Maimouna Doucouré, a French director of Senegalese origins who grew up in a social housing project in Paris and started her career with a screenwriting contest, isn’t one to buckle under any type of pressure or challenge.
She certainly didn’t dwell on the misguided backlash to her film “Cuties.” The controversy was provoked by Netflix’s promotional material for her Sundance prizewinning feature debut, which aimed to shed light the sexualization of children. In her sophomore outing, “Hawa,” Doucouré embarked on another challenging project, a modern-day fable boasting a cast entirely made up of non-professionals, including the celebrated Malian singer-songwriter Oumou Sangaré, astronaut Thomas Pesquet and popular singer Yseult.
As with “Cuties,” which earned Fathia Youssouf a Cesar award for best promising actress, the Amazon original film “Hawa” is headlined by Sania Halifa, a newcomer who delivers a robust performance. Halifa, a teenager with albinism, plays the title role,...
She certainly didn’t dwell on the misguided backlash to her film “Cuties.” The controversy was provoked by Netflix’s promotional material for her Sundance prizewinning feature debut, which aimed to shed light the sexualization of children. In her sophomore outing, “Hawa,” Doucouré embarked on another challenging project, a modern-day fable boasting a cast entirely made up of non-professionals, including the celebrated Malian singer-songwriter Oumou Sangaré, astronaut Thomas Pesquet and popular singer Yseult.
As with “Cuties,” which earned Fathia Youssouf a Cesar award for best promising actress, the Amazon original film “Hawa” is headlined by Sania Halifa, a newcomer who delivers a robust performance. Halifa, a teenager with albinism, plays the title role,...
- 12/9/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
A bold celebration of taking up space in places you’re told you don’t belong, “Hawa” is a crowd-pleasing fable with a fluffy heart, fierce spirit and disarming sense of humor. These qualities also define the titular heroine of Maïmouna Doucouré’s lovely sophomore feature, co-written by Doucouré, Alain-Michel Blanc, Zangro and David Elkaim. Hawa is both sensitive and fearless while she roams the streets of Paris on a life-defining quest with her dependable scooter and unapologetic blonde afro, seeing the world through her idiosyncratic coke-bottle glasses as she earns the help and goodwill of a parade of strangers.
Don’t be alarmed by the crowded group of writers here — despite the many cooks in the kitchen, “Hawa,” under the baton of Doucouré, is as coherently envisioned and tightly structured as movies come. You might recall the gifted Doucouré’s name and recognize her style from her debut “Cuties,...
Don’t be alarmed by the crowded group of writers here — despite the many cooks in the kitchen, “Hawa,” under the baton of Doucouré, is as coherently envisioned and tightly structured as movies come. You might recall the gifted Doucouré’s name and recognize her style from her debut “Cuties,...
- 9/22/2022
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
The Gotham Awards for the best in independent film kicked off this unusual awards season on Monday night, January 11. Presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project, these kudos are usually handed out in early December but were pushed back (as were many awards events) due to the Covid-19 pandemic. So who won? Scroll down for the complete list of winners, updated live as they were announced.
SEEGotham nominee John Magaro (‘First Cow’) on how Cookie and King-Lu are ‘almost soulmates’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
These awards are limited to American films (apart from Best International Feature ) made with an economy of means, which means no budgets higher than $35 million. Nominees and winners were decided by juries of film experts and insiders. And for the first time in the awards’ history, all five of the nominees for Best Feature were directed by women: “The Assistant” by Kitty Green, “First Cow” by Kelly Reichardt, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” by Eliza Hittman,...
SEEGotham nominee John Magaro (‘First Cow’) on how Cookie and King-Lu are ‘almost soulmates’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
These awards are limited to American films (apart from Best International Feature ) made with an economy of means, which means no budgets higher than $35 million. Nominees and winners were decided by juries of film experts and insiders. And for the first time in the awards’ history, all five of the nominees for Best Feature were directed by women: “The Assistant” by Kitty Green, “First Cow” by Kelly Reichardt, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” by Eliza Hittman,...
- 1/12/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
‘Nomadland’ and ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’ secure two nominations each.
Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow leads the nominations for the 30th IFP Gotham Awards, in which the nods for best feature are all directed by women.
Period drama First Cow, first seen at Telluride 2019 and released by A24, secured four nominations for best feature, screenplay and actor, for John Magaro, as well as breakthrough actor, for Orion Lee.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
Titles that scored two nominations included Chloe Zhao’s Venice Golden Lion winner Nomadland, for best feature and actress Frances McDormand; and Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always,...
Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow leads the nominations for the 30th IFP Gotham Awards, in which the nods for best feature are all directed by women.
Period drama First Cow, first seen at Telluride 2019 and released by A24, secured four nominations for best feature, screenplay and actor, for John Magaro, as well as breakthrough actor, for Orion Lee.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
Titles that scored two nominations included Chloe Zhao’s Venice Golden Lion winner Nomadland, for best feature and actress Frances McDormand; and Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always,...
- 11/12/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
This year’s awards season, delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, finally got underway with the announcement of the 2021 Gotham Awards nominations on November 12 (last year’s big reveal was on Oct. 24). These awards are presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) and honor the best of the year as determined by small committees of film journalists and festival programmers. The five Best Feature nominees, which were all directed by women, are: “The Assistant,” “First Cow,” “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” “Nomadland” and “Relic.” Scroll down to see the complete list of contenders.
Will these awards preview the Oscars? Perhaps. Last year’s Best Feature award went to “Marriage Story,” which did go on to reap a Best Picture bid. However, that was the exception rather than the rule. Indeed, its rival Gotham Awards nominees — “The Farewell,” “Hustlers,” “Uncut Gems” and “Waves” — were all snubbed by the Academy Awards.
Why is this?...
Will these awards preview the Oscars? Perhaps. Last year’s Best Feature award went to “Marriage Story,” which did go on to reap a Best Picture bid. However, that was the exception rather than the rule. Indeed, its rival Gotham Awards nominees — “The Farewell,” “Hustlers,” “Uncut Gems” and “Waves” — were all snubbed by the Academy Awards.
Why is this?...
- 11/12/2020
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The starting pistol of awards season has been officially fired with the 30th annual IFP Gotham Awards announcing its nominations and making history. For the first time, women direct all the nominees for best feature. Among them are “The Assistant” from Kitty Green, “First Cow” from Kelly Reichardt, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” from Eliza Hittman, “Nomadland” from Chloé Zhao and “Relic” from Natalie Erika James.
In the best actor category, Chadwick Boseman received a posthumous nomination for his work in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” a performance likely to be shortlisted by many awards bodies over the next few months. The other nominees included Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Jude Law (“The Nest”), John Magaro (“First Cow”) and Jesse Plemons (“I’m Thinking of Ending Things”).
For the actresses, the group gave a very diverse field of cultures and experience. Nicole Beharie’s turn in “Miss Juneteenth” is a riveting portrait, and...
In the best actor category, Chadwick Boseman received a posthumous nomination for his work in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” a performance likely to be shortlisted by many awards bodies over the next few months. The other nominees included Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Jude Law (“The Nest”), John Magaro (“First Cow”) and Jesse Plemons (“I’m Thinking of Ending Things”).
For the actresses, the group gave a very diverse field of cultures and experience. Nicole Beharie’s turn in “Miss Juneteenth” is a riveting portrait, and...
- 11/12/2020
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Director and film have faced backlash in US over its complex themes.
French cinema export body UniFrance has publicly declared its support for Cuties filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré, who has been in the eye of a media storm in recent weeks following accusations that her film sexualises its young protagonists.
The state-backed body posted a statement in both French and English on its website today (September 18), which also got behind the film’s producer Zangro as well as Paris-based Bac Films, which handled the film’s international sales and its French theatrical release in August.
“Cuties offers a subtle and sophisticated...
French cinema export body UniFrance has publicly declared its support for Cuties filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré, who has been in the eye of a media storm in recent weeks following accusations that her film sexualises its young protagonists.
The state-backed body posted a statement in both French and English on its website today (September 18), which also got behind the film’s producer Zangro as well as Paris-based Bac Films, which handled the film’s international sales and its French theatrical release in August.
“Cuties offers a subtle and sophisticated...
- 9/18/2020
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
UniFrance, the French film promotion organization, released a letter on Friday supporting Maimouna Doucouré, the helmer of Netflix film “Cuties,” which has been the subject of a backlash on social media for allegedly “sexualizing” young girls.
UniFrance, which also gave its support for the movie’s producer, Zangro and Paris-based distributor Bac Films, is the latest French film body to side with Doucouré. Earlier this week, the country’s authors, directors and producers guild, La Société Civile des Auteurs Réalisateurs et Producteurs, known as Arp, said calls for the film’s boycott are a “grave attack on freedom of creation,” carried out by the “most conservative of Americans.”
For UniFrance, the “call to boycott the film and to have it removed from the Netflix catalog, in addition to the hate messages, insults, and unfounded speculations about the intent of the director and her producers, pose a serious threat to the...
UniFrance, which also gave its support for the movie’s producer, Zangro and Paris-based distributor Bac Films, is the latest French film body to side with Doucouré. Earlier this week, the country’s authors, directors and producers guild, La Société Civile des Auteurs Réalisateurs et Producteurs, known as Arp, said calls for the film’s boycott are a “grave attack on freedom of creation,” carried out by the “most conservative of Americans.”
For UniFrance, the “call to boycott the film and to have it removed from the Netflix catalog, in addition to the hate messages, insults, and unfounded speculations about the intent of the director and her producers, pose a serious threat to the...
- 9/18/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
French cinema organization UniFrance, which is backed by the French government and represents hundreds of local producers, sales agents, directors and talent agents, has sent out a memo to industry expressing its support for filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré and her film Cuties after the social media frenzy sparked by a Netflix poster for the film. Scroll down for the message in full.
UniFrance said today that it “offers its full support” to the director and the film’s French producers and noted “the exceptionally violent reaction to the film in the United States, during a presidential election campaign in full swing…In this context, UniFrance and all of its members wish to pledge their full support to Maïmouna Doucouré and to reaffirm their commitment to supporting the freedom of artistic creation and expression.”
The passionate defence continues: “Furthermore, we consider that the call to boycott the film and to have it removed from the Netflix catalogue,...
UniFrance said today that it “offers its full support” to the director and the film’s French producers and noted “the exceptionally violent reaction to the film in the United States, during a presidential election campaign in full swing…In this context, UniFrance and all of its members wish to pledge their full support to Maïmouna Doucouré and to reaffirm their commitment to supporting the freedom of artistic creation and expression.”
The passionate defence continues: “Furthermore, we consider that the call to boycott the film and to have it removed from the Netflix catalogue,...
- 9/18/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The Sundance drama “Cuties” is a coming-of-age story about a girl from Senegal, but her story is a universal one that shows that we’d all rather dance than have to grow up and face the world.
Netflix picked up the inspiring film “Cuties” out of Sundance from director and writer Maïmouna Doucouré after it won the Directing Award in the World Cinema Dramatic category at the festival earlier this year.
In “Cuties,” an 11-year-old girl from Senegal Amy tries to escape family dysfunction by joining a free-spirited dance clique named “Cuties.” The group stands in stark contrast to her mother’s traditional values, and she soon becomes aware of her own femininity well beyond her years through dance. She soon inspires the girls to embrace more sensual dance moves as part of their routine even as she begins to face the realities of growing up, and they hope to...
Netflix picked up the inspiring film “Cuties” out of Sundance from director and writer Maïmouna Doucouré after it won the Directing Award in the World Cinema Dramatic category at the festival earlier this year.
In “Cuties,” an 11-year-old girl from Senegal Amy tries to escape family dysfunction by joining a free-spirited dance clique named “Cuties.” The group stands in stark contrast to her mother’s traditional values, and she soon becomes aware of her own femininity well beyond her years through dance. She soon inspires the girls to embrace more sensual dance moves as part of their routine even as she begins to face the realities of growing up, and they hope to...
- 8/18/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Maïmouna Doucouré’s “Cuties,” which plays in Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition and will then screen in the Berlinale’s Generation Kplus section, has been picked up by Netflix worldwide, excluding France. The film’s producer Zangro gave an exclusive interview to Variety about the film, and his next project.
“Cuties” is about the hyper-sexualization of pre-adolescent girls. It follows an 11-year-old girl of Senegalese origin, living in one of Paris’ poorest neighborhoods, who is raised in a pious tradition, but joins a group of young dancers who hope to twerk their way to stardom. Doucouré won Sundance’s Global Filmmaking Award in 2017 for the script.
Doucouré’s previous short film, “Maman(s),” about a girl being raised by two mothers in a polygamous family, was selected by nearly 200 festivals and won more than 60 awards in festivals including best short at Sundance, Toronto and the Césars.
Zangro...
“Cuties” is about the hyper-sexualization of pre-adolescent girls. It follows an 11-year-old girl of Senegalese origin, living in one of Paris’ poorest neighborhoods, who is raised in a pious tradition, but joins a group of young dancers who hope to twerk their way to stardom. Doucouré won Sundance’s Global Filmmaking Award in 2017 for the script.
Doucouré’s previous short film, “Maman(s),” about a girl being raised by two mothers in a polygamous family, was selected by nearly 200 festivals and won more than 60 awards in festivals including best short at Sundance, Toronto and the Césars.
Zangro...
- 1/14/2020
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has bought world rights, excluding France, to Maimouna Doucouré’s debut feature “Cuties,” which has its world premiere in Sundance’s 2020 World Cinema Dramatic Competition, and will then screen in the Berlinale’s Generation Kplus section.
The pic, playing under the Netflix brand, will be translated into more than 40 languages, and screened in the streamer’s 190 territories. In France, it will be released on April 1 by Bac Films, which is handling French rights.
“Cuties” is about the hyper-sexualization of pre-adolescent girls. It follows an 11-year-old girl of Senegalese origin, living in one of Paris’ poorest neighborhoods, who is raised in a pious tradition, but joins a group of young dancers who hope to twerk their way to stardom.
Doucouré’s previous short film, “Maman(s),” about a girl being raised by two mothers in a polygamous family, was selected by nearly 200 festivals and won more than 60 awards, including best short at Sundance,...
The pic, playing under the Netflix brand, will be translated into more than 40 languages, and screened in the streamer’s 190 territories. In France, it will be released on April 1 by Bac Films, which is handling French rights.
“Cuties” is about the hyper-sexualization of pre-adolescent girls. It follows an 11-year-old girl of Senegalese origin, living in one of Paris’ poorest neighborhoods, who is raised in a pious tradition, but joins a group of young dancers who hope to twerk their way to stardom.
Doucouré’s previous short film, “Maman(s),” about a girl being raised by two mothers in a polygamous family, was selected by nearly 200 festivals and won more than 60 awards, including best short at Sundance,...
- 1/14/2020
- by Martin Dale
- Variety Film + TV
Mignonnes
French director Maïmouna Doucouré won a Global Filmmaking Award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017 for the screenplay of her first feature Mignonnes, which should be ready to premiere in 2019. Produced by Sylvain De Zangroniz through Bien ou Bien Productions, a cast of non-professionals is joined by Maïmouna Gueye. Doucouré won both a Cesar, a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and was a Tiff favorite for her celebrated 2015 short film, Maman(s).
Gist: Co-written by Alice Winocour, Nathalie Saugeon and Valentine Milville, pre-teenager Amy discovers in her new elementary school a group of dancers called: “Les Mignonnes”.…...
French director Maïmouna Doucouré won a Global Filmmaking Award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017 for the screenplay of her first feature Mignonnes, which should be ready to premiere in 2019. Produced by Sylvain De Zangroniz through Bien ou Bien Productions, a cast of non-professionals is joined by Maïmouna Gueye. Doucouré won both a Cesar, a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and was a Tiff favorite for her celebrated 2015 short film, Maman(s).
Gist: Co-written by Alice Winocour, Nathalie Saugeon and Valentine Milville, pre-teenager Amy discovers in her new elementary school a group of dancers called: “Les Mignonnes”.…...
- 1/3/2019
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.