00:00Netflix CEO Reed Hastings says the company made mistakes with this year's Cannes Film Festival
00:05controversy surrounding the streaming giant. In a keynote speech in France on Thursday,
00:09Hastings said this about the ongoing controversy preventing Netflix films from being shown at the
00:14festival that begins May 8.
00:21He added,
00:30Last year, Netflix brought Bong Joon-ho's Okja and Noah Baumbach's The Meyerowitz Stories,
00:38new and selected, to the festival. The films were selected in official competition, which outraged
00:43French exhibitors, as Netflix refused to show the films in French theaters due to the country's
00:47strict chronology law that requires a 36-month wait before films can stream. Following the outcry,
00:53festival director Thierry Freymoux was forced to change the rules, and this year, Netflix was nixed
00:58from the competition lineup. Netflix, in turn, refused to bring its films to Cannes.
01:02During his keynote speech, Hastings indicated the company will no longer try to compete or screen
01:07in the prestigious festival, saying,
01:17But he still indicated that discussions with Freymoux and the festival are ongoing. He said,
01:28Hastings also said,
01:35Still, he refused to advocate for changing French chronology laws, which are currently being debated,
01:46saying only this,
01:48I think it's up to the French people to figure out how they want to organize the cinema industry.
01:53It's been pretty successful so far.
01:55For more from Hastings' keynote speech, head to THR.com and be sure to let me know your thoughts
01:59in the comments. Until next time, for The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.
02:04Thanks for photographs.
02:05You both now.
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