Cineworld pulls Stranger By The Lake

UK cinema chain Cineworld has pulled Cannes Un Certain Regard entry Stranger By The Lake from its circuit days before the film’s release.

Due for release this weekend in at least five cinemas, Alain Guiraudie’s well-received LGBT thriller was pulled after a complaint from another UK distributor about windowing, according to the film’s UK distributor Peccadillo.

Peccadillo’s head of publicity, Droo Padhiar stated: “Multiplex chain Cineworld booked Stranger By The Lake for one-off shows for the first weekend of release, knowing full well we had a two week VOD window on March 7.

“We were then informed today - after publicity had been put in place, listings had been made public, and drives of the film had been sent - that the film will be pulled from all the Cineworld sites, due to a single complaint from an anonymous UK film distributor – who felt it was apparently unfair that we were allowed this.

“One of the senior film buyers broke the news to us this afternoon. We are deeply disappointed that a mainstream audience will not be able to access the film opening weekend – but there are still a number of great independent art-house screens supporting the film including Curzon and Picturehouse.

“We are excited for the release despite this deeply unfair news.”

Cineworld was unavailable for comment.

Stranger By The Lake won the Un Certain Regard directing prize at Cannes last year as well as the Queer Palm (for LGBT-relevant films).

The film follows the love affair between Franck and an attractive but lethally dangerous man he meets at a cruising spot for men tucked away on the shores of a lake.