Mubi Defends Sequoia Capital Investment, Outlines Ethical Safeguards

Mubi’s chief executive publicly defended the streaming and distribution company on Aug. 16 after growing industry backlash over a reported 100 million investment from Sequoia Capital, saying the funding does not make Mubi complicit in violence in Gaza and announcing new safeguards. The response followed an open letter from filmmakers and a staff petition that initially drew 63 signatories and has since grown to 107, calling on Mubi to condemn Sequoia, remove a Sequoia-linked board member and adopt an ethical investment policy.

Efe Cakarel said accusations that Mubi is connected to financing the war in Gaza are fundamentally at odds with the company’s values and are untrue. He outlined plans to solicit community feedback on an Ethical Funding and Investment Policy, to form an independent Artists Advisory Council intended to separate investor influence from editorial and commissioning decisions, and to create an Artists at Risk fund to assist filmmakers facing conflict, displacement or censorship, including Palestinian filmmakers, over the next three years. Cakarel also sought to distance Mubi from a specific Sequoia partner who has faced allegations of Islamophobia, saying that...