Jailed dissident Alexei Navalny’s wife Yulia speaks out after Navalny Navalny Awarded for Best Documentary Feature Film during the Oscars Show at the 95th Academy Awards on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. photo credit: Reuters
Recognition of the creator’s effort and recognition being aside, awards like the Oscars have an undeniable cultural value that can impact a market like India. This cultural value looms large over the fragmented post-pandemic, post-streaming Indian consumer base. Oscars aside, we’re watching live how even a few box office surprises can spark a trend that adds to the volatility of this market, such as when a movie like KGF: Chapter 2 brings to you a handful of projects that try to emulate the same.
The non-fiction scene in India may be far from reaching its full potential in terms of popularity and pop-cultural significance, but the response to Netflix’s documentary has been overwhelming elephant whisperingBoth before and after winning an Oscar, it signifies many things. Mainly, what does the mainstream popularity of non-fiction look like in the future? And how important is the role of streaming platforms in this matter?
Role of Streaming Platforms
Documentaries gained direct access to mainstream consumers when YouTube came into the picture. For fans of non-fiction, there were previously named websites or ever-gracious torrents. So who doesn’t love it when a reliable business model comes into the mix? That started with the boom of streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar. The list of indigenous documentaries and docu-series available to stream was endless. Cut to the present, there is now a belief that streaming platforms may play a role in the Oscars as well!
The presence of a nomination on streaming does not determine victory; In fact, the Academy votes on the Oscars, not the audience. Yes, The Elephant Whisperers’ presence on Netflix gave it a lot of profit, and all that breathes, the Indian nomination that competed in the Best Documentary Feature category, is yet to have a streaming release in India (it’s on HBO Max in the US). But finding the title’s popularity at home among audiences with the biggest digital presence in the world, it’s impossible to play a part in director Karthik Gonsalves’ triumph.
It may also be wrong to conclude that lack of domestic advantage may be the reason. all that breathes lost. In the case of the Shaunak Sen-directed film and all the other contenders for Best Documentary Feature, they may have just been unlucky: They faced a Goliath. NavalnyFinal winner. Navalny, which is streaming on HBO Max, had a lot going for it. The film, about Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly poisoning Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, comes at a time when anti-Putin sentiment is running high, especially in the US – the home of the Oscars and the only country in which HBO Max airs. Available — because of the history between the two and the Russia-Ukraine war.
It may have attracted little more to Academy members than documentaries on a bird-rescue pair in Delhi ( all that breathes), life of volcanoes ( fire of love), and An American War Against the Opioid Epidemic ( all beauty and, thatched house, on orphans in eastern Ukraine, is anti-Putin only in spirit. moreover, Navalny Directly produced by HBO Max, unlike the other nominees. You would expect the streaming giant to go all out with its campaign.
documentaries on the short front, elephant whisperingA documentary not produced by Netflix, made the best of both Martha Mitchell Effect And stranger at the gate, two films with American political relevance. So, to take anything conclusively out of an Oscar win, one needs to understand the role of streaming platforms in the hype it takes to impress 10,000 Academy members. It could just be the case that it’s the theme of the short, Karthik’s brilliance and Guneet Monga’s campaign that won us over. Our efforts to reach out to Netflix executives and Kartiki Gonsalves to understand Netflix’s role were unsuccessful. But it is certain that good storytelling always takes priority over election campaigning.
Importantly, none of these theories stated above take away from the fact that they all triumph in the art of docu-filmmaking.
on topics in sub-genres
But one thing’s for sure: Home and Away, documentaries have found their home on the streaming platform and there’s no changing that. And Netflix will be keeping a close eye on this win.
There is a high possibility that people of the pre-internet era may have a restricted view on documentaries, that they are mostly social commentaries made by the government or NGOs. This era has completely changed. If there is one sub-genre that gets the most attention from production houses, streaming platforms and audiences, it is true-crime. One of the hottest Indian docu titles to emerge recently was the 2021 Netflix limited series House of Secrets: The Burari DeathsWhich recounted the investigation into the mysterious deaths of 11 members of the same family in 2018. Netflix cashed in on it and we got a range of true crime titles like indian hunter series, Crime Stories: India DetectivesAnd Mumbai Mafia: Police Vs Underworld, The sensational and shocking value of the story will always attract more people. True-Crime Is Enjoying Global Success Thanks To The Lovers ted bundy tapes, Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, tinder thug, Don’t Fuck With Cats: The Hunt of an Internet KillerAnd worst roommate ever Streamers, among others, will keep making more of these.
But topics that speak to relevant social causes can also get a boost with a few more factors and of course segments. Topics like climate change which are relatively more popular among the audience will take a bigger share of the cake. Both all that breathes And elephant whispering Talk about environmental protection.
The compatibility and popularity of the subject handled are key. It would not be far-fetched to assume that, for example, a species of insects in Coimbatore would receive far less attention than a documentary on how climate change affects them. elephant whispering Here the ant cannot beat the elephant. And the story always takes priority. Will a documentary about two elephant calves get the same reception as two mahouts who lovingly raise two orphaned elephant calves? Biographical documentaries will always have a high success rate.
In addition, the socio-political environment of your market should also be taken into consideration. a documentary from just a few months ago BBC created uproar in India. And more recently, following their Oscar wins, several news reports stated that both Baume and Bailey, the stars of elephant whisperingHaven’t seen the movie yet. While Karthik himself has responded to these comments by saying that he watched the documentary with the two, it has triggered a debate about the ethical dilemma that a producer faces – whether he is the filmmaker or the subject who deserves big credits. and entitled to benefits. , Because too often, documentary filmmakers are criticized as trespassers who use their subjects for their own artistic gratification; A tricky gray area, again.
These are sensitive subjects which can once again affect the success of a film and hence risk analysis and management is also important in today’s India.
won an Oscar for elephant whispering It certainly doesn’t feel like a one-off moment for documentaries, and streaming platforms are here to do a major job, regardless of whether they directly or indirectly affect the Oscars.