"This ban distances not only a film but the entire festival from its meaning and purpose," Mubi Fest Istanbul organizers wrote on social media.

The arthouse streamer said it pulled the MUBI Fest in Istanbul in the "name of protecting freedom of expression and artistic expression."

Mubi has scrapped an entire festival it had planned in Turkey after local authorities banned a screening of Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer.” The arthouse distributor and streamer was due to hold the annual Mubi Fest Istanbul in the Turkish capital between Nov.

Streaming platform Mubi has cancelled its long planned Mubi Fest Istanbul at the eleventh hour after city governor banned a screening of Luca Guadagnino's LGBTI+ themed movie Queer, which was to have been the opening film.

"This ban not only targets a single film but also undermines the very essence and purpose of the festival," a company statement said after the local government banned the opening night feature.

Streaming service Mubi cancelled their international film festival in Istanbul to protest the local government’s decision to ban the opening film, a gay romance drama starring Daniel Craig. The MUBI Fest was scheduled to open on Thursday evening with a screening of Queer ,

The opening film was banned in the country for “provocative content that would endanger the peace of society.”