Istanbul Film Festival Canceled After LGBTQ Movie Starring Daniel Craig Is Banned

The government censorship of the gay drama Queer has led to the total cancellation of the Mubi Fest Istanbul.

The streaming platform Mubi (responsible for the four-day festival) shared the update just hours before the event was supposed to take place, due to a notification from the District Governorship of Istanbul’s Kadiköy municipality which banned the movie.

In a translated statement shared to their Turkish-language Instagram page, the platform explained, “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.”

The post continued, “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.”

“We believe this ban is an intervention that restricts art and freedom of expression. This ban takes not just one movie away but also the meaning and purpose of the entire festival. Mubi wants to take the stance that our audience expects from us and we regret to inform you that we have made the decision to cancel the entire Mubi Fest Istanbul.”

The statement expressed gratitude for their artists, audience, and supporters and assured them that they would be issued refunds within the coming days.

It concluded, “We will continue to maintain our stance on this issue in order to protect freedom of expression and artistic expression.”

Set in 1950, Queer follows an American expat (Daniel Craig) living alone in Mexico City. When he meets the new-in-town expat former soldier (Drew Starkey) he learns how to develop deeper, more intimate relationships with others.

Although homosexuality is legal in Turkey, gay marriage is still not recognized by the government, and gay men are exempt from serving in the military or donating blood. There are no laws in place that protect members of the LGBTQ community from discrimination.