Dominic West, Andrew Scott “Deplore” Ban Of LGBT Movie ‘Pride’

In an open letter, the filmmakers and cast behind 2014 LGBT-themed comedy-drama Pride have said they “deplore” a recent ban on the movie in Turkey, which is cracking down on LGBT events.

According to Reuters, authorities in the Turkish capital Ankara last week banned a screening of the BAFTA-winning film citing risks to public safety. The ban came before an LGBT parade in Istanbul on Sunday was teargased by police. Authorities have forbidden the march in recent years.

Actors Dominic West, Andrew Scott, Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton are among signatories of today’s open letter which expresses “unshakeable solidarity and support for LGBT+ people in Turkey.”

“We are disturbed by reports of the growing repression of the LGBT+ community in Turkey culminating in the recent ban of the annual Pride parade and police violence against those who courageously defied the ban,” says the letter.

“Reports that the Ankara authorities also banned a screening of the film Pride are a chilling reminder that political authoritarianism regards artistic expression as its enemy. We deplore the decision of the Ankara Governate in banning the screening of Pride, and call on the Ambassador for Turkey in London, Abdurrahman Bilgiç, and the UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, to condemn the repressive actions of the Turkish authorities.”

Golden Globe-nominee Pride, which screened at the Istanbul Film Festival in 2015, follows UK gay activists who work to help miners during their lengthy strike in the summer of 1984.

“As everyone who has seen Pride knows, it is a love story; a simple but powerful tale of how one community under attack from a repressive government extended the hand of friendship to another community threatened with destruction,” continues the letter.

The full list of signatories is below:

Matthew Warchus

Bill Nighy

Imelda Staunton

Dominic West

Andrew Scott

Joe Gilgun

David Livingstone

Stephen Beresford

Gethin Roberts

Nicola Field

Mike Jackson