Canada condemns Netflix for ‘Bird Box’ disaster footage, requests payment
Bird Box took the internet by storm in late December as it set the record as the Netflix film with the most viewers in its first week. However, with its success came great controversy past meme conspiracies and banned challenges as the film used real-life disaster footage.
The movie features Canada’s Lac-Mégantic train disaster footage, an explosion that killed nearly 50 people in 2013. While there was some back-and-forth between Netflix and the town, the Canadian Parliament is now getting involved.
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By the end of the train explosion, 47 people had lost their lives and 30 buildings were destroyed. Both professionals and bystanders captured the incident, and some of the footage is available for purchase by entertainment companies, with Netflix using it in Bird Box and TV show Travelers.
Previously, Quebec minister of culture, Nathalie Roy, requested Netflix CEO Reed Hastings have the footage be removed from the streaming service’s content. Production company Peacock Alley Entertainment agreed to replace Travelers’ footage, but Netflix refused to alter Bird Box.
Now, Canadian parliament is getting involved in the situation as they pass a motion demanding Netflix compensate Lac-Mégantic residents. However, the motion is non-binding, meaning it serves as more of a way to publicly denounce them.
Pierre Nantel introduced the motion Wednesday’s motion, explaining how the footage’s use affects the community.
“We know people are going to go and watch this film, and again these real images will be used,” Nantel says. “For people in Lac-Mégantic, they saw images of their own downtown burning, and could imagine their own family members in it.”
Following the passing, Netflix reportedly has only referenced their previous later stating they will not remove the scene but will avoid using the footage in the future. The letter emphasizes its use of stock images:
“As a result, stock images are commonly used within content on Netflix and on other services. This widespread use prevents us from making the changes you request on finished content.”
The original Bird Box discovery
The disaster occurred in the summer of 2013 when a train carrying 74 cars of oil derailed near Lac-Mégantic’s town center. Several of the train’s cars exploded during the derailment, causing a fired that burned for hours after the accident.
Lac-Mégantic Mayor Julie Morin addressed the footage’s use after discovering it was in Bird Box, requesting it be removed.
“I don’t know if this is happening all the time, but we are looking for assurances from Netflix that … they are going to remove them,” Morin tells Canadian Press. “You can be sure we are going to follow up on this, and our citizens are on our side.”
“We find that it’s really a lack of respect, to use these images as fiction and entertainment,” she added. “It’s hard enough for our citizens to see these images when they are used normally and respectfully on the news. Just imagine, to have them used as fiction, as if they were invented.”
Bird Box is available on Netflix now, and you can watch the trailer below.
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