Organisers of the London Israeli film festival, Seret, have cancelled a screening of controversial movie The Gift of Fire after cinema managers decided to admit male filmgoers.
Rechy Elias’s drama made the news earlier this week after it emerged that festival organisers planned to ban men from viewing the film, in line with the director’s religious beliefs.
Festivalgoer David Lass had complained on the grounds that the decision appeared contrary to equality laws – a reading festival organisers contest. The owner of the Odeon Swiss Cottage, one of two venues for screenings, later said it would refuse to turn away male filmgoers.
In response, Seret organisers issued a statement to the Guardian declaring that the screening would no longer take place.
“A request from a cinemagoer to allow men into the women-only screening prompted a further discussion with Rechi Elias,” said festival founders Odelia Haroush, Anat Koren and Patty Hochmann. “As a result of this conversation the decision was taken that we could not accommodate her religious requirements and enable the cinema to maintain its policy not to restrict entry to any film based on gender.
“The film contains women dancing and singing. And the [Haredi] community, and indeed many religious Jews, do not feel that men should be watching this. We respect the position of the film-maker and the cinema alike, but have decided at this time we need to honour both parties and the only way to do so is to cancel the screening at Odeon Swiss Cottage. We thank Odeon Swiss Cottage for their continued support of the festival and are pleased that other fantastic films from Seret 2015 will be hosted there.”
Festival organisers had earlier threatened to stand outside screenings and prevent men from entering, according to an article in the Jewish Chronicle.
The Gift of Fire tells the story of a young religious woman living under a false identity after fleeing the Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century. It has only previously been shown in Israeli community centres.
The drama is still expected to screen on 19 June at the JW3 community centre on Finchley Road in north west London.
