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Cuties ("Mignonnes")
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Netflix Reportedly Made 'Cuties' Poster More Provocative, Despite "Uncomfortable" Employees
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Cuties director Maïmouna Doucouré is speaking out about the viral campaign to cancel her Netflix film. In a new interview with film critic Aramide Tinubu, the filmmaker said that she hopes her detractors will watch Cuties, as the vast majority of social media trolls are missing the point. “I’m eager to see their reaction when they realize that we’re both on the same side of this fight against young children’s hypersexualization,” said Doucouré.
The Cuties controversy first began weeks ago, when Netflix released an ill-advised poster for the film. The original poster seemed to sexualize the film’s 11-year-old characters, and it was quickly subbed out for something much more age-appropriate. Doucouré told Tinubu that Netflix’s marketing fail was “very paradoxical” for her, as Cuties received rave “great press and a great audience reaction” when it debuted at Sundance. Instead, the film became a target for alt-right trolls, including Ted Cruz, who has called on the Department of Justice to investigate the film’s depiction of “child porn.”
“Netflix has apologized to the public and to myself,” she said of the poster controversy. But that said, she promises to be more vigilant in the future. “I have learned that I need to take the time to look at each step, even beyond the marketing,” said Doucouré. “In this particular instance, it was difficult, because we had to do things quickly. I didn’t see the poster that Netflix came out with before it premiered. Next time, I will see the poster, and we’ll communicate better.”
Doucouré added that despite the controversy — or perhaps because of it — she still wants critics to watch Cuties. “Now I realize that the people who have started this controversy haven’t yet seen the film,” she said. “I’m hoping that these people will watch the movie now that it’s out.”
If you’d like to heed Maïmouna Doucouré’s advice, Cuties is now streaming on Netflix. Read the director’s entire interview with Aramide Tinubu on Medium.
