Polish Cinema Cancels Erotic Shorts Festival After Learning Two Films Were Israeli

A cinema in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, canceled hosting a festival of short erotic films after it became clear that the festival program included two Israeli films.

According to festival organizer Ilia Savidler, the agreement with the Kinoteka cinema had already been signed and payment for the hall rental had been made in full. However, days before the screening, the organizers received an official notice from the cinema's events manager, Agnieszka Golbiewska, saying the event was being canceled because of the Israeli origin of some of the films.

The letter sent to the organizers said: "Since the films scheduled to be screened are Israeli productions, we regret to inform you that we cannot continue with the event. The Israeli origin of the films was not brought to our attention in the early stages of planning and was discovered only at a later stage. In light of the current geopolitical situation, our organization does not cooperate with entities or projects affiliated with Israel or Russia."

The cinema said it would refund the organizers the full amount paid for the hall rental. The Best Erotic Shorts festival includes five short films, two of them produced in Israel. As part of the festival's international screening tour, screenings have already taken place in Latvia and Israel, and further screenings are planned in Cyprus and Ukraine.

Organizer Savidler sharply criticized the cinema's decision and posted the letter on social media. "Polish antisemitism exists on a business level, this is unacceptable," he wrote. According to him, this is improper discrimination on national grounds, since the event was canceled only after it became clear that some of the films were produced in Israel.