‘Roma’ Bends Hollywood Film Traditions

Mexican film “Roma” sanctioned Netflix’s status from a Silicon Valley company to a legitimated Hollywood name. “Roma’s” writer and director Alfonso Cuarón won Best Director, and the film earned Best Cinematography and Best Foreign Language Film in the recently held 91st Oscar Awards.

Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón has a lot of reasons to celebrate this year. The critically acclaimed “Roma” has been nominated in several award-giving bodies, including the 76th Golden Globe Awards and a much prestigious 91st Academy Awards. The film earned a title of one of the most nominated non-English films. The “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” from 2000 still holds the top title.

How Is Roma Changing The Film Industry?

Critics and viewers applauded the Academy Awards for recognizing a foreign film like “Roma.” Director Alfonso Cuarón is not new to Hollywood as his works are widely known, such as “Y Mama Tu Tambien” and “Gravity.” The film nabbing the heavy titles came as a surprise to all not only because a foreign film dominated the nominations but also because a “small” company like Netflix was able to win three.

An Era of Digital Film Is Coming

“Roma” is one of Netflix’s original project and was the first Netflix film to have won the coveted title. Winning an Oscar, let alone three major awards, is a big break for Netflix. The streaming company has finally been making its impact on traditional films, and analysts are predicting a new era of films.

“Roma’s” win means that a new trend is setting, a trend where movies do not have to be in theaters anymore. This may also mean the downfall of movie theaters, not at present but possibly in the future. This is why despite being hailed as one of the best in Oscar’s standards, “Roma” is refused to be shown in many theaters.

But “Roma’s” road to Oscars was an expensive one. Reports claimed that the company’s campaign to Oscars cost a hefty $30 million. The Oscar journey was led by Lisa Taback, and it is safe to say that she did a good job. There were clams that film producer and director Steven Spielberg attempted to “block” Roma’s nominations.

Now Hollywood film norms have been challenged. Big names such as Walt Disney and Amazon.com Inc. are planning on releasing digital films in an online streaming platform style. Analysts believe that “Roma” changed the balance of power in Hollywood, and now this can attract bigger celebrities and films.