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More than 35 filmmakers associated with the acclaimed arthouse streaming platform Mubi — including notable names like Radu Jude, Aki Kaurismäki, Miguel Gomes, and Joshua Oppenheimer — have signed a powerful open letter urging the company to reconsider and publicly condemn its financial ties to Sequoia Capital, a venture capital firm with deep links to Israeli military technology.
The letter, circulated following Mubi’s announcement of a $100 million investment from Sequoia in May, voices alarm over the ethical implications of accepting funds from a firm allegedly profiting from the ongoing war in Gaza. Filmmakers expressed grave concern that Mubi’s financial growth is now “explicitly tied to the genocide in Gaza,” with the letter asserting that this association “implicates all of us that work with Mubi.”
The primary criticism centers on Sequoia Capital’s recent investments in military tech startups such as Kela — a company founded in July 2024 by Israeli intelligence veterans in direct response to the October 7 attacks. Kela is currently developing AI-driven battlefield systems. Sequoia has also invested in other defense tech companies, including drone manufacturers Neros and Mach Industries.
Filmmakers argue that Mubi, a platform known for championing independent and socially conscious cinema, is at odds with the values it claims to uphold. “We don’t believe an arthouse film platform can meaningfully support a global community of cinephiles while also partnering with a company invested in murdering Palestinian artists and filmmakers,” the letter reads.
The letter follows growing backlash from within the global film industry. Several international venues and festivals — including Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA), Mexico City’s Cineteca Nacional, Cinemateca de Bogotá, and Chile’s Valdivia Film Festival — have cut ties with Mubi or canceled events linked to the platform. Valdivia’s festival director explicitly linked their decision to Sequoia’s funding and its ties to Gaza.
In addition to calling for a public condemnation of Sequoia, the filmmakers demand that Mubi:
Remove Sequoia Partner Andrew Reed from its board of directors
Commit to an ethical investment policy for future funding
Respect the programming and partnership guidelines set by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)
“Mubi’s decision to partner with Sequoia demonstrates a total lack of accountability to the artists and communities who have helped the company flourish,” the letter states. Signatories argue that supporting Sequoia contradicts Mubi’s cultural mission and betrays the trust of the creative community that sustains it.
While Mubi previously acknowledged the backlash by stating that the “beliefs of individual investors do not reflect the views of Mubi,” the company has yet to respond directly to the letter or its specific demands.
The growing dissent underscores a broader reckoning within the film industry, as artists and institutions grapple with the ethical dimensions of funding and the responsibilities of cultural platforms in times of global crisis.
