This is undoubtedly an honorary moment for Apple and may prove useful in increasing the Apple TV Plus subscriber base.
Apple made history on March 27 as it received recognition from Hollywood by winning the Oscar award for best picture for its movie, “CODA”. This is the first time a streamer company would be receiving the best picture award from the Oscars.
The movie, produced by Vendôme Pictures and Pathé, premiered on Apple TV Plus in August 2021 is based on a 2014 French film “La Famille Belier,” in which most of the deaf characters were played by hearing actors. Challenging its predecessor, CODA features a predominantly deaf cast.
Apple TV Productions beat formidable industry competitors like Netflix whose movie“The Power of the Dog” couldn’t win the award. Notably, the American movie streaming company had 27 nominations which was four times higher than Apple’s 6 nominations.
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, while describing CODA on Twitter labeled it as a profoundly beautiful film, bringing forth a story of hope and heart to celebrate differences and bring people together.
Team CODA created a profoundly beautiful movie, a story of hope and heart that celebrates our differences. Congratulations to the producers, @SianHeder, @TroyKotsur, @MarleeMatlin, @EmiliaJonesy, @DanielNDurant, @EugenioDerbez, and all involved in these historic wins! #CODAfilm pic.twitter.com/s9ebnPaYl1
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) March 28, 2022
Zack Van Amburg, Apple’s head of Worldwide Video, said:
“We join our teams all over the world in celebrating Siân, Troy, the producers, and the entire cast and crew for bringing such a powerful representation of the Deaf community to audiences and breaking so many barriers in the process. It has been so rewarding to share this life-affirming, vibrant story, which reminds us of the power of film to bring the world together.”
Troy Kotsur, one of the many actors in the movie won the Best Supporting Actor while Siân Heder won the Best Adapted Screenplay.
Heder in a backstage interview said the win is a monumental moment for the deaf community and people living with a disability. Calling for more stories from the disability community, Heder went on to explain how the precedent set by Matlin, and now Kotsur was evidence of a place for the disabled and their stories on the stage.
According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the firm prioritizes prestige over profits for where streaming originals are concerned. This explains their decision to spend over $10 million in campaigning for the Oscars for CODA, spending that is far above the movie’s sub-$10 million production budget. The tech company acquired CODA rights for $25 million following a bidding competition during its premier amid the 2021 Sundance.
This is undoubtedly an honorary moment for Apple and may prove useful in increasing the company’s subscriber base. It also opens doors for valuable deals with talent and production companies even as CEO Tim Cook avidly touts and tallies up the awards for originals on Apple TV Plus.
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