DUBAI: This week, Netflix premiered the trailer and poster for French coming-of-age film “Cuties,” which has been deemed by many social media users as inappropriate. Following the online backlash, the streaming giant has addressed the concerns.
When the trailer arrived online this week, the promotional image for the Maimouna Doucoure-directed film, which depicts young girls in suggestive dance poses, sparked accusations that the image was sexualizing underage girls.
its interesting to compare the french version of the cuties poster to the american version...
like the French version has more "kids having fun!" vibes, while the American version is just fucking.... gross.
I feel like the #Netflix marketing team has a lot to answer for. pic.twitter.com/c8QrX0EY75— kitti (@yeetdere) August 20, 2020
Netflix has since removed the poster and issued an apology. The film's description on the streaming service has since been changed, too.
"We're deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for ‘Mignonnes/Cuties,’" Netflix wrote on Twitter. "It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance. We’ve now updated the pictures and description.”
We're deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties. It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance. We’ve now updated the pictures and description.
— Netflix (@netflix) August 20, 2020
Known as “Mignonnes” in France, the film is set to drop on Netflix on Sept. 9, but it premiered during the Sundance film festival back in January. It was met with a positive response from critics following its premiere, and the film’s director even won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award.
The film tells the story of an 11-year-old Senegalese Muslim girl named Amy who joins a dance group in Paris. The film explores Amy’s struggle to balance her family’s conservative values with her desire to join her friends.
The trailer for the worldwide Netflix release sparked intense debate online.
One Change.org petition against the film has since garnered over 70,000 signatures.
