Netflix sees first-time filmmakers as edge in streaming wars
Stefon Bristol had a clear vision of his first feature project. As a graduate film student at NYU, he had already shot a short version of a movie called “See You Yesterday,” a story about a science-obsessed New York City teen who masters time travel to save her loved ones.
Bristol knew a film with a young black heroine, an unknown cast and a socially conscious message about police brutality might be a tough sell in traditional Hollywood.
But the aspiring director was determined to reach a wide audience. With the backing of mentor and producer Spike Lee, he took the idea to Netflix, which eagerly agreed to finance and distribute the movie.
The vote of confidence paid off: 12 million households watched at least 70% of “See You Yesterday” in its first four weeks after its release in May, according to Netflix.
“The game plan was to tell our story to as many people as possible and, honestly, I don’t think I would have gotten that number if it was in theaters,” Bristol said.
Such testimonials are prized inside the California company. As the streaming wars intensify, Netflix is aggressively courting not only Academy Award-winning filmmakers such as “The Irishman” director Martin Scorsese and “Roma” helmer Alfonso Cuaron, but also artists who haven’t yet broken out. The idea is to forge relationships with upand-coming directors before they become big names.
Last year, Netflix released 19 original movies from firsttime directors on its streaming platform; another 11 have already been announced for 2020. About half of the firsttime directors last year were women, and several titles hailed from directors of color whose films had diverse casts and characters.
The push is part of Netflix’s overall strategy to differentiate itself from other streaming rivals by offering consumers high-quality feature films — with budgets from $5 million to more than $100 million — in addition to signature TV series such as “The Crown” and “Stranger Things.”
“Let’s be that home where we can find the next Spike Lee, find the next Kathryn Bigelow and be there from the beginning with them,” said Scott Stuber, Netflix’s film chief.
In widening its stable of film creators, the company is also creating opportunities for new and inclusive voices to establish their footing at a time when Hollywood has been criticized for a lack of diversity. In 2019, only a dozen of the top 100 grossing films were directed by women, according to a study by USC Annenberg’s Inclusion Initiative. That same year, just 16.8% of the directors were from underrepresented race or ethnic groups.
Netflix acquires films out of film festivals, takes pitch meetings on new projects and brings in new voices through its relationships with established filmmakers.
That last scenario was the case with Bristol’s “See You Yesterday,” which was adapted from his thesis project in film school. When Lee came aboard as a producer, he facilitated the Netflix connection.
Bristol, who says he was working a part-time job and was broke at the time, received financing from Netflix to make his project into a feature film. Netflix provided feedback on development, as well as marketing muscle with billboards in L.A. and New York. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
“Allowing my vision to flourish with a platform like this and with the help of Spike, that’s what I needed,” hesaid.
Neflix’s global reach is also opening new avenues for non-English-language films, especially with the success of Cuaron’s “Roma,” which won three Academy Awards last year and debuted on Netflix after a limited theater run.
Cuaron’s relationship with Netflix played a role in Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor’s decision to sell the first movie he directed, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” to the platform ahead of its Sundance premiere. The adaptation of William Kamkwamba’s 2010 memoir about the African inventor’s journey to create a wind turbine to save his remote village from economic ruin always seemed primed for a global audience, despite the language barrier, Ejiofor said.
“We weren’t obligated to go with Netflix,” Ejiofor said. “It’s not one size fits all. But for the nature of this film, I thought it was a very exciting development … that Netflix would be able to really take this film global.”
Rivals including Amazon Prime Video offer a much smaller slate of original productions. In 2019, Amazon had nine original films stream on its platform, two of which were from firsttime film directors. In the same span, Netflix released 58 English-language original movies.
With the market dominated by studio sequels, remakes or comic book movies, indie filmmakers have fewer options at the box office.
“There are only so many weekends in a year,” said Nahnatchka Khan, who made her feature directorial debut with the Netflix romantic-comedy “Always Be My Maybe,” starring Ali Wong and Randall Park. “All you hear about is counterprogramming and the big movies coming out. … With Netflix you have more chances. That’s what it comes down to.”
Khan launched her career in television, where she created the ABC sitcoms “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Don’t Trust the B_ in Apt. 23.” She was surprised by the volume of immediate reactions “Always Be My Maybe” drew from audiences across international markets, as evidenced by the tweets, GIFs, memes, articles and social media conversations that skyrocketed once it hit streaming.
“It’s so accessible to people and you feel the fans right away,” she said.