Olivier Assayas Says Cannes Pulled ‘Carlos’ From Competition Because Of “Political Pressure”

The spring at Cannes, that battle between streaming and theatrical erupted, and became one of the central talking points on the Croisette. Netflix, who brought “The Meyerowitz Stories” and “Okja” to the festival, became the target of French distributors, angered at how the company skirts laws in the country regarding theatrical releases and streaming, by just dropping their original movies directing on their service, and not in cinemas. (In France, films that play in cinemas must wait 36 months before appearing on a streaming platform). However, it’s not the first time a project caused a stir with organizers.

Back in 2010, Olivier Assayas‘ epic, 3-part TV miniseries “Carlos” screened in its entirety Out Of Competition, but according to the director, it was originally slotted in Competition. Speaking with Now, Assayas weighs in on the streaming versus cinema debate, and where his own project fits into the conversation.

“I have a very simple ground rule for that. If you are free to do what you want, it’s called filmmaking. And when you are defined by what the industry wants, it’s called TV – or bad filmmaking,” he said. “I don’t care who finances the films. If it’s a good film and it’s financed by Netflix, it’s all the same. ‘Carlos’ was fully financed by Canal+, French pay TV. The film was supposed to be in competition in Cannes, and because there was a lot – a lot – of political pressure, it was pulled. That was frustrating because it’s a movie that could have had an impact on the jury.”

“I never ever considered ‘Carlos’ to be a TV movie. It’s meant to be seen on the big screen. In the recent history of cinema, a lot of TV-financed movies have made it to the big screen, like Gus Van Sant’s Palme d’Or winner [‘Elephant‘ in 2003]. That was technically an HBO film. It’s always the same discussion,” he added.

One wonders if the same people that pressured Cannes over having Netflix titles in Competition, also weren’t keen on having a TV miniseries there was well. Certainly, while the festival continues to show TV, it’s perhaps not a surprise that this year, screenings of both “Twin Peaks” and “Top Of The Lake: China Girl” were designated as 70th Anniversary Events.

Does Cannes need to evolve to the changing times of how movies are financed, and the realities of Peak TV? Share your thoughts in the comments section.