Jim Jarmusch, acclaimed filmmaker of Stranger than Paradise and Broken Flowers, expressed disappointment in the independent distribution company Mubi for its ties to the Israeli military.
According to Variety, backlash has been growing against Mubi “since the company announced a $100 million investment from Sequoia Capital, a Silicon Valley-based venture capital film that also invested in a defense-tech startup founded by Israeli intelligence units in response to the terror attacks of Oct. 7.”
Since the news went viral, various artists with ties to Mubi have signed an open letter accusing the company of “genocide profiteering.” Jarmusch, whose latest film, Father Mother Sister Brother, is being distributed by Mubi, expressed his disappointment ahead of his movie’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
“My relationship with Mubi started much before that, and they were fantastic to work with on the film. I was disappointed and disconcerted by this relationship [between Mubi and Sequoia]. If you want to discuss it, you have to address Mubi. I’m not the spokesman,” he said during the film’s official press conference.
“Yes, I was concerned. I also have a distribution agreement with Mubi for [some films] which I entered into before [the company’s] agreement [with Sequoia],” he added.
Jarmusch said that he has taken money from a lot of different sources to make his movies and said “all corporate money is dirty.” He also said that artists should not be forced to answer for every business decision of their financiers.
“I’m an independent filmmaker and I’ve taken money from various sources to fund my films. All corporate money is dirty. If you start analyzing each of these film companies and their financing structures, you’re going to find a lot of dirt. You can avoid it and not make films at all. But films are how I carry what I like to say. I’m concerned, but one thing I don’t like is putting the onus of the explanation of us, the artists. It’s not us,” he said.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
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