Many in the movie industry believe that if it hadn't been for Will Smith taking the stage to punch comedian Chris Rock, Apple TV+'s Oscar win for 'CODA' would have been the talk of the industry. .

"It was clear that a streaming service was going to break that barrier sooner or later. And I think that's a big break," says Kendall Phillips, a Syracuse University professor and pop culture scholar.

"I really think it's going to allow a lot more films to be taken seriously by Oscar voters."

From the start of the film awards season, a film carried by a video-on-demand platform seemed to have a good chance of winning at the 94th edition of the Oscars.

For a long time, it was "The Power of the Dog", a dark and psychological western by Jane Campion, which was given as the great favorite.

This film was produced by Netflix, the oldest and strongest streaming service.

A sign of the times, Netflix had joined the ranks of the influential Motion Picture Association of America in early 2019, made up until then of only historic Hollywood studios.

New Zealander Jane Campion wins the Oscar for best director for the film "The Power of the Dog", March 27, 2022 in Hollywood VALERIE MACON AFP / Archives

But he still had to consolidate this recognition of the profession with a major Oscar.

Unfortunately for Netflix, "CODA", an optimistic comedy-drama about the life of a hearing teenager and her deaf family, made an impressive comeback and finally won this year's Oscars.

Distrust and prejudice

The burst of streaming services at the Oscars is relatively recent and reflects the prejudice and distrust that has long prevailed against them in Hollywood.

It took until 2017 and "Manchester by the Sea", produced by Amazon, for a streaming film to be selected in the race for the prize for best feature film.

He had been beaten that year by "Moonlight".

Since then, Netflix has continued to accumulate nominations in this queen category, with for example "Roma", "The Irishman", "Marriage Story", "Mank", "The Chicago Seven" or "Don't Look Up: Cosmic Denial".

Over the past three years, Netflix has even come in clearly ahead for the number of Oscar nominations.

This year alone, the platform had 27 in total, but it only confirmed one with the Oscar for best direction for Jane Campion.

The Netflix logo in Hollywood, March 2, 2022 in California Chris DELMAS AFP / Archives

Conversely, Apple TV+, launched at the end of 2019, received three awards this year (out of six nominations).

According to the specialized magazine Variety, Apple spent more than 10 million dollars for the campaign of "CODA", a film whose production cost 15 million.

Netflix had also deployed all its financial might to promote "The Power of the Dog", which was not to everyone's taste in Hollywood.

“Everywhere you drive in Los Angeles, you come across posters proclaiming it to be + the best film of the year +”, annoyed a director on the Indiewire site.

"Netflix can only blame itself" for the loss of his film at the Oscars, he continues on condition of anonymity.

blurred boundary

Some Academy Academy voters are notoriously reluctant to vote for a streaming movie, a format they see as a threat to traditional theaters, which they say are the best way to watch a movie.

And nostalgia for dark rooms also plays a role, especially among older people.

Launched at the end of 2019, the Apple TV+ service became the first of its kind to win the Oscar for best feature film, Hollywood's supreme award Patrick T. FALLON AFP / Archives

For Kendall Phillips, the public cares much more about content and streaming platforms know how to meet their expectations.

“It is increasingly difficult to determine where a film comes from, whether it is the production of a streaming service or a major studio. That line has probably been blurred for good,” he notes. .

This is all the more true for "CODA" as the film was originally shot for a theatrical release but the pandemic upset its plans.

Apple TV+ only bought it at auction after its presentation at the Sundance festival.

The filmmakers themselves pay less and less attention to this distinction.

“Netflix is ​​not what I would have liked at first, but it is a bit like the Medici of our time,” Jane Campion told the Los Angeles Times, referring to the Florentine patrons who financed the development of the greatest artists of the Renaissance.

© 2022 AFP