Netflix issues apology after 'Cuties' poster and description draw flak

Social media users have been quick to point out that the promotional materials for the movie, which stars 11-year-old girls, are deeply age-inappropriate.

Netflix has been forced to issue an apology over the poster and description of a French movie that has offended netizens. The movie titled 'Cuties' is translated from the French title 'Migonnes', which tells the story of an 11-year-old Senegalese Muslim girl who joins a dance group.

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

Netizens claimed that the movie poster unnecessarily sexualised underaged girls, which might be deemed inappropriate for viewing by mature audiences. The movie is heavily dance-centric, but many claim that the outfits the actors wear and the dance moves they employ are age-inappropriate.

It earned Franco-Senegalese filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré the world cinema dramatic directing award at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The movie is not a Netflix original, and hasn't arrived on the platform yet, but many have already taken offense to the poster and movie description on social media.

While Netflix has apologised for the promotional materials, there are no plans to remove the film. The Los Angeles Times reported that the movie is all set to make its global debut on September 9.

A Google search reveals multiple petitions online that are pushing for Netflix to stall the film's release altogether, and remove all traces of it from its platform. Change.org's most popular petition had close to three lakh signatures and counting, at the time of filing this article.