Alfonso Cuarón: Netflix Backlash it cost the 'Roma' the Oscar?

Did Green Book win the Best Film Award because it was beloved or because the majority of Academy members refused to give the Oscars first prize to a Netflix movie like "Roma"? This is one of the biggest issues related to the 2019 Oscars. The prevailing theory among the Academy Awards is that Netflix fears that the Oscar for the best film will be cost to "Roma". Netflix may have broken with the tradition of broadcasting "Roma" in some theaters three weeks before its streaming launch, but the company is still considered a threat to movie theaters and the theatrical experience.

As Anne Thompson of IndieWire reported after the Oscars, members of the Academy, such as Steven Spielberg, are championing the theatrical experience over Netflix. Spielberg, who is governor of the Academy, defended the "Green Book" throughout the awards season, as a vote of the cinema itself. The director spoke of the defense of the theatrical experience and the willingness of Netflix movies to argue for Emmys instead of Oscars. He is not the only one of the Academy to have these opinions.

According to tradition, Variety spoke to the Oscar winner for the best director the day after the Oscars. The director of "Roma", Alfonso Cuarón, was the winner of this year. During his interview, he was questioned about rumors that the rumor that Netflix would play a role in his film lost the Oscar for best film for the benefit of "Green Paper". industry, but argued that "Roma" played an important role in the evolution of this conversation.

"In the beginning, when I started this process, I felt that [blowback]Cuarón said. "Friends and other filmmakers said," What are you doing? "It was almost like I was betraying something. But I think the conversation has changed. I think most people recognize that this film reaches audiences around the world as usually only mainstream movies do. "

"For me, the conversation about theater is very important," continued Cuarón. "I am a filmmaker. I believe in the theatrical experience. But there must be diversity. The multiplex theatrical experience is a very mired experience. You have a product type with few variations. It's hard to see house art movies. It is difficult to see foreign films. Most theaters broadcast Hollywood movies.

Cuarón argued that any backtracking of Netflix in the industry should encourage everyone to think more and become aware of the need for "greater diversity in the way we distribute our films" . Last August, the main reason for his visit to Netflix was that no other platform was able to broadcast a black-and-white drama in Spanish on a global scale featuring mostly unknown actors.

"Distribution models need to be more flexible, depending on the film," said Cuarón. "You can not impose the exit strategy of a two-branch movie to a smaller movie. You may need fewer theaters and longer periods or models in which the so-called window is shorter. We think in one paradigm. It's time to start opening paradigms. At present, it is a confrontation between economic models. It's not as if one model is enjoying cinema, and the other is not. "

Despite the loss of his best film, "Roma" still did well at the Oscars with the best director, best cinematography and best foreign language film awards. Cuarón made history by receiving the three Oscars himself. "Roma" is now streaming on Netflix.

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