Film festival in Turkey cancelled over ban on screening of Daniel Craig's film Queer

A film festival scheduled to run from November 7 in Istanbul was pulled out at the last moment as a mark of protest over a ban on a Daniel Craig starrer film Queer by the local authorities. The Mubu Fest organized by streaming platform Mubi was scheduled to run the second edition of the film fest in Turkey after a successful inaugural run in 2023. 

In a statement issued on its dedicated Turkish-language Instagram page for Mubi Turkey, the streaming platform said it was pulling the entire event in response to the ban. The announcement came just hours before it was set to open in Kadikoy, on the Asian side of Istanbul.

“Hours before the start of Mubi Fest Istanbul 2024, which took months to prepare and was sold out days ago, 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,” read a post on the Instagram page of Mubi Turkey.

“The decision states that the movie is banned because it contains provocative content that would endanger the peace of the society and that the ban would be implemented for security reasons,” it added.

The statement further read, “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".

About Queer

Set in 1950, Queer stars Daniel Craig as an American expat in Mexico, who spends his days almost entirely alone, except for a few interactions with members of the small American community. He has an encounter with an expat former soldier who makes him believe it might be finally possible to establish an intimate connection with somebody.

The film is directed by Luca Guadagnino and had its premiere earlier this year at the Venice Film Festival. Based on a short novel by William S Burroughs, which includes graphic sex scenes involving two men.

Local authorities reportedly had raised objections over the screening of the film and imposed a ban days ahead of the festival.