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Bien ou Bien Productions • 360° communication & assistant director.
Focus on CUTIES by Maïmouna Doucouré.
I chose to focus on my communication work around the film Mignonnes by Maïmouna Doucouré, produced by Bien ou Bien productions. A very enriching mission which proved once again the importance of communication.
Cuties by Maïmouna Doucouré.
In theaters on August 19, 2020 in France, the film rights are sold to Netflix in more than 160 other countries. The streaming giant releases a different promotional poster from the original. The latter shows the actresses in a suggestive position and therefore leads to misinterpretation.
The result is hundreds of death threats, messages denouncing a pedophile film, and numerous wrongful accusations from people who have not yet seen the film, which is not yet available on the platform. The director is accused of advocating what she actually denounces in her feature film.
The crisis taking on a global dimension, we then had to seek the support of the various French actors (political and cinematographic).
We think big and contact the ministers of culture and gender equality. The question is simple: how will the government react to an attack on creative freedom? And will they defend the film and its necessary themes?
The Minister responds present and publicly supports the film. There followed a big wave of support from associations and unions of French cinemas such as the ARP (Civil society of authors, directors and producers), the SPI (Syndicat des Producteurs Indépendants), SRF (Syndicat des Réalisateurs Français), Unifrance , SCA (Screenwriters of Associated Cinemas), ARDA (Association of Artistic Distribution Managers), ALCA (Cinema & Audiovisual Book Agency in New Aquitaine) and France Television who defend the film in turn.
The film and its director generate more than a thousand supporting articles in the international press.
Once this controversy behind us, following a good reception of the film when it was released in theaters, we were surprised in January not to see the main actress Fathia Youssouf appear in the list of Revelations proposed by the César Academy. Then follows an intense communication to inform the 4000 voters that she is still eligible for the César 2021. A battle to highlight her role, so that she then puts her talent forward behind the screens… Communicate again and again so that everyone considers their eligibility.
How? 'Or' What ? I establish a communication strategy: strategic planning, mailing, creation of visuals, press relations, I have to deploy all the necessary tools. But this hard work is not in vain, since the main actress Fathia Youssouf will finally be named, then winner of the César 2021 for the well-deserved Best Female Hope !
It is a brief summary of such a great experience, but which nevertheless knows how to prove the interests and the stakes of communication.