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Cary Fukunaga thinks lack of Netflix awareness hurt Oscar chances

By Reuben Levine

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The lack of awards for Beasts of No Nation could be a sign that people are still confused about Netflix as a movie platform.

Note: The original headline of this post was changed and a quote added to more accurately reflect the subject’s recorded thoughts.

Award season wasn’t especially kind to Cary Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation. The film pulled in few nominations, though there was some love for Idris Elba and Abraham Attah. For his role as director, Cary Fukunaga didn’t pull in a single award. Beasts of No Nation is currently sitting at a 91 on Rotten Tomatoes, by the way.

The film was eventually able to win big at the Independent Film Spirit Awards, but it was ignored entirely by the Oscars. The general thinking behind the snub has been Netflix’s status as a streaming service — it doesn’t command the respect of major studios and it doesn’t have their power.

SANTA MONICA, CA – FEBRUARY 27: Actor Abraham Attah accepts the Best Male Lead award for ‘Beasts of No Nation’ onstage during the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards on February 27, 2016 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Cary Fukunaga candidly told Alec Baldwin on his podcast that Netflix isn’t yet seen as a player in the film game and people don’t know to treat it:

"There’s a couple things going against us, which was not having a major studio with its sort of locked-in Oscar voters …Netflix released the film. Having Netflix as a perceived online-only game player …Thought it was a TV movie. I think, subject matter. I know most people would discover it once all the voting was done, and still, a bulk would never see it, ever. I think we thought it was a long shot."

Fukunaga also says that he and Netflix “have yet to have a real follow-up conversation” following the awards, and that he would like to. The Oscars were the subject of a serious controversy this year focused on racism, and to deal with that the rules for voting have been changed for next year and beyond.

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It’s possible that things would be different for Beasts of No Nation if it came out a year from now and was voted on under the new regulations. As it stands, a Netflix movie isn’t considered the same as a traditional film released by a studio. That’s a shame, and speaks to how out of touch the Academy actually is.

While Cary Fukunaga doesn’t seem especially bitter about it, it is a problem that he would like to see addressed. This also hasn’t stopped him from working with Netflix again, as the streaming giant will release Maniac, a new series that Fukunaga will direct.

Next: Watch a new trailer for Matthew McConaughey's The Sea of Trees.

Beasts of No Nation deserved far more than it got. Hopefully this issue will be rectified in the future and save future movies from the same fate.

Via: Decider

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