 "Cannes Film Festival bans Netflix")
In a big disappointment, Netflix will no longer be part of the world's prestigious Cannes Film Festival from next year. It comes after the streaming giant refused to screen two of its films in this year's competition in French cinemas.
Although two movies, 'The Meyerowitz Stories,' starring Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller, and the Korean-American thriller 'Okja' will be allowed to compete next week for the top prize at Cannes and now, the festival's organisers said that they were changing the rules so it can never happen again.
In a statement, the organisers said that they had "asked Netflix in vain" for the films to be released in France as well to its 86 million subscribers. "From now on every film wishing to be in competition at Cannes must be shown in French cinemas afterwards," the statement further read.
The row comes as Netflix is locked in a bitter conflict with big US cinema chains. The crux of the Cannes row turns on the French law, which restricts online streaming until three years after a movie is put on the general release.
However, Amazon is giving its film, 'Coppola's The Beguiled,' a proper cinematic release in France. The Cannes film festival is all set to begin next week in the French Riviera resort.