Netflix Film’s Niija Kuykendall to Exit in December

Netflix film executive Niija Kuykendall is leaving the streamer after three years.

She joined in October 2021 as VP of film, where she oversaw a new department focusing on mid-sized holiday, faith-based and young adult movies. She will depart the company at the end of the year.

“Niija’s creative relationships with established and upcoming filmmakers, like Tyler Perry, Denzel and Malcolm Washington, and David Yates, have had a great impact on our film slate,” Netflix’s film VP Doug Belgrad said in a statement. “I want to thank her for her many contributions, including films such as ‘The Piano Lesson,’ ‘The Deliverance,’ ‘The Six Triple Eight,’ ‘Pain Hustlers’ and ‘Mea Culpa.’”

Earlier this year, Dan Lin replaced Scott Stuber as Netflix’s head of film. In his first month, he laid off around 15 people and reorganized the film department by genre rather than budget level.