Cuties is a 2020 French coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Maïmouna Doucouré in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Fathia Youssouf, Médina El Aidi-Azouni, Esther Gohourou, Ilanah Cami-Goursolas and Maïmouna Gueye. The plot revolves around Amy, a Senegalese-French girl with a traditional Muslim upbringing who is caught between traditional values and Internet culture when she joins a twerking dance crew. The filmmakers claimed that it is intended to criticise the hypersexualisation of pre-adolescent girls. Doucouré wrote the script using inspirations from an inappropriate talent show she happened to walk across one day, as well as her experience as a Senegalese-French person. Casting took six months, and principal photography took three months, with a psychologist assisting the child actresses throughout. The film premiered in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on 23 January, where Doucouré won the Directing Award.
| Director | Maïmouna Doucouré |
| Produced by | Zangro |
| Writer(s) | Maïmouna Doucouré |
| Starring | Fathia Youssouf, Médina El Aidi-Azouni, Esther Gohourou, Ilanah Cami-Goursolas, Maïmouna Gueye |
| Music | Niko Noki |
| Cinematography | Yann Maritaud |
| Edited by | Mathilde Van de Moortel, Stéphane Mazalaigue |
| Distributed by | BAC Films |
| Released | January 23, 2020 (Sundance), August 19, 2020 (France) |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Box office | $692,459 |
| Netflix ID | 81111198 |
About Cuties
Coming-of-age comedy-drama film following a Senegalese Muslim girl who is torn between traditional values and contemporary internet culture. The film won the directing award at the Sundance Film Festival.
Achievement of Cuties
A controversial promotion poster went viral just prior to the film's international release. The film was directed by Maïmouna Doucouré.
Top Facts You Did Not Know About Cuties
Bombay Begums, a Netflix series with similarly-themed backlash from the government.. Sexualization in child beauty pageants - A child beauty pageant is a beauty contest where contestants are usually under 16 years of age. There does not appear to be reliable statistics about the number of these pageants held each year around the world.. Freedom of speech in the United States.. Censorship in Turkey.. Works involved in a lawsuit.. Sundance Film Festival award winners.. Obscenity controversies in film.
