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Four activists disrupted Thursday’s opening screening of Nutcrackers at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and shouted slogans against the festival’s bank partner Royal Bank of Canada.

“RBC funds genocide,” the protestors chanted as they walked down the aisle at the Princess of Wales Theatre carrying placards in what appeared to be comments directed at the bank’s ties to Israel, whose war with Hamas is now approaching the one-year mark.

TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey was delivering opening remarks ahead of the 6pm world premiere when the protest broke out. Members of the audience booed the activists and some shouted, “Go home.”

Several minutes later the quartet were led out of the building and the screening went ahead. David Gordon Green’s film stars Ben Stiller as a workaholic who is entrusted with the care of his orphaned nephews.

Rivulet Films fully financed and produced the opening night selection with Rough House Pictures and shot late last year in Ohio under a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement. The film, one of a number of appealing sales titles, is represented by UTA Independent Film Group.

Political activism is nothing new on the festival circuit and has been a feature this year. In January, around 100 marchers bearing Palestinian flags and banners attended a ‘Let Gaza Live’ rally at Sundance.

The prospect of political action loomed over Cannes early this summer, although in the end nothing much materialised despite the Israel-Hamas war and pre-festival strike threats by festival workers, and rumours of bombshell #MeToo accusations within the French film industry. 

TIFF had no comment at time of writing.

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