Netflix indicted by Texas over screening of controversial film ‘Cuties’

A call to boycott Netflix had sparked over the French coming-of-age drama Cuties (in French, Mignonnes), directed by Maïmouna Doucouré.

Cancel Netflix call had been launched on social media, over claims that its young stars were portrayed in a sexualized way.

However, Netflix has been indicted in the conservative US state of Texas for screening Cuties.

The streaming service became the subject of a grand jury hearing in Tyler County, east of Houston, in the middle of September, and a local elected official revealed Tuesday that the same jury issued an indictment.

The Texas grand jury indicted the streaming service under a law that forbids “the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of an unclothed, partially clothed or clothed child.”

A guilty verdict in Texas could lead to a prison term, although analysts said a fine and being forced to pull the film would be a more likely outcome.

The jury decided the film had “no serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”

Netflix defended the film. A spokesperson told that the movie is a “social commentary against the sexualization of young girls,” adding that the charge is “without merit.”

Moreover, Cuties earned director Doucoure an award at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.

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