{"id":51341,"date":"2025-08-01T01:03:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T01:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/51341\/"},"modified":"2025-08-01T01:03:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T01:03:09","slug":"mubi-shelved-vice-is-broke-following-criticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/51341\/","title":{"rendered":"Mubi Shelved ‘Vice Is Broke’ Following Criticism"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eddie Huang<\/a> claimed in a post on Instagram<\/a> July 31 that Mubi<\/a> is shelving his documentary<\/a> \u201cVice Is Broke<\/a>\u201d after the chef-turned-director spoke out yesterday against the distributor accepting a $100 million investment from a company with ties to the Israeli defense industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, Mubi is disputing Huang\u2019s claim, telling IndieWire in a statement, \u201cMUBI has not shelved \u2018Vice Is Broke.\u2019 We are in constructive discussions with the filmmaker and producers about the film<\/a>\u2019s release on MUBI, and will share further updates as those conversations progress.\u201d IndieWire also understands via a source that shelving was never part of the discussion with Huang.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a> \"BIRMINGHAM,<\/a> <\/p>\n

But just eight hours earlier, Huang took to Instagram to say that he had received a phone call from Mubi\u2019s president Jason Ropell saying that the film, according to Huang, is \u201cshelved. Mubi is ceasing all promotion. They are going to stop payment on the film. They are going to give it back\u2026 and say do what you will.\u201d<\/p>\n

The impetus for this alleged call was Huang taking to Instagram the day earlier, July 30, and writing that he strongly protested Mubi\u2019s association with investor Sequoia Capital<\/a>, which has been investing in Israeli military tech companies, such as Kela, since February 2024. Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire<\/a> has also come under fire in recent days for his Islamophobic posts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a cynical person,\u201d Huang began. \u201cBut if you had told me last October when we sold this cautionary film about private equity to Mubi \u2014 a premiere art house distributor at the time \u2014 that they would be consumed by private equity before our movie even came out, I would have told you to take the tin hat off.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnless Mubi addresses this situation in a satisfactory way, I cannot tell people to subscribe to this service and watch this film knowing if the service is successful it will continue to service Sequoia. I\u2019m not being dramatic or corny. We have to start saying \u2018NO.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really hope Mubi figures this out because there are great people doing creative work there. It is very unfortunate they accepted this investment. We lost another great place to make art.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Ryan Lattanzio.<\/p>\n