Filmmakers urge MUBI to sever ties with Sequoia over Israeli army tech investments linked to Gaza genocide

More than 35 acclaimed filmmakers related to arthouse distributor and streaming platform MUBI have signed an open letter demanding the corporate lower ties with investor Sequoia Capital over its hyperlinks to Israeli army tech corporations.

The signatories embrace distinguished worldwide administrators equivalent to Aki Kaurismäki, Radu Jude, Miguel Gomes, and Joshua Oppenheimer. Their letter criticises MUBI’s resolution to simply accept a $100 million funding from Sequoia in May, citing the enterprise capital agency’s involvement in defense-tech startups with direct ties to Israeli intelligence.

“MUBI’s monetary development as an organization is now explicitly tied to the genocide in Gaza,” the letter states, pointing to Sequoia’s 2024 funding in Kela, a battlefield working system based by Israeli army veterans. The filmmakers argue this affiliation contradicts MUBI’s identification as a platform dedicated to international cinema and social accountability.

MUBI, which beforehand issued an announcement saying investor views don’t mirror its personal, has declined to touch upon the letter.

The signatories additionally known as on MUBI to fulfill calls for set by the activist group Film Workers for Palestine, together with:

• Publicly condemning Sequoia Capital for “genocide profiteering”
• Removing Sequoia accomplice Andrew Reed from MUBI’s board
• Implementing moral funding and programming insurance policies aligned with PACBI (Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel)

The backlash has already had tangible results. Festivals and venues equivalent to Glasgow’s CCA, Mexico City’s Cineteca Nacional, and the Cinemateca de Bogotá have withdrawn from MUBI Fest, whereas Chile’s Valdivia Film Festival introduced it could not display screen movies distributed by the corporate. Programming accomplice Girls In Film additionally ended its seven-year collaboration, citing MUBI’s prioritisation of “industrial development” over ethics.