I/OPT: Film distributor MUBI faces ongoing backlash over investor's ties to Israeli military, incl. co. comments
"Mubi film distributor faces backlash over investor’s ties to Israeli military", 6 August 2025
More film-makers are calling on Mubi, the upstart distributor…to end its relationship with an investment firm with close ties to the Israeli military.
A letter strongly criticizing the buzzy distribution company’s funding from the investor Sequoia Capital now has 63 signatures from creatives...
The backlash stems from an announcement in May that Mubi…had secured $100m in funding from Sequoia Capital.
The Silicon Valley-based investment firm has poured money into a range of companies, from Apple to Google to Cisco, but Mubi marked a rare foray into entertainment. At issue is its investment in and continued ties to Kela, a defense tech firm founded by four veterans of the Israeli military…
Kela is currently developing a battlefield operating system enabling militaries to integrate AI with commercial technology...
Mubi has yet to respond publicly to the letter. In the wake of social media backlash over its ties to Sequoia, a message on the company’s social media channels said the rationale for the investment was to “accelerate our mission of delivering bold and visionary films to global audiences”, and that the venture firm had a “50-plus year history of partnering with founders to help turn their ideas into world-changing businesses”.
“Over the last several days, some members of our community have commented on the decision to work with Sequoia given their investment in Israeli companies and the personal opinions expressed by one of their partners,” it said. “The beliefs of individual investors do not reflect the views of Mubi.”...