Outcry over Netflix films prompts Cannes to change rules

NEW YORK -- After a backlash over programming Netflix films, the Cannes Film Festival says it will, beginning next year, only accept theatrically released films for its prestigious Palme d'Or competition. 

In a statement Wednesday, the French festival said it has adapted its rule to require films in competition to be distributed in French movie theaters. The festival said it wanted to "reiterate its support to the traditional mode of exhibition of cinema in France and in the world."

Cannes this year for the first time selected two films in its official competition from Netflix: Noah Baumbach's "The Meyerowitz Stories" and Bong Joon Ho's "Okja." In France, films that don't obtain theatrical release are prohibited from streaming or subscription video on demand for three years. 

On Tuesday, France's National Federation of Films Distributors said the Netflix films at Cannes were "endangering a whole ecosystem." (AP)