“CODA” is the First Streaming Movie to Win an Oscar, What Will This Bring?

The ninety-fourth version of the Oscars left no one indifferent. One of the most anticipated moments by the entire audience was, without a doubt, the delivery of the most relevant awards of the night, which honor the best films, released between March and December of last year. On this occasion, "CODA", an adaptation of the French film "La Famille Bélier", won the Best Film category and set a precedent by being the first streaming feature film to win this very important award.

This film starring Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, and Daniel Durant was one of the big winners of the night, despite the fact that among the ten films nominated in this prestigious category it was the one with the fewest nominations, along with "Licorice Pizza" with three nominations each. It beat out feature films with far more nominations overall, such as "King Richard" (6), "Belfast" (7), "Dune" (10), and the favorite "The Power of the Dog," which had a total of 12 nominations on the day.

The film revolves around a young woman who is the only one in her family who can hear since the rest of the members of her household are deaf. In this way, she becomes the interpreter of her people and the only one who can communicate with the rest. In this scenario, her parents take over a fishing business and she enters the school choir, where she has the opportunity to study music in the future. And that is where she must make the decision to continue in the business or fulfill her main desire.

What Impact Can It Have on the Industry?

That "CODA" on Apple TV+ was the first streaming film to win the Oscar for Best Picture has more than one meaning. In the first place, it can generate even more investment in the making of these films that come from said platforms, since if they are a success and are widely consumed, they can generate a lot of income. According to a 2020 study by OBS Business School, about 900 million users are those who own the various streaming platforms in total; which represents 25% of the television market. Netflix and Amazon Prime are the most popular.

Secondly, it should be noted that, with the prolonged confinement, the phenomenon of streaming movie consumption only increased and the success of the different digital applications seems to have no ceiling. In fact, Disney has begun to bet more on its digitization, by reducing the time in which many of its films last in the cinema, going from 90 to 45 days. The above with the aim of making the tape jump as quickly as possible to the streaming service and generating profits on both sides.

As a third aspect to consider, this triumph can set the tone in relation to the fact that after breaking the glass ceiling, the large distribution companies have in their hands to remain attractive to audiences but above all to directors and content producers. With the latter, the platforms will be able to have major premieres more frequently. That is to say, to present the novelties of the moment long before anyone else (as they already do today).

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Times of change and movies that did not achieve what they expected to obtain

Another of the great victories that "CODA" achieved on its glorious night was making history after Troy Kotsur won the award for best supporting actor, becoming the first deaf interpreter to receive this recognition. And its director and screenwriter, Sian Heder, won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, also standing out for being the third woman to direct a feature film that wins the most important category of awards. It was a day of first times, which also means that times of change are lived.

Regarding films that were favorites but that did not stay with the main categories of the night, such as "Licorice Pizza" or "Nightmare Alley" they did not manage to win any prize. Curiously, they are films that are not found on streaming platforms. The first was in three nominations with Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director, while the second was in the categories of Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design, but also failed to win a golden statuette.

Because just as technology advances rapidly in the so-called digital age, streaming platforms have been able to adapt and stand out from other services, becoming today an essential service for the lives of millions of people around the world who prefer them without hesitation. . Now Apple TV + has triumphed with "CODA", but in future editions, it may be the turn of Netflix, Amazon or Disney +, because once a blow occurs, there is no turning back.