Netflix's Roma Becomes First Streaming Film to Be Nominated for Best Picture Oscar
Jan 22, 2019 10:15 am PST
This morning The Academy unveiled the 2019 Oscar nominations, with Netflix film Roma leading the pack with 10 nominations. Most impressive though was it became the first film distributed by a streaming service to be nominated for Best Picture.
It recently won two awards at the Golden Globes for Best Foreign Film and Best Director.
The film which is Written, Directed, and Produced by Alfonso Cuarón nominations included Best Picture, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director, Best Actress (Aparicio), and Best Supporting Actress (de Tavira). The film is a vivid, emotional portrait of a domestic worker's journey set against domestic and political turmoil in 1970's Mexico.
There has been some controversy with some theaters refusing to carry the movie for their annual Best Picture Showcase because Netflix would not give them a 90-day theatrical exclusivity window. While the film was released on Netflix on December 14, it expanded to 147 theaters (a fraction of most films) to gross an estimated $2.8 million at the box office in its first 6 weeks.
The 2019 Oscars will air live on ABC on Sunday, February 24 at 8pm ET.