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Cuties director defends Netflix film calling it feminist after Ted Cruz called for DOJ investigation - Daily Mail
Sep 15, 2020 5 mins, 16 secs

The director of Cuties, Maïmouna Doucouré, has defended her film after coming under a barrage of criticism over claims it hyper-sexualizes young girls?

Speaking in a panel at the Toronto Film Festival on French filmmakers Monday, Doucouré explained how the indie film now streaming on Netflix was a social commentary on how young girls are treated?

'It's because I saw so many things and so many issues around me lived by young girls, that I decided to make this film and sound an alarm and say we need to protect our children,' Doucouré explained. .

The French-Senegalese director of Cuties, Maïmouna Doucouré, has defended her film after coming under a barrage of criticism over claims it hyper-sexualizes young girls.

Speaking in a panel at the Toronto Film Festival on French filmmakers Monday, Doucouré explained how the indie film was a social commentary on how young girls are treated.

In a six-minute segment accompanying the film on Netflix, Doucouré says that in performing research for the film - her feature directorial debut - she met with hundreds of pre-teens to understand how they perceived their femininity in today's society.

In a six-minute segment accompanying the film on Netflix, Doucouré says that in performing research for the film - her feature directorial debut - she met with hundreds of pre-teens to understand how they perceived their femininity in today's society.

'Our girls see that the more a woman is sexualized on social media, the more she's successful,' she says in 'Why I Made Cuties.' 'And yeah, it's dangerous.'.

Amy, the film's protagonist, is 'navigating between two models of femininity,' Doucouré says -- one represented by her Muslim mother's traditional beliefs, and the other by the Cuties dance squad. .

The French film entitled 'Mignonnes' - known as 'Cuties' in English - depicts young girls in a dance group, all dressed in risqué outfits and performing sexually suggestive choreography. .

The PTC says that in addition to the girls' sexualized dance routines and costumes, one scene shows Amy pulling down her underwear to photograph her genitals and then posting it on social media. .

'Although there is a danger that little girls will be attracted to this film, the far greater risk is the way this film normalizes the sexualization of little girls,' PTC program director Melissa Henson said in a statement Thursday, adding that Netflix is 'desensitizing millions of viewers at home by asking them to be entertained by it.'.

Senator Ted Cruz has penned a letter to the Department of Justice demanding a child porn probe into Netflix's 'Cuties' (pictured), as outrage continues to mount over the French film accused of sexualizing young girls and encouraging pedophilia.

However, while publicizing the movie, Netflix chose to focus almost solely on Amy's participation in her school dance team and their quest to 'twerk their way to stardom at a local dance contest'. .

Netflix has released a statement in relation to the outcry regarding the film defending it as 'a social commentary against the sexualization of young children.

'It's an award winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing up - and we'd encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie.'.

In the letter, addressed directly to Barr, Cruz slams the film saying it 'sexualizes' young girls, showcases 'dance scenes that simulate sexual activities', features 'partial child nudity' and at one point exposes 'a minor's bare breast'.

'The film routinely fetishizes and sexualizes these pre-adolescent girls as they perform dances simulating sexual conduct in revealing clothing including at least one scene with partial child nudity.

'It is likely that the filming of this movie created even more explicit and abusive scenes, and that pedophiles across the world in the future will manipulate and imitate this film in abusive ways,' he wrote. .

On the other side of the political spectrum, Christine Pelosi, an attorney and the daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote: 'Hi @netflix, from a customer and former ADA in SFDA'a Child Abuse-Sexual Assault Unit: 'Cuties' hypersexualizes girls my daughter's age no doubt to the delight of pedophiles like the ones I prosecuted.

Campaigner for children's rights, Lila Rose, declared the film to be pornographic and accused Netflix of exploiting children .

Not only is this movie fodder for pedophiles, it encourages very young girls to defy their parents' wishes and share pornographic images of themselves with strangers, ' Banks told the Daily Caller.

'Our culture has come a long way in recent years, recognizing the power of television, movies and magazines to affect young girls.

A first wave of criticism, in August, led Netflix to withdraw 'inappropriate' artwork used to promote the film, which was released in theaters that month in France

Several social media users accused Netflix of supporting child abuse by hosting the movie.  

Furious viewers continue to mount a cancel Netflix campaign as the controversial French film 'Cuties' hit the streaming service on Wednesday amid claims it supports child abuse

A Netflix trailer of the movie featured dancing 11-year-old girls, pictured

Some social media users accused the movie of 'child porn'

'Our elected officials are mighty silent on the Cuties movie by Netflix

An online petition has also been started calling on people to cancel their Netflix subscription in light of its decision to host the movie. 

An online petition calling for people to cancel their Netflix subscription over its hosting of the movie almost had 650,000 signatures as of Monday evening and was steadily growing 

'The film comments on the hyper-sexualization of preadolescent girls

Many Twitter users highlighted the fact that Netflix was to blame for the provocative portrayal of the movie, but that didn't stop its director Doucouré from being attacked online 

'It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film, which premiered at Sundance

According to Doucouré - and several film critics - it is meant to offer commentary on the dangers of society sexualizing its youth

Maïmouna Doucouré, the director of upcoming Netflix movie Cuties, revealed she was sent death threats after a poster for the movie was slammed for 'sexualizing' minors 

While the streaming site accepted full responsibility for the blunder the damage was already done, with both Doucouré and her movie facing furious attacks from thousands of outraged viewers. 

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