Canadian cinema ditches ‘unsafe’ Jewish film festival

AN INDEPENDENT arthouse cinema in Ontario, Canada has revoked the use of its venue for a Jewish film festival because of “safety and security concerns”.

The Hamilton Jewish Federation was due to screen six international films as part of its annual movie festival next month at the city’s Playhouse Cinema. “After receiving numerous security and safety related emails, phone calls, and social media messages, the Playhouse Cinema reached a difficult decision to postpone the Hamilton Jewish Federation’s venue rental,” the cinema said. “Our decision to postpone this venue rental was reached amid security and safety concerns at this particularly sensitive time.”

The Hamilton Jewish Federation expressed outrage at the cinema’s decision to “backtrack on its commitment” to host the festival.

It said the cinema received “a small number of complaints and threatening emails objecting to the fact that Israeli films are included in this year’s line-up.

“The decision, coming just weeks before the scheduled event, is a lost opportunity to engage the Greater

Hamilton community in a Jewish cultural event during the highest rise of antisemitism we’ve seen in recent history, and in the aftermath of the bloodiest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust.

“In withdrawing its support of a Jewish film festival based on outrageous claims by a few individuals that any film produced in Israel is a form of ‘Zionist propaganda’, the Playhouse

Cinema is prioritising the will of antisemites over an apolitical cultural festival that stands for artistic excellence and integrity.”

The films scheduled to be shown were from France, Poland and Israel. The festival will go ahead later in the spring in the federation’s own newly renovated facility.

The cinema did not respond to the JC’s request for comment.