Lil Nas X rocks the Toronto International Film Festival with his new documentary

2023-09-11 10:54:54

By Le Figaro with AFP

Posted 33 minutes ago

Lil Nas X was revealed with his country hit Old Town Road and has since become a true icon of the LGBT+ community. VALERIE MACON / AFP

The 24-year-old pop phenomenon presented his film Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero on Saturday September 9. The feature film traces his rise to power and his decision to openly assume his homosexuality.

Cinema and music lovers were spoiled this weekend at the largest film festival in North America, galvanized by the arrival of the phenomenon Lil Nas music industry.

Two feature films dedicated to legendary singer Paul Simon and Canadian rock band Nickelback also premiered at the Festival international du film de Toronto (TIFF). But all eyes were on Lil Nas X on Saturday night, the 24-year-old pop phenomenon revealed by his country hit Old Town Road and who has since become a true icon of the LGBT+ community. Combining images from his first tour with various unpublished interviews, his documentary Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero illustrates the behind-the-scenes story of the artist’s rise to prominence. Real name Montero Lamar Hill, the native of the state of Georgia, in the south of the United States, also talks about his decision to openly accept his homosexuality and the repercussions on those close to him and his music.

Read alsoQueer, blood and rain of rhinestones: Lil Nas X, the rapper who shakes up puritan America

«It seemed very important to me to come out if I wanted to progress“, says Lil Nas X in the film. On the red carpet, co-director Zac Manuel particularly focused on his societal impact as an outspoken and proud gay black man, defying stereotypes through his adoption of avant-garde fashion and his presence massive and eccentric on social networks. “I think it’s crucial to show a different view of homosexuality, being black, masculinity and being comfortable with it. I think that’s something he brings to the audience“, declared the director to AFP. Following the screening, Lil Nas X also took the opportunity to give “his biggest advice” to his excited fans: “Do what you’re most afraid to do».

A few hours earlier, the premiere was disrupted for around thirty minutes by a “general threat” which, however, was not “not directed against the film or the artistsaid TIFF Vice President of Communications Judy Lung. Toronto police told AFP that a passerby “made a security threat», while emphasizing that it was not targeting anyone in particular. For its part, the specialized media Variety, citing an anonymous source, maintains that it was a bomb threat specifically targeting the rapper for his skin color and sexual orientation. Lil Nas X’s agents did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

Retrospective of Paul Simon

Less than 12 hours after the screening of Lil Nas In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon, a captivating dive into the career of the 81-year-old folk-rock icon. “I never wanted to be anything other than a songwriter and singer since I was 13“, says Paul Simon in the film by Alex Gibney, Oscar-winning director behind the documentaries Taxi to the Dark Side et Going Clear. The film compiles archival footage spanning more than six decades, ranging from his stormy collaboration with childhood friend Art Garfunkel to his exploration of world music, with Graceland notably.

Read alsoStranger to Stranger by Paul Simon, a disc full of nuances

It also retraces the work carried out on his latest album Seven Psalms, released in May, and describes how the Grammy Award winner, two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, deals with hearing loss in his left ear. “I really fell into depression», confides the artist, who explains how his creative approach was transformed by this health problem. On another note, it was Nickelback fans who were doubly satisfied on Friday. In parallel with the premiere of the documentary Hate to Love: Nickelbackthe Canadian rock band performed a free concert during the TIFF street festival, returning for the first time since the pandemic.

The group, best known for their hit How You Remind Me, number one in 2001, has faced harsh criticism over the years for remaining too conventional. The film shows how this torrent of reproaches hit the private lives of its members head-on. TIFF continues through Sunday, September 17.