A prominent director of indie movies sees streamers like Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed as the auteur filmmakers of their generation. In an interview with Indiewire, Harmony Korine dubbed Kai and Speed as a few of the “talented and creative minds” who are hosting innovative streams instead of taking traditional Hollywood career paths.
Korine, a director best known for edgy films like Kids and Spring Breakers, discussed the streaming landscape while promoting his new feature Baby Invasion. 30 years into his career, Korine believes Hollywood is at a crossroads, with many decision-makers ignoring the abundance of talent that’s bubbling up on the internet.
“What’s happening in Hollywood — and you’re starting to see Hollywood, I think, crumble creatively — is that they’re losing a lot of the most talented and creative minds to gaming and to streamers,” Korine told Indiewire. “Like IShowSpeed is a movie, Kai Cenat is a movie.”
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Cenat had a cameo in the Paramount+ original Good Burger 2. Online, he and Speed (whose real name is Darren Watkins) have teamed up for highly-produced affairs like The Kai N Speed Show and humbler collabs on their respective streaming accounts.
Korine believes that art form is the next evolution of the independent auteur cinema of the past. He called Speed “the new Tarkovsky,” a reference to the influential Soviet filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky.
As ridiculous as an iShowSpeed reaction to Stalker would be, there’s merit to Korine’s comparison. Like Tarkovsky, the current generation of streamers are pushing the envelope and figuring out which rules they can bend. Marathon broadcasts like Norme’s no-sleep run have pitted streamers’ creativity against broader platform guidelines.
In truth, boundary-breaking content is as old as the internet. Maybe Cenat, Speed, and Norme are just the next iteration of LonelyGirl15, Ze Frank, Casey Neistat, and all the other experimental creators who came before them. Korine is asking why Hollywood is so slow to recognize auteurs who honed their craft online rather than at film school.
Creators have proven that there’s significant viewer excitement surrounding their work. Cenat’s version of the streamer marathon became a Twitch record-breaker once he finally beat Elden Ring and logged off. Korine seemed to notice that Cenat’s stream attracted 230,000 concurrent viewers. Are Hollywood studios paying attention?
