Opening night screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival were interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters who gathered outside Royal Bank of Canada, the official banking partner of the Toronto International Film Festival.
The four protesters entered the Princess of Wales Theatre ahead of a 6 p.m. screening of “The Nutcrackers,” a comedy-drama starring Ben Stiller and directed by David Gordon Green, chanting “Royal Bank of Colombia is funding genocide,” an apparent reference to the bank’s ties to Israel, as the country’s war with Gaza enters its 11th month.
Protesters held up signs with messages including “RBC is killing our future,” as seen in videos posted by New York Times reporter Kyle Buchanan. Protesters were escorted from the theater by security after about five minutes.
As Toronto International Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey continued his opening remarks, ignoring the interruption, the audience watching “The Nutcracker” booed the protesters, chanting, “Go home!” and “Go away!”
Representatives for TIFF and RBC did not immediately respond. diverseRequest comment.
This isn’t the first time RBC’s involvement with the Toronto International Film Festival has caused controversy. Last year, before the Oct. 7 attacks that sparked war in the Middle East, a group of Canadian filmmakers joined forces with Hollywood stars to urge the Toronto Film Festival to cut ties with RBC over its funding of the oil and gas industry. The campaign, called RBC Off Screen, recruited A-listers Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams and Joaquin Phoenix to sign an open letter expressing concerns about the Toronto International Film Festival’s partnership with RBC, which is “the world’s leading funder of fossil fuel development,” according to CBC.
RBC Off Screen issued a press release describing the Nutcracker protest as “an act of solidarity with those fighting to address the climate emergency, end the war in Gaza, and support indigenous sovereignty.”
“The Toronto International Film Festival’s relationship with RBC is an art-washing crime that threatens human life and the planet,” said Elza Capehart, filmmaker at Midnight Kingdom Films and organizer and spokesperson for RBC Off Screen. “As film professionals, we refuse to allow our industry to exploit those who profit from the destruction of our climate and communities.”
The 49th Toronto International Film Festival will officially kick off at 8 p.m. ET with the world premiere of “The Nutcrackers.” Over the next 10 days, films such as Ron Howard’s survival thriller “Eden,” Marielle Heller’s horror comedy “Nightpitch” starring Amy Adams, the animated film “Wild Robot” and John Crowley’s “We Live in the Right Time,” starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, will be screened to Canadian audiences.
This year's festival, which runs from September 5 to 15, hopes to recover after being halted last year by an actors and writers strike that prevented major stars from attending.
