Locarno Honoree Sigurjón Sighvatsson on AI, Netflix and Why Cannes “Doesn’t Know What It Is Anymore”
Related Stories Ahead of his trip to Switzerland, Sighvatsson spoke with THR about his excitement over returning to Locarno, his read on the festival...
Key points
- Related Stories Ahead of his trip to Switzerland, Sighvatsson spoke with THR about his excitement over returning to Locarno, his read on the festival circuit at large, and why he believes his work doesn’t belong in the “closed system” he says Netflix has built.
- I think it will change television more.” On Netflix and the “Closed System” Sighvatsson isn’t optimistic about television’s current state, largely because of streaming — and he draws a sharp line between films and what Netflix produces.
- That’s very different than a film.” He elaborates: “Most of the things that Netflix does don’t have a very deep meaning, and they are not supposed to.
- It’s the Netflix system, so Netflix is just making something for a closed system, whereas everything that I’ve made, even music videos, is for an open system that anybody can access.” The distinction, he says, comes down to distribution: “The difference is that Netflix doesn’t even sell any of its product to anybody else but Netflix.
What happened
Related Stories Ahead of his trip to Switzerland, Sighvatsson spoke with THR about his excitement over returning to Locarno, his read on the festival circuit at large, and why he believes his work doesn’t belong in the “closed system” he says Netflix has built. I think it will change television more.” On Netflix and the “Closed System” Sighvatsson isn’t optimistic about television’s current state, largely because of streaming — and he draws a sharp line between films and what Netflix produces. That’s very different than a film.” He elaborates: “Most of the things that Netflix does don’t have a very deep meaning, and they are not supposed to. It’s the Netflix system, so Netflix is just making something for a closed system, whereas everything that I’ve made, even music videos, is for an open system that anybody can access.” The distinction, he says, comes down to distribution: “The difference is that Netflix doesn’t even sell any of its product to anybody else but Netflix. And even though Netflix is changing, it doesn’t change the fact that a Netflix film fits only in a Netflix box. I don’t think I’m in the Netflix universe.” Still, he gives the streamer credit where it’s due.