Director Luca Guadagnino offers an upsetting response to one country banning Daniel Craig’s new Oscar-buzzy movie Queer from getting released there. The new drama, which adapts William S. Burroughs’ 1985 novella of the same name, follows Craig’s William Lee, a criminal on the run who becomes entranced with expat Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), forming a romantic connection. Reviews for Queer have been incredibly positive, with the film expected to be nominated for multiple Oscars. However, the movie has been banned in Turkey by authorities, who claim it is “too provocative” for public release.

Now, Variety reports that, while speaking at the jury press conference at Marrakech Film Festival in Marrakech, Morocco, Guadagnino offered an upsetting response to Queer getting banned in Turkey. Encouraging viewers in the country to download the film, he argued against censorship of the movie, saying claims that “the movie was creating social disorder” are unfounded. However, he does hope its banning rattles cages, saying he hopes the film “brings the possibility of societal collapse.” He ends by saying cinema should not be censored, no matter its presentation. Check out what Guadagnino had to say below:

They banned the movie because they said the movie was creating social disorder. I wonder if they’ve seen the movie or if they are just judging it by the outline or let’s say the facetious stupidity of some journalism focusing on James Bond going gay.
[Queer is an] object that shatters our house of values in a way that is so powerful. [I hope the] form of the movie brings the possibility of societal collapse.
I am scandalized by cinema. I am shocked by it, that I’m going to fight the institution who wants to tarnish its inevitable powers.
You can download the movie. I mean, if someone in Turkey downloads the movie, I’m happy. We have only one enemy, which is industrial taste. That is the enemy that we have to fight fiercely against, which is the idea of cinema being slotted within parameters that are given by a sort of invisible law. That is the idea how cinema has to be made to work as an industrial piece.

What Guadagnino’s Statement Says About Queer’s Ban In Turkey
The Director Wants To Push Social Boundaries With The Film

The director of Queer is best known for making movies that defy genre expectations, or that ask audiences to see the world from various new perspectives. His best-known film is 2017’s Call Me by Your Name, another story featuring a relationship between gay men, which was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Guadagino’s best movies often push the envelope on cinema, focusing on relationships in unique ways that resonate with audiences because of his directorial style and storytelling.

4:16 Related Queer Actors Drew Starkey & Omar Apollo On Luca Guadagnino’s Vision And Daniel Craig’s Energy Queer actors Drew Starkey & Omar Apollo discuss acting with Daniel Craig in some intense scenes and jumping onboard Luca Guadagnino’s surreal vision.

Guadagnino’s statement reflects how many boundaries Queer pushes in its making, with many praising it as one of Craig’s greatest roles of all time. His comments about the lead actor’s James Bond movies emphasize how actors ingrained as particular pop culture characters could also have an influence on Turkey’s ban decision. However, it’s clear the subject matter of the movie, focusing on the dramatically intense relationship between two LGBTQ+ men, had a much larger impact on the film’s restriction.

Call Me by Your Name
was banned in Tunisia by its Ministry of Culture for “attack on liberites.”

Our Take On Guadagnino’s Statement About Turkey Banning Queer
He Has Every Right To Be Angry
Custom Image by Yailin Chacon

Since Queer is likely going to get nods at various awards ceremonies, it makes sense for Guadagnino to want a worldwide audience to have access to the film. It’s disappointing that the general subject matter of the movie means his art is restricted in particular countries, especially when he’s released many boundary-pushing movies already. However, that won’t stop the film from getting championed elsewhere, like in the United States, nor at the various awards ceremonies it’s likely to crop up in.

Source: Variety

An American expat in 1950s Mexico City, struggling with isolation and the remnants of his past, becomes infatuated with a younger man, sparking an intense and obsessive relationship.Director Luca Guadagnino Release Date October 6, 2024 Writers William S. Burroughs , Justin Kuritzkes Runtime 135 Minutes Expand