Royal screening of ‘Brick Lane’ canceled

LONDON – A meeting between the monarchy and multicultural Britain has ended in a mess.\nFor only the second time in more than 60 years, the annual tradition known as the Royal Film Performance has been canceled.\nOrganizers said an Oct. 29 gala screening of “Brick Lane,” which was to have been attended by Prince Charles, had been scrapped. The film has attracted protests from some British Bangladeshis.\n“The date no longer fits in the royal diary,” said Peter Hore, chief executive of the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund, a performers’ charity that organizes the event, Tuesday. “We very much regret there will be no Royal Film Performance 2007.”\nPrince Charles’ Clarence House office said the date and title of the royal screening had never been officially announced. A spokesman said several proposals had been studied, but “we couldn’t find the right film at the right date.”\nHe said officials hoped to hold two royal screenings next year.\nAdapted from Monica Ali’s best-selling novel, “Brick Lane” tells the story of a Bangladeshi woman who moves to the East End street of the same name, a hub for successive waves of immigrants to Britain.\nThe book was praised by critics, but the movie drew protests from some local Bangladeshi businesspeople who claimed it portrayed members of their community as uneducated and backward. The production was picketed during filming on Brick Lane last year.\nPrince Charles’ spokesman said the controversy was a factor in the decision to scrap the screening.\n“The appropriateness of the film chosen is important, but so is the date,” he said on the condition of anonymity in line with palace policy. “It is a mixture of both reasons.”\n“Brick Lane” will now have its British premiere at the London Film Festival on Oct. 26.\nThe Royal Film Performance has been held annually since 1946, except for 1958. It is attended either by the monarch or the heir to the throne. Last year’s featured film was the James Bond thriller “Casino Royale.”\nRoyal officials and gala organizers said they did not know why there was no screening in 1958.