Giving prizes to "Roma" is "devaluation of Oscars", say European exhibitors



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Movie theater owners complain that Netflix has "bought the Oscars" and ask the Academy to honor only "movies designed for theaters and released in theaters".

If you thought that Roma lose to Green paper for the best image of this year, Oscar would mean the end of Netflix Bashing, think again

The winners of the 91st Oscars barely had time to get into the champagne before the owners of theaters – especially in Europe – began to criticize the decision to award the production of Netflix to Alfonso Cuaron Roma Oscar for Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Foreign Language Film.

"We plan to award three prizes to Roma Detlef Rossmann, president of the CICAE, European Association of Art Cinema and Testing, said The Hollywood journalist, adding that because Roma was not "visible in most cinemas around the world", the Oscars became another version of the Emmys, paying homage to "television productions".

CICAE has called on the Academy of Arts and Film Science to "redefine the rules and conditions of Oscar nomination to clarify the difference between film and television".

This was echoed by exhibitors from all over Europe, where the majority of cinema owners expressed their opposition to Netflix and Roma a place of choice in film festivals and awards ceremonies.

Last year, French exhibitors managed to convince the Cannes Film Festival to ban Netflix films from its official competition, an initiative that has led Roma to avoid Cannes and its premiere in Venice, where Cuaron won the Golden Lion for Best Picture, by launching the film's awarding campaign. But at every stage, the theater owners protested against Netflix's decision not to give Roma a "real" theatrical arc.

François Ayme, president of the French association of AFCAE art and experimental cinemas, is pleased with the decision of the Academy Green paper the best image Oscar on Roma, noting that it was a way of saying "that Roma is not "quite" a movie because it did not have a theatrical release ".

Ayme also highlighted the costly Netflix Oscar campaign, saying the streaming giant "has spent a staggering amount of money to promote Roma at the Academy, well beyond the cost of the film itself. According to Ayme, this money would have been better spent to promote an appropriate theatrical release of the Cuaron film.

"Netflix obviously did not care about the movie Romathey just wanted to use the Oscars to promote their brand, "said Christian Brauer, president of the German Exhibitors Association AG Kino. THR. "And to try to force their strategy of bypassing theatrical releases on the industry". He noted, however, that RomaOscar shows that "money can not buy everything".

Although united by their opposition to Netflix, European exhibitors all praised the film itself and welcomed the Academy's decision to bestow on Cuaron the best director, Oscar.

Some also hoped that the debate surrounding Roma would lead Netflix to re-evaluate its theatrical strategy.

"We saw a movie like Cold War – also in foreign language, and in black and white – has been extremely well behaved in theater, "said Brauer. "Roma could have been a box office success, and Netflix could have benefited from it. "

Tim Richards, CEO of the British Channel Vue International, added: "Netflix should not underestimate the value and impact of a complete theatrical release for the content it holds. We hope they will be open to discussion with exhibitors in the future. "

Jason Chae, CEO of South Indian distributor Mirovision, was a dissident spokesman, saying that in many markets, the streamer is filling a gap in the market.

"Netflix allows smaller, more experimental films to reach larger audiences in more territories," he said. "I was happy to find a movie I had missed at Sundance to be available on Netflix. Consumption patterns are changing and it is time for the industry to evolve as well. "

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