A post-screening discussion of the Armenian genocide has been cancelled after NSW Treasurer Gladys Berejiklian, a senior figure in the Armenian-Australian community, withdrew, allegedly in response to the presence of Turkish "genocide deniers" on the panel, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The discussions had to be held following the screenings at the German Film Festival in Sydney and Melbourne of the film The Cut, from acclaimed German-Turkish director Fatih Akin. 

According to Arpad Solter, director of the film festival, "the minister was concerned about appearing on a platform with genocide deniers".

The spokesman for the Treasurer declined to confirm that that was the case. "It's fine for the organisers to say that, but we're not actually commenting on it at all," he said. 

Solter said that once the minister left, other Armenian representatives also followed suit. "If there's no dialogue possible, and that's what we were aiming for, then the decision had to be made to cancel," he said.