Amid reports that Netflix may pull out of the Cannes Film Festival, one of the producers of Orson Welles’ The Other Side of the Wind says its debut there may fall victim to a dispute between the world’s most prestigious film festival and the industry’s top streaming service.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix has threatened not to bring any titles to Cannes after festival director Thierry Fremaux said last month he won’t screen their films in competition. The five Netflix films intended for Cannes, according to Vanity Fair, are The Other Side of the Wind, Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, Paul Greengrass’ Norway, Jeremy Saulnier’s Hold the Dark, and Morgan Neville’s Welles documentary They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead.
The Other Side of the Wind has been rumored to be an Official Selection Special screening and not part of the competition.
“Even though we are not in competition, we are collateral damage if they decide not to go,” Marshall told IndieWire. (Marshall, who is producing the completion with Filip Jan Rymsza, was a line producer for Welles on the 1970s shoot.)
Cannes will announce its official lineup on April 12. Netflix has not responded to requests from Wellesnet for comment.
Cannes, facing pressure from influential French theater owners, decided to ban Netflix films from competition unless they have a theatrical run there. Complicating matters is France’s Media Chronology Law, which prohibits films shown in theaters from being streamed on platforms like Netflix until 36 months after release.
In recent weeks, Frémaux has publicly complained about Netflix’s “intransigence” and the difference between cinema and the internet.
Netflix had two films in the Cannes competition for the first time last year — Boon Joon-Ho’s Okjaand Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories. There were reports traditionalists booed when the Netflix logo appeared on screen.
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