There’s a distinct trend toward unrest and change in the movie industry today and it’s not clear what direction we’re heading.

In the last week, Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane, shot entirely on an iPhone was released into theaters, the Cannes Film Festival barred Netflix from competition line ups, Steven Spielberg argued Netflix movies shouldn’t qualify for Academy Awards, and Black Panther became the fifth highest grossing movie of all time.

These four events, ranging from notable to historic, may seem only tangentially connected, but together they make up a tapestry that helps illustrate the current state of the film industry. They are signaling us toward a rocky future full of battle lines, significant changes, and unforeseeable consequences.

Let’s take this one at a time.

Unsane is a taut and horrifying tale of manipulation and fear that showcases Soderbergh’s skill and Claire Foy’s talent. Despite its small scale and minimalist style, the film manages to deliver satisfyingly sharp twists and terrifying turns.

Unsane is a deeply unsettling film that digs into both consequences of unwelcome romantic advances and state of mental health care in the United States. The film is also shot entirely on an iPhone.

Unsane is hardly the first notable film to be shot on an iPhone. Sean Baker, whose latest film The Florida Project caught the attention of several awards bodies last year, shot his 2015 film Tangerine entirely on an iPhone.

While Apple has released a few more iPhones in the time between the two films, the results are quite similar; the camera produces a grainy visual quality that gives the film a rather documentary-like style.

More interesting than the quality of the image are the implications of this mode of filmmaking. If a movie can really be shot on an iPhone, does it pose an opportunity for young filmmakers to more easily break through barriers that keep them from following their dreams?

The realistic or perhaps cynical answer is no. Steven Soderbergh’s decision to make a movie on an iPhone is by no means a watershed moment for movie making. As a director who has been working in the industry for over 25 years, his decision to make a movie using an iPhone does very little to break down the barriers of exclusivity and wealth that dictate the culture of movies in the United States and around the world.

Soderbergh and Baker may have shown that it can be done, but it remains to be seen whether or not it will continue to be done and whether it will be done with success by lesser known creators.

While iPhones may pose an easier path for creating movies, huge obstacles still remain in bringing those movies to the public. Distribution remains a significant hurdle for filmmakers, not just in getting their movie in front of the public but in getting their subsequent films funded. For this reason, the Cannes Film Festival’s decision to ban Netflix original films from their competition line up is significant.

Last year, Cannes’ in competition line up had two Netflix films – Okja and The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected). This decision stirred up the debate regarding whether or not Netflix should be allowed into the festival, particularly given that Netflix rarely puts their movies into theaters. This year, the debate has shifted.

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the director of the festival Thierry Fremaux stated, “The Netflix people loved the red carpet and would like to be present with other films. But they understand that the intransigence of their own model is now the opposite of ours.”

Fremaux defends his decision using the new Cannes rules that requires films receive a theatrical release in France to be included in the competition line up. “Last year, when we selected these two films, I thought I could convince Netflix to release them in cinemas. I was presumptuous, they refused,” he said.

Regardless of where you stand on the Netflix debate, this is undoubtedly a step back for Netflix and for other streaming sites working to expand their reach in the movie industry.

So far, Netflix’s participation in festivals like Cannes has helped to legitimize their efforts in the industry, but old – and perhaps outdated – definitions of what makes a movie threaten those efforts.

If theatrical distribution is what matters to festivals like Cannes, don’t let Fremaux find out about their box office results. The films that screen at Cannes, known for their art house and foreign audiences, are rarely successes at the box office.

While box office performance certainly should not be used as a sole indicator for what makes for a good or important movie, it’s a prominent factor that dictates the decisions of movie studios that distribute the movies.

Netflix poses an opportunity to bring these films – ones that typically only play in large cities for a few weeks before disappearing – to audiences that typically wouldn’t have the access to them. At the same time, Netflix has shown little interest in promoting many of the films its buys and distributes.

There are clear advantages that could emerge if both sides found a way to concede and come together, but don’t expect that to happen any time soon – especially if you’re Steven Spielberg.

While promoting his new film Ready Player One, Spielberg argued that Netflix films should not be considered for Academy Awards in an interview with ITV News.

“A lot of studios would rather just make branded tentpole, guaranteed box office hits from their inventory of branded, successful movies than take chances on smaller films,” Spielberg said.

He stated, “I don’t believe films that are just given token qualifications in a couple theaters for less than a week should qualify for the Academy Award nomination.”

Spielberg’s comments align with those from Fremaux. Both men represent an old guard that seek to protect the traditional way of doing things. There’s a lot to admire in that – particularly in their belief that all films, regardless of size or price tag, should be given the chance to screen in front of audiences in theaters.

Unfortunately, there is some clear cognitive dissonance between how Spielberg and Fremaux would like the industry to function and how it really is. Their comments against Netflix – whether an attempt to challenge or invalidate the company’s distribution model – seems like a rejection of what might actually be a worthwhile partnership between parties with similar goals.

So, while the best way to create and release small budget films may be up for debate, Black Panther is breaking records to become one of the biggest movies of all time.

This weekend, Black Panther beat The Avengers to become the highest grossing superhero movie of all-time and became the fifth highest domestic release of all time. It’s a massive achievement for a film that is a victory in and of itself for those that have longed for greater representation on screen.

Black Panther had two key elements going for it; the studio put it in as many theaters as it possibly could and audiences turned out in massive numbers. It’s hard to imagine a world in which Black Panther might have failed, especially because audiences have been clamoring for it for years. However, if it had failed, that should not have set a precedent for making blockbuster films, let alone superhero movies, with black leads and/or a black director.

It remains to be seen whether or not Black Panther will convince studios to put their money behind more diverse talent and movies, but its success, one that exists as part of that inventory of branded properties Spielberg mentioned, is simultaneously historic and a part of a trend that only supports big budget films with guaranteed returns.

It’s that return on investment that has led Black Panther to remain in almost 4,000 theaters for five weeks. Comparatively, a film like Annihilation hailed by critics as an incredible sci-fi film for adult only opened in just over 2,000 theaters and is now after only four weeks, in just over 1,000.

Movie making continues to be a competition, for money and for attention from audiences. Success is never a guarantee and if there’s anything these four notable stories have in common, it’s that the industry will continue to be shaped and change by the risks we are or are not willing to take.