Cannes: Noah Baumbach Says He Made Netflix’s ‘Meyerowitz Stories’ With Big Screen in Mind

Noah Baumbach and Ben Stiller on Sunday chimed in on the Netflix debate that has been prominent in Cannes.

Speaking at the press conference for competition title The Meyerowitz Stories, Stiller joked about Cannes jury president Pedro Almodovar’s comments on the streaming video company.

Almodovar had said that he couldn’t envision films without theatrical releases winning the festival’s Palme d’Or, to which Stiller joked: “He said that about Happy Gilmore, too.”

Baumbach, however, revealed that he hadn’t made Meyerowitz Stories with a streamer in mind.

“The film was made with the expectation that it would be shown on the big screen,” the director said, adding that cinema was a “singular experience that would not go away.”

Baumbach then praised Netflix, which bought the movie before Cannes, saying the streaming giant had been “hugely supportive.”

Also appearing at the press conference were stars Adam Sandler, Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman.