Steven Spielberg vs. Netflix Academy Award Controversy

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Overview

Steven Spielberg vs. Netflix Academy Award Controversy refers to an ongoing series of public comments made by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg, video streaming service Netflix and other members of the film community about allowing streaming services to compete for Academy Awards. Spielberg argued the only theatrically released films should be allowed to contend, while Netflix and its defenders believe otherwise.

Background

On February 19th, 2019, Variety^[1] reported that while accepting the Filmmaker Award at the Cinema Audio Society’s CAS Awards, Steven Spielberg said, "I hope all of us really continue to believe that the greatest contributions we can make as filmmakers is to give audiences the motion picture theatrical experience. I’m a firm believer that movie theaters need to be around forever."

Spielberg continued, in what many believe was a criticism of Netflix:^[2]

I love the opportunity. Some of the greatest writing being done today is for television, some of the best directing for television, some of the best performances [are] on television today. The sound is better in homes more than it ever has been in history but there’s nothing like going to a big dark theatre with people you’ve never met before and having the experience wash over you. That’s something we all truly believe in.

That day, Variety editor Marc Malkin tweeted a video of the speech (shown below).

This would not be the first time Spielberg has spoken about Netflix's participation in the Academy Awards. fIn March 2018, he said, "Once you commit to a television format, you’re a TV movie. You certainly, if it’s a good show, deserve an Emmy, but not an Oscar. I don’t believe films that are just given token qualifications in a couple of theaters for less than a week should qualify for the Academy Award nomination."

The 2019 series of comments, however, were perceived to be in response to the awards success of the film Roma, which Netflix produced and received three Academy Awards.

Developments

The speech was followed by reports that a group of people within the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, led by Spielberg, the Academy directors branch governor, would attempt to change awards contention rules that would block Netflix from participating.^[4]

Netflix's Response

On February 28th, 2019, Netflix's official Twitter account posted a video about how Netflix was offering opportunities to artists, writers and filmmaker who otherwise might not have their "stories told." The tweet, which many perceived as a response to Spielberg, received more than 15,000 retweets and 46,000 likes in three weeks.

On March 3rd, Netflix appeared to respond to Spielberg's comments. The company's "Netflix Film" Twitter account tweeted, ^[3] "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." Within five days, the tweeted received more than 18,000 retweets and 82,000 likes (shown below).

Online Reaction

On March 1st, director Ava DuVernay, who has worked with Netflix in the past, tweeted,^[5] "Dear @TheAcademy, This is a Board of Governors meeting. And regular branch members can’t be there. But I hope if this is true, that you’ll have filmmakers in the room or read statements from directors like me who feel differently. Thanks, Ava DuVernay." The tweet received more than 1,800 retweets and 7,600 likes in one week (shown below, left).

Two days later, she tweeted,^[6] "One of the things I value about Netflix is that it distributes black work far/wide. 190 countries will get WHEN THEY SEE US. Here’s a promo for South Africa. I’ve had just one film distributed wide internationally. Not SELMA. Not WRINKLE. It was 13TH. By Netflix. That matters." Within five days, the tweet received more than 9,100 retweets and 43,000 likes (shown below, center).

Others mocked Spielberg's stance on disqualifying Netflix. YouTuber Jackfilms tweeted a variation of the Literally No One meme. He wrote,^[7] "Everyone: / Steven Spielberg: WAHHHHHHH NETFLIX NO MAKE MOVIES PUT NETFLIX AWAY NOOOO THEY TV NO REAL MOVIES AHHHHHH GIB ME AWARDSSSS NETFLIX NO REALLL." The tweet received more than 640 retweets and 10,000 likes in one week (shown below, right).

On March 4th, Redditor ^[8] sethrollins22 posted in the /r/Netflix subreddit, "Netflix responds to reports of Steven Spielberg considering their exclusion from the Oscars: "We love cinema, providing access for people who cannot afford or don't have theaters in their towns and providing filmmakers more ways to share art. These things are not mutually exclusive." The post received more than 3,200 points (97% upvoted) and 245 comments in less than one week.

Media Coverage

Several media outlets reported and commented on the controversy, including Vanity Fair,^[9] CBS,^[10] Forbes,^[11] the Los Angeles Times,^[12] Variety,^[13] The Daily Dot ^[14] and more.