Cuties director Maïmouna Doucouré received death threats after Netflix poster polemic

‘I received numerous attacks on my character from people who had not seen the film’

Cuties director Maïmouna Doucouré says she received death threats after Netflix released a tone-deaf poster for her film.

Doucouré discussed the polemic in a recent interview with Deadline.

“I received numerous attacks on my character from people who had not seen the film, who thought I was actually making a film that was apologetic about hypersexualisation of children,” she told the website.

“I also received numerous death threats.”

Cuties, released in France under the title Mignonnes, will start streaming on Netflix on 9 September.

Fathia Youssouf, Médina El Aidi-Azouni, Esther Gohourou, and Ilanah Cami-Goursolas in 'Cuties'. (Courtesy of Netflix)

Ahead of that release, Netflix released a poster – different from the French one – which was widely deemed not to reflect the substance of the movie. Cuties tells the story of Amy, an 11-year-old girl who joins a dancing group. It tackles themes such as the difficulties of growing up, especially in a culture that hypersexualises girls.

Netflix ended up removing it and issuing an apology for the “inappropriate” artwork.

Doucouré told Deadline she received a private apology from Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-CEO, after the incident.

“We had several discussions back and forth after this happened. Netflix apologised publicly, and also personally to me,” she said.

Many spoke out in defence of Cuties after the Netflix poster was released, insisting that it did the movie a disservice.

Among them was actor Tessa Thompson, who tweeted: “#CUTIES is a beautiful film. It gutted me at [the Sundance Festival, where it had its premiere in January].

“It introduces a fresh voice at the helm. She’s a French Senegalese Black woman mining her experiences. The film comments on the hyper-sexualisation of preadolescent girls. Disappointed to see the current discourse.”