Apparently its collection of Emmys aren’t enough because Netflix is going after perhaps the biggest award the entertainment industry has to offer: the Oscar. Helping further this goal, the company has acquired the rights to Beasts of No Nation, one of those movies that’s practically written solely for an award, which required Netflix to outbid some major film studios.
Netflix already has a slew of Emmys, among other prestigious awards. Now, apparently, the streaming media giant is stalking the big prize of entertainment awards: the almighty Oscar. According to Deadline, Netflix outbid major studios for the worldwide rights to Beasts of No Nation, an award-friendly movie starring the British actor Idris Elba, about a child soldier forced to join mercenaries in West Africa. The film is directed by Cary Fukunaga, whose masterful directing of the show True Detective won HBO an Emmy last year. Long before Netflix purchased its distribution rights, the film was receiving heaps of awards buzz. Although Netflix’s model is based on streaming, a film must be shown in theaters to qualify for the Academy Awards. The movie won’t qualify if it streams before it’s put in theaters, so Netflix will debut the film in select theaters on the same day that it streams the film online.
