Organisers of a four-day film festival in Türkiye have cancelled their entire festival after authorities objected to Queer, the new film from director Luca Guadagnino, being in the program.
The screen adaptation of the William Burroughs novel stars Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey and Lesley Manville.
The film has been getting rave reviews since it made its debut at the Venice International Film Festival earlier this year, but Turkish authorities say screening it is a security risk that could disturb the peace.
The film had been scheduled to screen as part of a festival being put on by online screener Mubi.
“Hours before the start … we were told by the Kadikoy district authorities that the screening of Queer, the opening film, was banned … on grounds it contained provocative content that would disturb the peace,” it said.
The authorities said the ban would be “enforced for security reasons”, according to Mubi.
Mubi denounced the ban as “restricting art and freedom of expression”.
“Hours before the opening of MUBI Fest Istanbul 2024, which we have been meticulously planning for months, and which was announced a few weeks ago and sold-out days ago, we were informed that the screening of Queer – the festival’s opening film – has been banned by a decision of the Kadıköy District Governorate of Istanbul.” the organisation said.
“The decision states that the film is prohibited on the grounds that it contains provocative content that could endanger public peace, with the ban being imposed for security reasons.
“We believe this ban is a direct restriction on art and freedom of expression. Festivals are spaces that celebrate art, cultural diversity, and community, bringing people together.
“This ban not only targets a single film but also undermines the very essence and purpose of the festival.”
Homosexuality is legal in Türkiye but people have faced increasing discrimination during the time that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been President.
In 2013, ILGA-Europe ranked Turkey 39th out of 49 countries regarding the protection of LGBTQ rights, but in 2024, it fell to the 47th position, followed only by Azerbaijan and Russia.
