Netflix CEO Reed Hastings on the Cannes Dispute: ‘Sometimes We Make Mistakes’

Can’t we all just get along? Netflix CEO Reed Hastings seems to think so, as he signaled that the company has little interest in continuing its dispute with the Cannes Film Festival during today’s Lille Transatlantic Dialogues. “I know we have a reputation as a disruptor, sometimes we make mistakes,” he said. “We got into a bigger situation with Cannes than we meant to.”

In response to Cannes’ policy of only inviting films slated for a French theatrical release to its vaunted Competition, Netflix last month pulled all its films from the festival.

“We love Cannes. We’ve been many years and have buyers going this year,” Hastings added. “They are very sincere at finding a model that works for them and us.”

He also addressed the TV side of things. “As we become part of the pay TV we need to figure out how to work within the systems,” Hasting said, adding that “regulation is critical to order. There is great regulation that is very useful. It’s up to us in every country to participate, and follow those regulations.”

Netflix had two films in Competition last year: Noah Baumbach’s “The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)” and Bong Joon-ho’s “Okja.”