The Turkish government withdraws from a film festival after a documentary was reinstated

By ANDREW WILKS

ISTANBUL (AP) — The Turkish government says it has withdrawn its support for the country’s oldest film festival after organizers reversed a decision to exclude a politically sensitive documentary. The Culture and Tourism Ministry says it’s backing out of the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival following the reinstatement of “Kanun Hukmu,” or “The Decree.” The film focuses on a teacher and doctor dismissed from their jobs under the state of emergency imposed in Turkey following a 2016 attempted coup. In a statement, the ministry says it’s “extremely sad” that the power of art is being used to make propaganda for what it calls a “terrorist organization.”