SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
MALTI SAHAI
The Netflix verses Cannes conflict points to the tension between streaming companies and the Cinema industry over how movies will be watched in the future. Traditional film distribution models draw audiences because they have always enjoyed an exclusive right as the only place to catch a new release. Threatening this module Netflix is taking on Hollywood this year with a budget of $ 8 bn for making 80 films. Their deep pockets are also attracting big names among Hollywood stars. They also can provide quality content at a cheap monthly cost directly to you. Although Cinema still provides the best viewing experience 'Streamers' like Netflix can no longer be ignored as that is where the funding will be coming from for most of the content in the coming years.
The festival rules state that films can only be entered for competition if they are screened in French cinemas.On the other hand, under the French laws, films cannot be streamed until three years after their Cinema release in the country. It's a no-win situation that has forced Netflix to withdraw the five films that they had offered the festival, including the much awaited, Morgan Neville's Orson Welles documentary They'll Love Me When I'm Dead and a restored version of Welles's unfinished final film The Other Side Of The Wind, which could have been one of the highlights of the festival. The purists who consider films from streaming services as,'hybrids' may have to look for a more inclusive solution. In Cannes the market is slower and quieter this year. All said and done why throw the baby with the bath water.