The opening night of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was unexpectedly disrupted by a group of pro-Palestine protesters who targeted the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), TIFF’s official banking partner.
The incident occurred at the Princess of Wales Theatre shortly before the 6 p.m. screening of “Nutcrackers,” a comedy-drama featuring Ben Stiller and directed by David Gordon Green. The four demonstrators stormed the venue, chanting slogans like “RBC funds genocide,” referencing RBC’s ties to Israel amid the ongoing conflict with Gaza, now in its 11th month.
Videos shared by New York Times reporter Kyle Buchanan captured the protesters brandishing signs with statements such as “RBC is killing our future.” The demonstration lasted about five minutes before security escorted the protesters out of the theater.
Despite the disturbance, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey continued with his opening remarks, opting not to address the situation directly. Meanwhile, the audience, eager for the screening of “Nutcrackers,” responded to the interruption with boos, shouting, “Go home!” and “Go away!”
Requests for comments from TIFF and RBC went unanswered at the time of the incident.
This protest is not the first time RBC’s association with TIFF has sparked controversy. Last year, before the October 7 attack that escalated the conflict in the Middle East, a coalition of Canadian filmmakers, along with Hollywood personalities, called on TIFF to sever ties with RBC due to its financial support for the oil and gas industry.
TIFF’s 49th edition is officially set to begin at 8 p.m. with the world premiere of “Nutcrackers.” The festival will run from September 5 to 15, showcasing films such as Ron Howard’s survival thriller “Eden,” Marielle Heller’s horror-comedy “Nightbitch” featuring Amy Adams, the animated film “The Wild Robot,” and John Crowley’s drama “We Live in Time,” starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh.
This year’s festival aims to regain momentum following a challenging previous edition, which was severely impacted by the actors’ and writers’ strikes, leading to the absence of major stars.
