Netflix and similar platforms recently began playing their potentially Oscar-worthy original movies in Los Angeles theaters just long enough to meet the requirements to be eligible for an Oscar nomination. Netflix’s original film Roma picked up three awards this year after a limited December run in theaters in order to qualify. Some, including renowned director Steven Spielberg, have criticized this practice and said that streaming services are television platforms, not cinema, and their movies should therefore only be eligible for Emmy awards.
Who says Netflix films should be eligible for Oscars?
Answer: The U.S. Department of Justice, that’s who.
The authorities have gotten involved in the debate over whether the original films of Netflix and other streaming services should be eligible for Academy Award nominations. The head of the antitrust division of the DOJ recently sent a letter to the company in charge of the Oscars, the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences. In it he states that if the organization bans streaming services’ films from future award shows, it may be in violation of antitrust laws.
Netflix and similar platforms recently began playing their potentially Oscar-worthy original movies in Los Angeles theaters just long enough to meet the requirements to be eligible for an Oscar nomination. Netflix’s original film Roma picked up three awards this year after a limited December run in theaters in order to qualify. Some, including renowned director Steven Spielberg, have criticized this practice and said that streaming services are television platforms, not cinema, and their movies should therefore only be eligible for Emmy awards.
Netflix and similar platforms recently began playing their potentially Oscar-worthy original movies in Los Angeles theaters just long enough to meet the requirements to be eligible for an Oscar nomination. Netflix’s original film Roma picked up three awards this year after a limited December run in theaters in order to qualify. Some, including renowned director Steven Spielberg, have criticized this practice and said that streaming services are television platforms, not cinema, and their movies should therefore only be eligible for Emmy awards.
