UPDATE: MUBI has decided to just cancel the festival in its entirety in protest of the ban. They went on to denounce the ban and the Turkish government.
“Festivals are breathing spaces that celebrate art and cultural diversity and bring people together. This ban affects not only a film but the meaning and purpose of the entire festival,” a press release said.
Although homosexuality was decriminalized in Turkey in 1858, it is still very much frowned upon by much of society, with President Erdoğan regularly referring to LGBTQ+ people as “perverts” and accusing them of posing a threat to traditional families (via The Guardian).
EARLIER: Hours before MUBI Fest Istanbul 2024 was supposed to start, the festival learned, via a notification from the Istanbul Kadıköy District Governorship, that Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer,” which was was the opening night film, got banned in the country.
The decision from the Turkish government stated that the film was banned on the grounds that it contained “provocative content that would endanger public peace” and that the decision was implemented for “security reasons.” It’s quite clear that what irked the Turkish government was the film’s explicit gay sex scenes.
It’s infuriating to think that there are still some countries and governments out there who intervene by restricting art and freedom of expression. “Queer” is a beautiful film, and deserves to be seen by as wide a public as possible. I wouldn’t be surprised if now a domino effect occurs, and the film gets banned in more countries, especially in the Middle East.