They should compete for Emmys instead, Spielberg says.
Considered by most to be of brilliant mind and one of the most successful directors of all time, Spielberg has spoken out about what he believes deserves Oscar recognition – and what definitely doesn't.
Spielberg is currently promoting his upcoming film Ready Player One and spoke to ITV news about why he doesn't think that films that premiere on Netflix should qualify for Oscars at all.
The filmmaking giant who's been steadily working since the 1970s, thinks that movies which go straight to streaming are “a clear and present danger to filmgoers,” and shouldn’t be permitted to compete for Academy Awards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hTTvO50QTs
"I don't believe that films that are just given token qualifications, in a couple of theatres for less than a week, should qualify for the Academy Award nominations," he said.
“Once you commit to a television format, you’re a TV movie,” he declared. A good show might “deserve an Emmy, but not an Oscar.”
In order for a film to meet Academy Awards eligibility rules, it must have a theatrical release. It seems Netflix has circumvented this rule by releasing certain films, such at this year's Oscar-nominated Mudbound, for a very limited run.
Spielberg, who has won three Oscars and joined the Academy’s board of governors in 2016, doesn’t think that Netflix's Oscar strategy is nearly enough to compete for the coveted statuettes.
Mudbound was nominated for a number of Oscars in 2018. Netflix managed to secure eligibility for Oscar nominations by releasing the film for a week long run in a small amount of cinemas.
Netflix has used this strategy in the past for films they believe to be award-worthy.
