Mubi has scrapped an entire festival it had planned in Turkey after local authorities banned a screening of Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer.”

"This ban distances not only a film but the entire festival from its meaning and purpose," Mubi Fest Istanbul organizers wrote on social media.

Mubi Fest Istanbul was due to open with Luca Guadagnino's 'Queer' but the film was deemed a threat to public peace

Streaming site Mubi called the banning of Mubi Fest Istanbul 2024's opening film Queer, just hours before it was due to start, "a direct restriction on art and freedom of expression".

The festival’s host said the ban on “Queer,” which stars Daniel Craig, “restricts art and freedom of expression.”

The annual Mubi Fest Istanbul was set to take place from November 7 through 10. Additional films set for the festival included “Dahomey,” “La Cocina,” “Late Night with the Devil,” “Hit Man,” and “Perfect Days.” The festival annually screens feature films and shorts, with talks, Q&As, workshops, installations, and DJs performing across nine cities.

Although homosexuality is legal in Turkey, there are close to no laws in place that protect members of the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination.

Streamer Mubi has cancelled Turkish film festival at the eleventh hour after city governor banned Luca Guadagnino’s Queer.

MUBI has announced the cancellation of their film festival in Istanbul, Turkey, after the government banned the screening of the Luca Guadagnino movie 'Queer'.