In August 2014, the theatre informed the UK Jewish Film Festival (UKJFF) that it could not host the festival in 2014 (as it had done for the previous eight years) if the festival accepted a £1400 grant from the Israeli Embassy in London, as the theatre did not think that the festival should accept funding from any party to the then ongoing conflict in Gaza. The theatre offered to make up the loss itself but the festival's chief executive director Stephen Margolis dismissed this offer as a "publicity stunt", saying that artistic director Indhu Rubasingham had also demanded to scrutinise the list of films to be shown. The decision led to accusations of anti-semitism and "The Jewish Chronicle" described the decision as "open racism". Rubasingham drew attention to her own and the theatre's record, adding: "I am not anti-Semitic or anti-Israeli".