Bomb threat delays rapper Lil Nas X documentary premiere at TIFF

Los Angeles, Sep 10 (IANS) Rapper Lil Nas X was attending the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where his new documentary feature ‘Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero’ was supposed to air. However it was delayed, when the rapper received an anonymous bomb threat, targeting him.

The gala screening was scheduled for a 10 p.m. start at Roy Thomson Hall, one of TIFF’s premier venues.

The documentary’s co-directors Carlos Lopez Estrada and Zac Manuel and editor Andrew Morrow arrived on the red carpet first, posing with fans that lined the entryway.

But as their subject, rap sensation Lil Nas X, pulled up in his car to join them, organisers were informed that a bomb threat had been called in and the artist was told to hold. The bomber specifically was targeting Lil Nas X, for being a black-queer person, sources told Variety.

Nas’ arrival was delayed 20 minutes while TIFF security conducted a sweep of the venue. After the threat was proved not credible, he joined Estrada and Manuel on the red carpet and the screening began at approximately 10:30 p.m.

TIFF has relatively been safe for most of its lifetime, though in 2018, 10 people were killed when a driver intentionally rammed into the festival, leading organisers to greatly tighten the security.

Talking about his documentary, Lil Nas X told Variety, that he hopes the film will have an impact on audiences, especially as it addresses issues of representation.

“I know in my lifetime, while I’m here, I’m going to do my best to make the ceiling unreachable to where we can go as Black queer people,” Nas said. “And I mean unreachable as, like, it can go above and beyond.”

He continued: “I feel like we live in a generation where Black queer people really control culture, and they’re helping really take the world to the next level. And I think that’s going to have an effect on our youth watching us.”