Eddie Huang Claims Mubi Shelved ‘Vice Is Broke’ After Criticism of Its Investor Ties to Israeli Defense Industry, Mubi Denies Charge

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways

Eddie Huang claimed in a post on Instagram July 31 that Mubi is shelving his documentary “Vice Is Broke” 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.

Now, Mubi is disputing Huang’s claim, telling IndieWire in a statement, “MUBI has not shelved ‘Vice Is Broke.’ We are in constructive discussions with the filmmaker and producers about the film’s release on MUBI, and will share further updates as those conversations progress.” IndieWire also understands via a source that shelving was never part of the discussion with Huang.

More from IndieWire

If You Know Where to Look, a Tim Robinson Comedy Has Just as Many Layers as a Period Drama

Steven Knight to Write Denis Villeneuve's James Bond Movie as the Franchise's Amazon Era Begins to Take Shape

AdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_5bckr8lb2mav5ubsddbH1_ iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_9bckr8lb2mav5ubsddbH1_ iframe

But just eight hours earlier, Huang took to Instagram to say that he had received a phone call from Mubi’s president Jason Ropell saying that the film, according to Huang, is “shelved. Mubi is ceasing all promotion. They are going to stop payment on the film. They are going to give it back… and say do what you will.”

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

“I’m a cynical person,” Huang began. “But if you had told me last October when we sold this cautionary film about private equity to Mubi — a premiere art house distributor at the time — 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.

“Unless 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’m not being dramatic or corny. We have to start saying ‘NO.'”

AdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_6jckr8lb2mav5ubsddbH1_ iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#_R_ajckr8lb2mav5ubsddbH1_ iframe

“I 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.”

Additional reporting by Ryan Lattanzio.

Best of IndieWire

Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See

'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie

Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See

Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.