Ĭuties premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival on 23 January, where Doucouré won the Directing Award. Principal photography took three months, with a psychologist assisting the child actresses throughout. Casting took six months, with 700 girls being auditioned for the role of Amy. The script later won an award at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. She said that it is intended to criticise the hypersexualisation of pre-adolescent girls, and that she logged over 18 months of research on the topic.

The film's ensemble cast is led by Fathia Youssouf who portrays Amy, a Senegalese-French girl with a traditional Muslim upbringing who is caught between traditional Muslim values and Internet culture when she joins a twerking dance crew.ĭoucouré was inspired to write the script upon seeing a suggestive youth talent show one day, as well as from her experience as a Senegalese-French person. Cuties ( French: Mignonnes) is a 2020 French drama film written and directed by Maïmouna Doucouré in her feature directorial debut.