Protests disrupt screening of Israeli film in Toronto

Protesters at the Toronto International Film Festival TIFF) disrupted a screening of the Israeli film, Bliss, on Wednesday night, jumping on stage before the showing began and shouting slogans against 'genocide', as well as holding a protest outside the theater, attempting unsuccessfully to prevent the audience from entering the theater. 

The approximately six pro-Palestinian protesters were taken off the stage by security, according to a report on N12, and the movie, which has the prestigious centerpiece spot at North America’s largest film festival, was shown as planned. 

As the protesters were led out, the audience broke into a chant of, “Bring them home!” a call for Hamas to release the approximately one hundred hostages it is still holding in Gaza. 

Bliss, which has the Hebrew title, Hemda, was made by acclaimed director, Shemi Zarhin, who told N12, “The wretched horror show is over and the movie has started and is going on calmly and beautifully. Sasson [Gabay, one of the movie’s stars] and I are sitting outside the screening with the security guards who are assigned to us." 

A film that almost wasn't made

Bliss is the only Israeli movie at the film festival this year, and Zarhin said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this week that he struggled to complete the film after the outbreak of the war. The movie tells the story of a couple in northern Israel, played by Gabay and Assi Levy, who struggle financially. It is not an overtly political film, although it features Arab characters and could be seen as endorsing coexistence. 

The locations where the film was shot have been evacuated due to the war. A key location, a pool used for hydrotherapy at a community center, was destroyed by missiles fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon. 

 “They don’t want us anymore [at film festivals around the world] and this could break the curse,” Zarhin said, noting that there had been interest in the film from distributors around the world following its inclusion in the festival.