A Jewish film festival in Sweden has been postponed. Organizers say cinemas won’t screen the films

Organizers of the International Jewish Film Festival say they were forced to postpone the event because cinemas in Malmo, Sweden were not showing the films.

STOCKHOLM — STOCKHOLM (AP) — Organizers of the International Jewish Film Festival say they have been forced to postpone the event because cinemas in Malmo, Sweden, will not show films, with some citing safety concerns.

This year's International Jewish Film Festival was to celebrate 250 years of Jewish life in Sweden and will run from November 29 to December 2, according to its website.

Organizers said in a statement Thursday on the festival's website that they had “blocked all commercial and arthouse cinemas in the city.”

They said they would “pause to collect themselves” before starting the process of finding a location again. They added that they had received “heartfelt” support in recent days.

Ola Tedin, one of the organizers, told Swedish broadcaster SVT that some cinemas had expressed misgivings about their refusal because they feared something might put their staff or audiences at risk.

In a statement on Saturday, cinema chain Filmstaden said the decision not to show the films was made in the spring.

“In this particular case, after careful assessment, we have concluded that we are unable to proceed with the festival due to safety concerns,” the statement said. “Our priority is always to provide a safe and positive experience for both our guests and employees.”

Other cinemas, as well as Sweden's culture minister, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday.

The film festival was founded last year.