The loss of Netflix titles was perceived by many to be a heavy blow for last year’s Cannes film festival. After artistic director Thierry Frémaux ruled that titles from the streaming giant were ineligible to compete for the Palme d’Or, Netflix head Ted Sarandos duly pulled their full roster from the Croisette.
Films such as Roma, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and many more duly played at rival festivals, before progressing to considerable acclaim.
With less than two months before the red carpet is unrolled this year, talks are apparently still ongoing between the two parties – but the urgency is now felt to be less, as reports suggest that no Netflix films will now screen at Cannes, either in or out of competition.
Variety has revealed that not only has Cannes failed to figure out a workable compromise, but none of the mooted Netflix titles is sufficiently complete for a May premiere.
Key among the films Frémaux had been hoping to debut in France was The Irishman, the major Netflix crime drama that reunites Martin Scorsese with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. Many had presumed a May premiere was likely, as the film finished shooting many months ago – and Scorsese is a regular at the festival – but apparently post-production has been held up by the special effects work required to de-age the cast for half of the running time.
When and where is it?
The festival takes place in the French resort town of Cannes in the late spring, normally in mid-May - this year it's 14-25 May.
What are the big films?
Twenty-one films have been selected to compete for the Palme d'Or, including Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino, A Hidden Life by Terrence Malick, and Ken Loach's Sorry We Missed You. There are also a number of special screenings, including Asif Kapadia's Diego Maradona documentary, Elton John biopic Rocketman, and Gael García Bernal's directorial debut Chicuarotes. There are two parallel festivals, the Directors' Fortnight and Critics' Week, each with their own line-up.
What about all the paparazzi?
Cannes isn't just about the art of film. Every night sees a large-scale premiere with a walk up the famous red-carpeted steps outside the giant Lumière cinema. (That's why the festival likes selecting films with big-name Hollywood actors.) Cannes also finds lots of excuses to bring in major stars: for example, 1982's Rambo: First Blood is getting a screening, meaning Sylvester Stallone will pitch up on the Riviera.
Other Netflix films thought to be in contention for Cannes were The Laundromat, starring Meryl Streep and directed by Steven Soderbergh, Noah Baumbach’s latest film, and Henry V drama The King with Timothée Chalamet.
Non-Netflix titles tipped for a spot include Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and James Gray’s Ad Astra – both of which star Brad Pitt – as well as new films from Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Jim Jarmusch, Xavier Dolan, Mia Hansen-Løve, James Mangold and Ang Lee.
Last week, Steven Spielberg – who had expressed the controversial opinion that Netflix films be barred from the Oscars – met with Sarandos for peace talks. Netflix had previously responded to the director’s comments with a brief manifesto about making cinema as easy to access as possible.
