True Detective director Cary Fukunaga appeared at the Tribeca Film Festival to promote his upcoming movie Beasts of No Nation. The film stars Idris Elba and will be released on Netflix simultaneously to a theatrical release. According to THR, that detail really concerns Fukunaga:
The difficult part of defining yourself as a filmmaker is the concept of releasing a film on a digital platform at the same time its released in cinema really strikes the fear of God in your heart that people are actually still going to go to the cinema to watch the film when if they spend $6 a month they could watch it for free on their laptops,” he said. “[Beasts of No Nation] was designed to be a film experienced in a group, collectively like this, with strangers in the dark and see this story…Netflix’s big thing is consumer choice. So as the audiences start to make that choice and continue to make the choice to only watch online, the cinema experience will only be reserved for comic-book movies. That’s the biggest democratic challenge for an art form that you have to ask the audience to be aware of the fact that they are just as responsible for the death of cinema as the people who make it.
While he also mentioned his excitement regarding the ability for more people to access his film on multiple platforms, there is indeed some food-for-thought in that statement of his. Recently, some movie theaters have opted for a more immersive experience to attract attendees, but it’d seem pretty enjoyable to just go to the cinema for a great movie-going experience. Then again, the couch in my living room is also pretty nice.
During the hour-long conversation, the director revealed to the Tribeca crowd that he will begin shooting the new version of Stephen King’s IT in just eight weeks. He didn’t have many details to give regarding the production but did commit to the goal of moving onto lighter hearted projects in the future:
“Hopefully after that, I’ll move into much more pleasant fare,” he said, adding that he remains fixed on the “white face in the sewer” image from when he saw the miniseries.
Whether staying in or heading out to a movie theater — just remember Cary — we all float down here.
(Source: The Hollywood Reporter)
