Grand jury indicts Netflix for film promo

A Texas grand jury has indicted streaming giant Netflix for promoting the

French film “Mignonnes,” or “Cuties,” which the court says depicts lewd visuals of children.

The movie received backlash before its release because of a movie poster that went viral for its provocative depiction of its young female actors. The criticism continued after its release in September, including outrage from U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and other politicians, who called for subscribers to #CancelNetflix.

The Tyler County grand jury handed down the indictment last month, The Texas Tribune reported. The court filing claims Netflix knowingly promoted work that “depicts the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child.”

Netflix did not respond to the newspaper’s requests for comment.

But the streaming service has previously apologized for the movie poster and changed the plot summary that described the main character as becoming “fascinated with a twerking dance crew.”

The film, which won an award at the Sundance Film Festival, is about an 11-year-old Senegalese immigrant who joins a dance group. The film’s writer and director, Maimouna Doucoure, has said “Cuties” is a critique of

the hypersexualization of young girls.

Tyler County District Attorney Lucas Babin said in a Tuesday press release that the county opted to indict Netflix for promoting the film there. Texas Rangers served a summons to Netflix last week, he added.

Lucas Babin is the son of U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, who has called the film child pornography.