While Netflix has successfully reshaped how we watch TV series, its foray into film hasn鈥檛 achieved anywhere near the same level of water-cooler chatter.

But that may change this week as the streaming giant heads to the Toronto International Film Festival with a heavy slate of movies that could bolster its reputation with cinephiles, appeal to mainstream audiences and grab some Oscar buzz along the way.

Eight Netflix films will screen at TIFF in the coming days, marking the largest number of movies the company has ever brought to the festival.

Its lineup includes historical epic 鈥淥utlaw King,鈥� starring Chris Pine, which becomes the first-ever movie from a streaming giant to open an international film festival with its debut Thursday.

After that, Netflix showcases world premieres of the thriller 鈥淗old the Dark鈥� as well as a Quincy Jones documentary and the mid-life crisis drama 鈥淭he Land of Steady Habits.鈥� But it鈥檚 鈥淩oma,鈥� a new black-and-white film by 鈥淕ravity鈥� director Alfonso Cuaron, that鈥檚 riding high on accolades from a debut at the Venice Film Festival last month. Critics predict it鈥檒l be a contender at the next Academy Awards.

All that positive attention bodes well for Netflix if the company wants to strengthen its image as a home to prestige films, and not a factory that鈥檚 pushing mediocre movies into the marketplace, said Hannah Woodhead, a U.K.-based film critic.

鈥淣etflix is trying to demonstrate to all the naysayers that they鈥檙e a viable studio and not just any streaming service,鈥� said Woodhead, who writes for the Little White Lies film site.

鈥淚t almost seems like a public relations offensive.鈥�

But Netflix鈥檚 track record hasn鈥檛 exactly helped its regard in some corners of the film community.

Unlike other streaming giants like Amazon, the company has notoriously shunned a theatrical release for most of its films, agreeing only to the smallest rollouts in order to qualify certain movies for the Oscars.

It was enough to push organizers at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival to effectively boot Netflix from its red carpet premieres last May. A new rule banned any films from competing for the festival鈥檚 most prestigious prize if they weren鈥檛 playing in France鈥檚 theatres.

The decision singled out Netflix and led the company to walk away from the Cannes festival.

Netflix isn鈥檛 hitting it out of the park in Hollywood either.

Even though it鈥檚 thrown significant money behind award campaigns for movies such as 鈥淢udbound鈥� and 鈥淏easts of No Nation,鈥� the company has failed to capture any trophies in a major Oscar category. Will Smith鈥檚 big-budgeted 鈥淏right鈥� didn鈥檛 impress critics and quickly vanished from the conversation.

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Instead, Netflix has seen a number of its most buzzworthy titles in lighter fare, like the holiday romance 鈥淎 Christmas Prince鈥� and teen comedies 鈥淭he Kissing Booth鈥� and 鈥淭o All the Boys I鈥檝e Loved Before.鈥�

Dozens of other films, some which were hot off film festival buzz, have fallen off the radar within days of appearing on the streaming platform. Netflix doesn鈥檛 provide viewership figures, which makes it impossible to accurately gauge how many people watch their films.

Those detractions haven鈥檛 necessarily hurt Netflix鈥檚 position with filmmakers who sometimes just want to get their dream project off the ground. Many boast about their creative freedom under the streaming giant鈥檚 roof 鈥� but the sentiment isn鈥檛 always positive.

The Netflix brand took another knock this summer when the filmmakers behind 鈥淐razy Rich Asians鈥� acknowledged they turned down a steep offer from the company in favour of a traditional Hollywood distributor who promised a full theatrical release and the promotional thrust that comes with it.

Jason Gorber, a film critic based in Toronto, doesn鈥檛 think experiences like the one with 鈥滳razy Rich Asians鈥� will threaten Netflix鈥檚 posture because it was such an anomaly in the film market.

Most small or mid-sized movies are lucky to see any sort of major release without getting trampled by blockbusters, he said. He considers Netflix鈥檚 relationship with organizers at TIFF as mutually beneficial to both of their interests.

鈥淭he festival is providing the showcase, glitz and the glamour for a bunch of films that probably wouldn鈥檛 have done spectacularly well theatrically anyway,鈥� Gorber argues.

鈥淓ach gets their chance to be a theatrical experience, the attention that comes with it and then Netflix gets the advertising.鈥�

Rounding out the eight films Netflix plans to screen at TIFF this year are movies that might鈥檝e never seen a theatrical release anyway.

Maggie Gyllenhaal鈥檚 鈥淭he Kindergarten Teacher鈥� is a challenging drama that was warmly received at other festivals but lacks real commercial prospects, while 鈥�22 July鈥� follows the story behind Norway鈥檚 deadliest terrorist attack, and 鈥淕irl鈥� chronicles a young ballerina considering gender reassignment surgery.

Gorber believes movies like these, which don鈥檛 have major box-office prospects, have a chance to thrive on streaming services where they can be discovered over time. He said if Netflix continues to invest in a diverse lineup of commercial and riskier projects, he鈥檚 prepared to call himself a supporter.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 spectacular the films they put their money behind,鈥� he said.

David Friend, The Canadian Press

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