Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Netflix a no-go at Cannes
Although Netflix and the Cannes Film Festival continue quietly to negotiate a potential settlement to their differences, the streaming giant will be absent from the Croisette again this year with no film in or out of competition, Variety has learned.
The ongoing talks between the two sides have been friendly, including a dinner in Los Angeles just over a week ago with Netflix’s Ted Sarandos and Scott Stuber and Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux, who was in town for a summit hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press, one insider said. The meeting was one of several held since Netflix and Cannes’ bitter spat before last year’s festival, which led the streamer to take “Roma” to Venice instead, where it won the Golden Lion.
But no solution has been found yet that would allow a Netflix title to return to Cannes’ competition lineup. In any case, it does not have a festival-ready film to present, sources said. Representatives for Netflix declined to comment on the matter. Cannes did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
Steven Soderbergh’s “The Laundromat” with Meryl Streep, an untitled project from Noah Baumbach, Timothee Chalamet-starrer “The King” and the Safdie brothers’ “Uncut Gems” were also thought to be possibilities for the Croisette, but none will enter the fray, sources said. As with last year, Netflix still plans to send an acquisition team to Cannes.