Just before its premiere, the Salzburg arthouse cinema Das Kino cancelled the screening of a new film by director Joyce Rohrmoser.
The cancellation was officially attributed to scheduling conflicts and a full screening calendar. The film, supported by public funds and the local Jewish community (IKG), explored Jewish life in the festival city and was to include a discussion with IKG President Elie Rosen.
Rosen described the cancellation as a “fatal signal,” arguing it reflects a wider reluctance to engage with Jewish topics and a concerning silence from Salzburg’s cultural and political institutions.
He criticized the decision as opportunistic rather than logistical.
“The silence weighs more heavily than the rejection itself,” said Rosen.
The incident follows a series of antisemitic events in Austria, including an Israeli couple allegedly turned away from a campsite in Tyrol and Israeli-American musician Amit Peled claiming discrimination in a Vienna pizzeria.
Israel’s ambassador, Austrian politicians, and Jewish community leaders condemned the incidents, emphasizing that antisemitism has no place in Austria.
