Bela Bajaria was already on her second cup of coffee when Daniel Brooks and Louis Pullman began reading out the list of this year’s Oscar nominees at 5:30 in the morning. By the end of all 24 categories, Netflix had 18 nominations, tied for second most among distribution companies with Neon.
Guillermo del Toro’s longtime passion project, “Frankenstein,” received nine nominations, while Netflix’s lyrical period drama “Train Dreams,” which won at Sundance, received four nominations. Both films were nominated for Best Picture. The company also earned nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for the streaming hit “Kpop Demon Hunters.” The title says it all.
“I’m following the nominations closely as a fan and supporter of these filmmakers,” said Bajaria, Netflix’s chief content officer. “So I text and email them all with lots of congratulatory emojis and woohoos. Then I follow up with a phone call.”
On paper, neither Frankenstein nor Train Dreams look like Oscar contenders. Del Toro previously won an Academy Award for The Shape of Water, but voters don’t always favor horror, and Train Dreams, a low-budget indie film about sadness and loneliness, may have struggled to gain recognition among leading candidates.
“This story has lived with Guillermo for 50 years,” Bajaria says. “(‘Frankenstein’) really explores what it means to be a monster, what it means to be human, and it looks at the relationship between a father and son. There’s a lot of connections between the characters and people… ‘Dream Train’ is obviously a breathtaking piece of work, but[director]Clint Bentley and[co-writer]Greg Kweder also tell a story of family and memory and love.”
While the streamer continues to miss out on top honors, this is the eighth year in a row that Netflix has been nominated for Best Picture, and the fourth time that multiple films have been nominated in the category. Bajaria was pleased that other Netflix films, such as the documentary “Perfect Neighbor,” were also well-received. She argues there are lessons to be learned from the huge success of “Kpop Demon Hunter” among Oscar voters and subscribers.
“‘K-Pop Demon Hunter’ came from a very culturally specific and really personal place,” she said. “And that song has a lot of fans of different ages. We’re a global service, but we always have to start with a story that comes from an authentic place. And that goes back to having a voice and a vision.”
Netflix received a staggering number of nominations, but lost out to Warner Bros., which tied its own record with 30 nominations. The studio dominated the morning, earning 16 nominations for “Sinners” and 13 nominations for “One Battle After Another.” Netflix has a deal to buy Warner Bros. for $83 billion, and if the deal is approved by regulators, Netflix said it plans to operate the studio as an independent distribution company. On Thursday, Bajaria praised the hard work of studio chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdi and said he hopes the deal will spark some friendly competition between the offices.
“Mike and Pam have had a great year, and of course they’ve worked with some great filmmakers,” Bajaria said. “What’s interesting is that if this deal goes through, we’ll both be in a very strong position and we’ll continue to not only push each other but support each other. It’s going to be exciting.”
“There will be healthy competition,” she added. “It’s good for consumers, it’s good for filmmakers, it’s good for everyone.”
