Netflix co CEO Ted Sarandos is publicly defending the French film “Cuties,” which has drawn heavy criticism from viewers who say it sexualizes children.
Speaking at the MIPCOM Online+ conference on Monday, Sarandos described the film as a personal coming of age story from its director, Maimouna Doucoure, and said it had played at Sundance and in European theaters without a similar uproar, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He said Netflix never considered editing the film or limiting access to it.
The movie follows an 11 year old girl from a Senegalese immigrant family who joins a dance group with girls her age. Critics have objected to scenes of the girls dancing and to some of the language in the film, and Netflix also faced backlash earlier this year over its promotional art. Doucoure has said she made the film to criticize the sexualization of young girls.
The criticism has now reached the courts. A Tyler County, Texas grand jury has indicted Netflix over the film, according to reports, accusing the company of promoting lewd visual material involving children. An indictment is an accusation and not a finding of guilt, and Netflix has defended the film.
Sarandos said he was surprised that people in the United States were discussing censoring storytelling.
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