A foreign-language film, let alone a black-and-white foreign-language film that was released on a streaming service, has never won Best Picture. And yet, according to the prognosticators at Gold Derby, Roma is tied with A Star Is Born as the frontrunner to take home the hostless-Academy Awards’ most prestigious prize on February 24. It would be a stunning achievement for writer/director/producer/everything-er Alfonso Cuarón and Netflix (we’re only three years removed from The Ridiculous 6 being considered a “win” for the streamer), and the company is going all-out during For Your Consideration season to get as many people to associate Roma with Best Picture:
In the lead-up to the Globes, members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — the group that votes on the Golden Globes — and awards journalists were showered with gifts, including a box of Oaxacan dark chocolates with a note signed by Yalitza Aparicio, the actress who plays the nanny Cleo in the movie. (The chocolates came with a list of all the categories that Roma was eligible in, including Best Actress.) The company also sent out a glossy Roma coffee-table book, and a Roma poster signed by Cuarón.
Netflix also hired Lisa Taback to lead the marketing blitz (her firm was behind the campaigns for previous winners Moonlight and Spotlight; she also worked with The Weinstein Co.); hosted an “immersive experience” and cocktail parties; and bought a two-minute spot during CBS Sunday Morning that cost $170,000. “[Netflix] doesn’t spend a little more than everyone,” a publicist told Fast Company. “They spend millions and millions more.” In fact, the Roma campaign is “the most expensive since The Social Network, which has often been cited in the $25 million area,” according to an in-the-know Hollywood marketer. (The Aaron Sorkin-written, David Fincher-directed movie won three Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay, but lost Best Picture to The King’s Speech.)
Netflix is thirsty for a Best Picture nomination, and unlike some of its competition (coughGreenBookcoughBohemianRhapsodycough), Roma would be a deserving winner. A very, very expensive and deserving winner.
(Via Fast Company)
