Netflix might be sponsors on numerous film festivals this fall, including TIFF, Telluride, Venice and NYFF, but it is not planning on sending any of its films or talent to attend them, this according to the always-reliable Anne Thompson. That means David Fincher’s “Mank,” Ron Howard’s “Hillbilly Elegy,” Charlie Kaufman’s “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” George C. Wolfe’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” and Ramin Bahrani’s “White Tiger” will most probably premiere at home this coming fall.
This only complicates the hands of major film festivals, who had plans to heavily rely on Netflix content if they would ever go digital. According to Thompson, Netflix choosing to sit this one out and not submit any of their Oscar-bait titles to fall fests has angered many Festival directors. No surprise there, we are most probably going to see a very different edition of these fests, Venice has hinted at doing a more local edition this year, whereas TIFF is said to be doing the same, but with a digital side added for non-locals.
This is actually a major win for Netflix as they can now continue the inevitable industry transition from theatrical to streaming, especially in a year when the Oscars and Golden Globes have already changed their rules for eligibility, allowing streaming titles to qualify without a theatrical release.