STOCKHOLM (AP) – The organizers of the Jewish International Film Festival say they were forced to postpone the event because cinemas in Malmö, Sweden, would not screen the films, with some citing safety and security concerns.
This year’s Jewish International Film Festival was supposed to celebrate 250 years of Jewish life in Sweden and was scheduled to run Nov. 29 through Dec. 2, according to its website.
The organizers, in a statement posted Thursday to the festival’s website, said they were “stonewalled by all commercial and art-house cinemas in the city.”
They said they would “pause to gather strength” before starting the process of finding a venue again. They added that they had received “heartwarming” support in recent days.
Ola Tedin, one of the organizers, told Swedish broadcaster SVT that some of the cinemas offered safety and security concerns for their refusal because they were worried something might happen to endanger their staff or audiences.
In a statement Saturday, cinema chain Filmstaden said its decision against screening the films was made in the spring.
“In this particular case, after thorough assessment, we concluded that we could not host the festival due to safety concerns,” the statement said. “Our priority is always to ensure a safe and positive experience for both our guests and employees.”
Other cinemas, as well as the Swedish minister of culture, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.
The film festival was founded last year.
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