Cannes Film Festival’s chief, Thierry Fremaux, has stated that Netflix are yet to discover a great director.
Amid an ongoing feud with the streaming service, Fremaux asked journalists in attendance at the festival’s press conference to “name me a director who has been discovered by a platform.” Later adding, “Not even after ten years!”
This feud first started in 2018, when Cannes film festival stated that it would only give out the prestigious Palme d’Or award to films that had first been shown on the big screen in France, before landing on streaming platforms.
His condemning of streaming continued thereafter, as he added, “We just celebrated the 125th anniversary of the invention of cinema. Let us see if in 100 years we will celebrate the birthday of the platforms.”
Later adding, “I don’t think Netflix or the others can skip the Cannes film festival,” he warned. “You will see the names of the future in our line-up…,” he added. “That is why the dialogue must be opened.”
This year’s festival features the Palme d’Or favourite The Restless directed by Joachim Lafosse. Amazon has two movies at Cannes this year, including the opening film Annette starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard.
