Two weeks ago, Netflix's Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria, on the stage of the Egyptian theater in Los Angeles and Kraijed about the 13 Oscar nominations of the company for his Spanish musical, “Emilia Pérez.”
“We have just received more Oscar nominations than any other studio,” they scored.
Finally, the most coveted price, the Academy Award for Best Picture, who had escaped the streaming giant, seemed to have grasp.
How fleeting that moment would prove to be.
Just three days later, Netflix published an apology on behalf of the main actress of the film, Karla Sofía Gascón – the first openly trans -actor who was nominated for an Academy Award – after a journalist had appeared a series of different comments, Mrs. Gascón had posted years On Twitter, now known as X. In them she denigrated a range of people, from Muslims to George Floyd and even the Oscars.
The streaming giant has one of the largest global awards activities in the company. Under the guidance of Lisa Taback, a leading Oscar strategist that cuts her teeth into the rough and tumbling campaign era of Harvey Weinstein, the company employs around 60 people who focus on promoting their films and shows for different awards shows, Including the Oscars, the Emmy's and the Baftas in Great Britain.
But instead of playing attack, Netflix is now trying to limit the fall -out and saves the opportunities for nominees such as Zoe Saldaña, who is to support the best actress for her role in the film.
The company has removed Mrs. Gascón from Billboards in Los Angeles who have shown her alone (she stays in some group advertisements) and explosions to Oscar voters in E -mail. During three prize shows at the weekend, Mrs. Saldaña wore the Fakkel of the film, accepted the Critics' Choice Award for the best supporting actress and called her film 'The Little Movie That Counter'.
On Saturday, Mrs. Saldaña with the director of the film, Jacques Audiard, of the Directors Guild of America Awards, where she introduced the film, to the producers Guild Awards just further down the street, where she did it again. Mrs. Gascón was initially set up to introduce the film with Mrs. Saldaña.
“I don't think I have ever seen a situation like this, where the fate of a film has shifted like an asteroid,” said Stephen Galloway, the dean of the Filmschool of Chapman University, in an interview.
Netflix refused to comment.
In the first instance, the Netflix team was hopeful that the repentant apology of Mrs. Gascón would suppress the noise, according to two people with knowledge of discussions within the company. Mrs. Gascón had other plans. On Wednesday she wrote a long missionary on Instagram and said the messages had been removed from the context. Then she appeared on CNN and Español for a tearful interview with an hour for hours where she said she would not withdraw from the Oscar race.
Netflix only knew about both promotion until they were public, said the two people with knowledge of discussions within the company. Mrs. Gascón could not be achieved for comment for this article. In a message on Instagram on Thursday, she wrote: “In the hope that my silence will be able to be appreciated for what it is, a nice ode to love and difference.”
Netflix continues to spend money on his other “Emilia Pérez” stars and his director, but the company did not offer to pay for the flights of Mrs. Gascón for this last weekend, according to three people with knowledge of the decision. She was planned to appear in South California for a litany of events: the American Film Institute Lunch; The Critics' Choice Awards, where she was nominated; The producers Guild Awards; And the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which was planning to give her a prize together with her co-star Selena Gomez and others.
When Mrs. Taback came to Netflix in 2018 with her team of four employees, it was to scale up the Hollywood ambitions of the technology company. (She had already collaborated with the company to win his first Oscar, the best documentary shortly for “The White Helmets.”) With a good salary and seemingly unlimited sources, Mrs. Taback often explores her competitors in extravagant ways. (Renting two sounds for an exhibition in a museum style that showed that the costumes for 'Roma', the black and white drama of Alfonso Cuarón, was, such an example.)
The nominations of the company are always greater than its victories, but the resources that have invested in the last seven years have helped filmmakers to the streaming giant, especially those who are concerned about the reluctance of the company to make the films theatrical debuting theatrical . And it has worked to a certain extent.
“Hollywood does not understand what Netflix works. They are not Academy Awards. It is the algorithm, “said Richard Greenfield, an analyst and partner at the media research agency Lightshed Partners. “Awards are to appease the Hollywood system. If I were Netflix, I would spend twice as much. “
Martin Scorsese, Bradley Cooper, Jane Campion, David Fincher and Noah Baumbach have all brought their passion projects to the service. In some cases it was because the films were not commercial enough or too expensive to be made in traditional studios, but also because they would be cared for at Netflix.
“Netflix guaranteed my complete freedom in terms of compiling my team and the last cut privilege, which only get divine filmmakers such as Spielberg,” said Mr. Scorsese in 2019 about his film of three and a half hours “Irish” he was Nominated for 10 Oscars.
“Emilia Pérez” was a bit different. Netflix bought $ 8 million last year, commissioned by his new film chairman, Dan Lin, the US, Canadian and British rights to the completed film from the Cannes film festival. (The female cast, including Mrs. Gascón, Mrs. Saldaña, Mrs. Gomez and Adriana Paz, jointly won the best actress prize in the festival.) For many, the acquisition of 13 Oscar nominations for a Spanish musical with a transactor with a French Director that few Netflix subscribers have viewed is an achievement in itself.
Apart from the controversy of Mrs. Gascón Opzij, those in the company say they do not expect the price strategy to change. Money is still spent. Events will still be extravagant.
There will of course be one change: the social media accounts of everyone who is considering working together will be viewed much better.
