On 9 September, Toronto International Film Festival attendees gathered at Roy Thomson Hall for the first screening of LNX’s doc, Long Live Montero.
However before the event – which was scheduled at 10 pm – could kick off, a bomb threat was called in allegedly targeting the Grammy winner.
According to Variety, the terrifying moment occurred as the ‘Industry Baby’ artist arrived in his car.
After thoroughly sweeping the area, LNX and his family were permitted to walk the red carpet and pose for photos.
The ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ artist was joined by his two young nephews and father.
Victor Kwong, Media Relations Officer for the Toronto Police Service, gave further insight into the situation in a statement to CNN.
“Yesterday, at the TIFF, a passerby uttered a threat towards private security. Out of an abundance of caution, the Toronto Police and the private security swept the scene and cleared within 20 minutes,” he said.
A spokesperson for TIFF echoed similar sentiments, stating: “Our standard security measures remained in place during this time, and the screening commenced with a slight delay. To our knowledge, this was a general threat and not directed at the film or artist.”
Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero – which is co-directed by Academy Award nominee Carlos López Estrada and award-winning filmmaker Zac Manuel – is set to shine an intimate light on LNX’s personal and private life as he navigates his popular concert tour.
The synopsis reads: “Shot over the course of 60 days with unparalleled access, the film follows Montero Hill, a.k.a. Lil Nas X, on an emotional odyssey through the creation and performance of the critically acclaimed “Long Live Montero” show.”
Before the documentary’s premiere at TIFF, Lil Nas X spoke to Variety about his hopes for the project and the future of Black queer 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,” he said.
“And I mean unreachable as, like, it can go above and beyond. 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.”
As of this writing, a wide release date for Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero has yet to be announced.