UPDATE; May 17, 2025: After further conversation between Facets and the filmmaker, Kosha Dillz, the cinema agreed to reschedule the event, restating their commitment to the First Amendment and free expression, and that they “regret any unintended offense” from their decision to cancel the screening. They added “in retrospect we recognize that this was an overreaction and not consistent with our mission.”
(NEW YORK) – In Chicago this week, the independent cinema, Facets, cancelled a screening of Bring the Family Home, a film by Israeli-American Jewish rapper Kosha Dillz. In a since-deleted Instagram post, the cinema stated it was cancelling the screening because of Dillz’s previous “public posts,” without referencing what they were, and said that the decision was made for the “safety and wellbeing of our community.” The film is a documentary about Dillz’s music and life on college campuses after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, and the screening was to be followed by a panel discussion.
“The abrupt decision to cancel this screening is a disappointing insult to both the filmmaker and the local community who wanted to see it,” said Jonathan Friedman, PEN America’s Managing Director of U.S Free Expression Programs. “The decision appears to have been driven by fear of free expression — fear of Dillz’s public views and the backlash they might incur. As opportunities for dialogue are narrowing, we need our cultural and arts institutions not to run from difficult conversations but to lean into them — to embrace their role as open spaces of cultural expression and exchange.”
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Malka Margolies, [email protected], 718-530-3582