Organizers of the Jewish International Film Festival (JIFF) said they were forced to postpone an event in the Swedish city of Malmo celebrating 250 years of Jewish life in the country after movie theaters in the city would not screen the films, citing security risks, numerous outlets reported on Saturday.
The festival was scheduled to run from November 29 to December 2.
Ola Tedin, one of the organizers, told Swedish broadcaster SVT in a Thursday report that she doesn’t “understand what security threat there could be with showing Jewish films. No cinema wants to participate.”
The JIFF said on their website that they were “stonewalled by all commercial and arthouse cinemas in the city,” according to reports. The festival was founded last year.
Finding another venue
Organizers added that they would eventually find another venue, saying that they would "pause to gather strength" before restarting the process.
Outlets also cited the Swedish movie theater chain Filmstaden, which said on Saturday that they "concluded that we could not host the festival due to safety concerns.
“Our priority is always to ensure a safe and positive experience for both our guests and employees.”