Cuties (French: Mignonnes) 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 (Youssouf), 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. Later, Youssouf won the César Award for Most Promising Actress. It was released in France on 19 August 2020 by BAC Films and internationally on 9 September 2020 on Netflix.
While receiving generally positive reviews from critics for its ambition and acting, Cuties became a subject of controversy, starting from Netflix's initial promotional poster that was widely considered inappropriate. The film received overwhelming criticism following its release on Netflix and cases of review bombs and subscription cancellations surged, popularised by the hashtag #CancelNetflix. Netflix has defended the film.
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