TYLER COUNTY, Texas — Sen. Ted Cruz and other social conservatives denounced the film when it was first advertised in the U.S., and now a Texas grand jury has indicted the streaming giant Netflix over the film Cuties. 

What You Need To Know

  • Texas grand jury indicted Netflix in September

  • Indictment came in Tyler County over advertisment of the film "Cuties"

  • Texas Rangers served summons last weekend, DA said 

  • Netflix earlier apologised for "Cuties" ad campaign 

A Tyler County jury handed down the indictment in September, the Texas Tribune originally reported. According to the court filing, Netflix promoted a film that “depicts the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child.”

The initial controversy over the film, which won an award at the Sundance Film Festival, centered on advertising. It was the poster and trailer that people took issue with.

RELATED: Sen. Ted Cruz Calls for Investigation into Netflix’s “Cuties,” Labels it “Disgusting and Wrong”

Netflix apologized for the poster and changed a summary of the film which originally described the main character as becoming “fascinated with a twerking dance crew.”

The film is about an 11-year-old Senegalese immigrant who joins a dance group. The film’s writer and director, Maïmouna Doucouré, has said Cuties is a critique of the hypersexualization of young girls.

Tyler County District Attorney Lucas Babin said the county moved to indict Netflix for promoting the film there and that Texas Rangers served the company with a summons last week.

Lucas Babin is the son of U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, who referred to Cuties as pornography.

“After hearing about the movie Cuties and watching it, I knew there was probable cause to believe it was criminal,” Lucas Babin said in a press release. “If such material is distributed on a grand scale, isn’t the need to prosecute more, not less?”

Netflix has yet to issue a statement concerning the indictment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.