, but the time and effort that go into each production is no less than that of a regular cinematic feature. The idea that such films aren’t as good is a bit ludicrous really since the last time such films won awards proves that they were good enough then and could be good enough now. As a hybrid Netflix should not only be allowed to the Cannes Film Festival as a contestant, but should probably be considered every bit the real cinematic experience that they aren’t seen as now.
Of course they’re not traditional cinema, but in truth they’re something better. They’re convenient, they’re there when the viewer wants to save a bit of money and stay home to watch a great movie. They don’t cost well over eleven dollars a ticket because the cost of the movies and the operating costs for the theaters keep going up. The movies are just as good if not better than some of the films coming out in cinema, and the recognition for them is just as deserved. So yes, maybe Netflix should ignore the pomp and pizzazz of the Cannes Festival and allow the elitists to trip over the next thing in their path as they hold their noses high enough to drown in the rain. It’d be fun to see Netflix take their metaphorical ball and leave to go and create a festival that might already be a long time in the making if someone was to organize it. How many followers do you think would show up? Netflix certainly as a full bill of original shows and movies at this point, and more keep coming as the year continues go move forward. So why not?
The other festivals can have their good times and laugh at the plight of Netflix as the service continues to try and gain more and more recognition. Create a festival that’s hosted by Netflix and see how many people would want to attach themselves to it. Maybe a Streaming Festival should be started to honor those services that have taken the best parts of cinema and the best parts of TV and put them together. It seems safe to say that a lot of people would watch.
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