The premiere of Lil Nas X’s new documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was delayed by a bomb threat.
On Saturday (9 September), the security at TIFF was informed that the premiere of Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero was delayed by about 20 minutes while authorities verified that the threat wasn’t credible.
Lil Nas X, 24, was kept off the red carpet during that time.
Judy Lung, vice president of public affairs and communications for TIFF, said in a statement that Toronto police investigated the vicinity of the red carpet ahead of the screening.
“Our standard security measures remained in place during this time and the screening commenced with a slight delay,” Lung said. “To our knowledge, this was a general threat and not directed at the film or the artist.”
The Toronto Police Service also provided a statement confirming the incident.
“Yesterday, at the TIFF, a passerby uttered a threat towards private security,” the statement read. “Out of an abundance of caution, the Toronto Police and the private security swept the scene and cleared within 20 minutes.
“The threat was general and did not target any one person.”
— (AP)
Long Live Montero is directed by Carlos López Estrada and Zac Manuel. It documents Lil Nas X’s eight-month tour beginning in September 2022 for his full-length debut album Montero.
Additional reporting by agencies
