'Up to directors to create stories that bring moviegoers to theatres'

Christopher Nolan. Pic/AFP

With the debate around streaming versus theatrical experience intensifying in Hollywood, director Christopher Nolan has said it is up to the filmmakers to create stories that will entice the audiences to cinema halls.

Nolan, who will start shooting his Dunkirk follow-up, has always been a strong proponent of theatrical releases. While speaking at the UK Cinema Association conference, he said he will be working with exhibitors to ensure that his film is a definitive theatrical experience, reported IndieWire via ScreenDaily.

"We will certainly be asking (exhibitors) to really help us, and asking you to be our partners in terms of putting on a show for the audience and giving them a reason to come out for the evening, and engage with the world of cinema which we all love so much," Nolan said.

"What we never want to forget is the idea of showmanship... whatever the economic realities are, whatever costs need to be cut or corners need to be cut." The director, one of the most respected filmmakers of this generation, said his love for cinema was shaped not only by films but also the physical experience of watching them in theatres.

"My memories are not just of the films themselves and the amazing adventures unfolding on screen. They're also of the sense of occasion, of being a young child entering an architectural space that's so much bigger and grander than myself; the thrill of the curtains opening, moving to enlarge the screen for a widescreen presentation. Above all my enduring memories are of scale, of the size of screen, the idea of seeing people and places that are larger than life, potentially overwhelming but engrossing and involving," he said. Nolan, however, said it was up to the filmmakers to ensure that their films attract moviegoers to cinema halls.

"The pressure is on us as never before to give people a reason to get out of the house. To use the big canvas that (exhibitors) can supply us, and tell stories in an exciting way, and bring fresh ideas, fresh takes on existing genres and new genres - inventing new genres." The debate over Netflix versus movie theatres escalated after Oscars when Netflix-backed "Roma", despite winning three Oscars, lost the top award to "Green Book".

Director Steven Spielberg, who had backed "Green Book", has made his dislike of streaming platforms clear by saying that their films should compete for Emmys, not Oscars. The filmmaker is advocating for a rule change that would force Netflix to adhere to more traditional theatrical windows or risk not being eligible for Oscar consideration.