MUBI cancel Turkish film festival following ban of Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Queer’
MUBI has made the decision to cancel their film festival in Turkey after the government announced a ban on the opening movie, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer.
The film has received rave reviews at other festivals, but the company was informed shortly before the Turkish screening began, which was scheduled to take place on November 7th, that they could not go ahead with it.
Thus, MUBI has called the whole festival off, which was set to last until November 10th, with their Turkish Instagram uploading a post that detailed the matter. “Hours before the start of MUBI Fest Istanbul 2024 […] we regretted to learn that the screening of QUEER, which was part of the festival program and which was also the opening film, has been banned.”
The company, which deals in production, distribution and streaming, was informed that “the movie is banned because it contains provocative content that would endanger the peace of the society and that the ban decision would be implemented for security reasons.”
Homosexuality isn’t illegal in Turkey, however, there is no legal protection for LGBTQ+ discrimination, and same-sex marriages are not acknowledged as legitimate. The film, which is adapted from William S. Burroughs’ novel of the same name, follows a gay man, played by Daniel Craig, as he falls for a younger man while living in Mexico City.
In response, MUBI wrote, “We believe this ban is an intervention that restricts art and freedom of expression. Festivals are breathtaking spaces where art and cultural diversity are celebrated, bringing people together. This ban takes not just one movie away from the meaning and purpose of the entire festival.”
They added that they will be cancelling the whole event because they want “to show the right stance that our audience expects from us,” continuing, “We would like to thank all the artists, audience and supporters who were planning to participate in the festival and who we believe are at least as saddened by this situation as we are, for their understanding and solidarity.”
“In the name of protecting freedom of expression and artistic expression, we will continue to stand on this issue.”
What do we know about ‘Queer’ so far?
Queer, which also stars Lesley Manville, Drew Starkey, Omar Apollo, and Jason Schwartzman, is set for release in the United States on November 27th. With a soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross like his previous films, Bones and All and Challengers, Queer has been highly anticipated by many. It comes less than a year after the release of Challengers, which was well-received by critics and audiences alike.
The movie has been a long time coming for Guadagnino. In a recent interview with Variety, the director revealed: “I read the book when I was 17 — I was lonely in Palermo, Sicily, and in a way, I was found by the book.”
“I was doing the wrong things,” he continued. “I was writing the script by myself. I was calling the publisher in America to check for the rights, and they were just laughing at me on the phone. I couldn’t speak proper English at the time.”
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