“CODA” delivered two surprises by winning Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards.
The feel-good film about a teenager’s strained relationship with her deaf family scored an underdog victory over films that had long been considered front-runners. The win also helped distributor Apple TV+ steal Hollywood’s top prize from a rival with a longer history in the film business, Netflix.
Apple’s win marks the first time a streamer has won the Best Picture award. The milestone is the latest sign of a pole shift in Hollywood that has shifted power from traditional studios and theaters to tech companies and streaming platforms.
“CODA” won in all three categories it competed in, including Supporting Actor (Troy Kotsur) and Adapted Screenplay (Siân Heder).
In accepting the award for Best Picture, producer Philippe Rousselet praised the chemistry among the “CODA” cast, which helped the film rise among Oscars voters. “You guys have created such a wonderful and loving family on and off screen and everyone wanted to be a part of it.”
“CODA” represents a mix of old and new ways in the industry. It was produced independently, with Frau Heder, who also directed, adapting the screenplay from a French film.
She shot it in about a month on a budget of about $10 million. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2021. That’s where Apple came in, buying “CODA” for $25 million, a Sundance record. The film made its debut on Apple TV+ in August.
“CODA” is often cited as a crowd pleaser, but the film didn’t garner much attention when it was released. That may be one reason he received just three Oscar nominations, the fewest number among Best Picture nominees. But “CODA” picked up momentum in recent weeks as the buzz spread about the film, it picked up more accolades and the cast mesmerized audiences in awards speeches and on the campaign trail. Apple invested heavily in the campaign, including a series of free public screenings in cinemas.
Apple “basically put this film all over the world,” said producer Patrick Wachsberger in his acceptance speech.
It’s been five years since a streaming film – Amazon’s “Manchester By the Sea” – first entered the race for best pictures. In recent years, Netflix in particular has pulled out all the stops to win Hollywood’s ultimate status symbol. He fell behind on Roma, The Irishman and now The Power of the Dog.
The western went into the Oscars with 12 nominations – more than any other film – but was almost entirely disqualified, save for Jane Campion’s directing win.