Canadian Theatres Cancel Indian Film Screenings Following Targeted Arson and Shooting Attacks

The theatre was first targeted on September 25 at around 5:20 am.

Ottawa:

A movie theatre in Canada's Ontario province has pulled several screenings of Indian films after becoming the target of arson and shooting attacks on two separate occasions in the past week. Authorities at Film.ca Cinemas in Oakville linked the attacks to theatre showings of South Asian films and withdrew the screenings of Rishab Shetty's Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1 and Pawan Kalyan's They Call Him OG from the theatre.

The theatre was initially targeted on September 25 at approximately 5:20 am. According to Halton police, two suspects carrying red gas cans "used a flammable liquid to ignite a fire at the exterior entrance doors of the theatre."

"The fire remained contained to the exterior of the property, with the theatre sustaining moderate damage," police stated.

A security camera video shared online by Film.ca showed a grey SUV arriving at around 2 am. A person wearing a hoodie appears to survey the theatre entrance before driving away. The same vehicle returned to the parking lot twice again. At around 5:15 am, a white SUV entered. Shortly after, the footage shows two individuals arriving at the doors of the theatre and beginning to pour liquid out of red jerrycans. They then light a match and throw it on the ground.

Police described the first suspect as a white person wearing black pants, a black hoodie, dark-coloured high-top shoes, gloves and a medical mask.

The second suspect was wearing black pants, a black hoodie, white slip-on sandals, white socks, gloves and a medical mask and was carrying a cell phone.

The second attack occurred a week later, on October 2, when a single suspect fired multiple rounds through the entrance doors of the building at 1:50 am. Police describe this suspect as a dark-skinned male with a heavy build, wearing all-black clothing and a black face mask.

Investigators believe both attacks were targeted incidents and have requested anyone with information regarding these investigations to contact the District Criminal Investigations Bureau.

Sources indicated the attacks might be linked to Khalistani extremists in the area, but Halton police have not made any statements about the motive. Though a temple in Oakville had previously received Khalistani threats, there is no confirmation regarding their involvement in this case.

Theatre Reacts

The CEO of Film.ca, Jeff Knoll, posted a video on social media saying the attacks were tied to theatre showings of South Asian films. He stated, "We are going to play what we want to play, when we want to play it," and said the theatre would continue the screening of South Asian movies.

🎥 A Message from Jeff Knoll, CEO of Film.Ca Cinemas

You may have seen or heard about the recent arson attempt on our cinema. The good news: only the entrance was affected, and the rest of the theatre is completely safe, undamaged, and fully operational.

These…

However, in a later statement shared on Thursday, Film.ca said, "Evidence seems to show that the participation in the exhibition of South Asian films has led to these incidents at our theatre and other theatres across the GTA."

The theatre announced that as a result of violent attacks, they are withdrawing screenings of Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1 and They Call Him OG.

"We understand that these incidents may be connected to disagreements within the South Asian film industry. While we want to be clear that we do not wish to bow to threats, the situation has escalated to the point where we must take every precaution to protect our community," the statement continued.

The screening lineup on the theatre's website showed no South Asian movies in the lineup.

Other Theatre Cancel Screening Of Indian Films

After back-to-back attacks at Film.ca Cinemas, another Canadian theatre, York Cinemas, also cancelled the screenings of Indian movies. In a statement, the theatre authorities said, "Due to recent incidents, we will not be screening Indian movies until further notice. This decision has been made with the safety of our employees and guests in mind."

⚠️ Attention! An Important Update from York Cinemas Management.

#YorkCinemas #Update #Important

"Advance ticket purchases will be refunded, and the amount should appear in your account within a few business days."