Chicago cinema relents after canceling pro-Israel movie screening, then cancels it again

JTA — Soon after a Chicago theater canceled a screening of a documentary about campus antisemitism, its operators had second thoughts.

Facing a firestorm of criticism charging the theater with antisemitism, the operators of Facets Film Forum said they would work with the filmmaker, an Israeli-American Jewish rapper who goes by Kosha Dillz, to reschedule a screening of “Bring The Family Home.”

“FACETS Film Forum respects the First Amendment, its protections of free speech and the right to express views through film,” Facets said in a statement. “We regret any unintended offense our decision to cancel a privately organized, public film screening caused the filmmaker, those seeking to attend the event, and members of our community who have experienced or witnessed oppression or discrimination in any form.”

But now, without ever announcing a new showtime for “Bring The Family Home,” the theater has abandoned the plan to reschedule — citing online “harassment” from the filmmaker and a pro-Israel group that was a partner on the screening.

Shortly before a planned meeting with Kosha Dillz, whose real name is Rami Even-Esh, on Tuesday, the theater informed him that it would not be moving forward.

In a statement, Facets alleged that the Chicago Jewish Alliance, Kosha Dillz and “individuals that appear to be their supporters” had waged an email campaign against the theater. The activists, it said, were “vilifying FACETS” to donors, arts groups and others.

Launched in January 2024 after Chicago’s mayor voted to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, the Chicago Jewish Alliance has taken an aggressive stance in pushing back against what it perceives as antisemitism in Chicago.

It was an organizer of the original screening; after that showing was canceled, CJA exhorted its followers to send emails to the theater decrying the move as “shameful.”

“Facets claims to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion. But those values seem to vanish when it comes to a proud, outspoken Jewish artist,” the email said. “You didn’t cancel the film because of safety. You canceled it because of discomfort with Jewish visibility.”

In its statement on Tuesday, Facets said it had gotten more than 2,500 messages, in addition to social media posts criticizing it. In one instance, which it said it had reported to police, the theater said an online post was “offering a bounty to anyone willing to burn down FACETS’ building.” It did not specify who had made the post.

“Given these acts, we are ceasing any further discussions with CJA and Mr. Dillz. FACETS will not tolerate harassment of its staff from any organization,” the theater said in the statement.

In an interview, Even-Esh distanced himself from Facets’ allegations and rejected the idea that he had acted inappropriately.

“I never did that, so that has nothing to do with me, I’m just the one who got cancelled,” he said. He later added, “I was the one who reached out to them to set up the calls so for me it feels a little bit of a slap in the face.”

He said he had hoped for a different outcome after speaking repeatedly with the theater in the weeks since the canceled May 13 screening.

“I’m extremely let down and exhausted and emotionally like an emotional roller coaster,” he said. “I really spent a lot of time preparing to work with them.”

Facets says it remains committed to showcasing Jewish stories, noting that it hosted a screening of a different film as part of the Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema’s 20th Anniversary Celebration in March. Earlier this month, the theater also screened “No Other Land,” the Oscar-winning documentary about the Israeli demolition of a village in the West Bank. Despite critical acclaim, “No Other Land” has not achieved wide distribution in the United States.

Even-Esh said he believed Facets had excluded his film because it only wanted to air certain Jewish perspectives. Facets’ statement listed other Jewish-themed movies it had screened, but Dillz said they present an incomplete picture of the Jewish experience.

“They’re afraid of random calls and they’re afraid of emails, and they want Jewish films that aren’t going to get people angry or thinking,” he said.

“All the films that they cited in that letter, none of those films have anything to do with my film,” he said at another point. “None of those films show a sort of pro-Israel approach, so that’s what selective Jewishness is — I think I’m making up the term — or silent exclusion, this bigotry.”

Even-Esh said he still hopes to show “Bring the Family Home” on June 22 in Chicago and is working on securing a venue. He said he felt it was important to “bring people together” following the killing of two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, last week.

“There’s a lot of things to talk about, what’s happening and how that leads to certain things, and why it’s important to still try to bring people together and foster conversation,” he said.

You appreciate professional journalism

Join Our Community

Join Our Community

Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this