A movie blogger irate about cellphone usage during a Toronto International Film Festival screening called 911 to report the offense.

At a midnight screening Monday, FirstShowing.net blogger Alex Billington became increasingly annoyed by constant texting and emailing at a screening for press and film industry members. After first complaining to theatre managers, Billington took the extreme step of dialling the police.

He said the emergency dispatcher laughed at his complaint, but Billington took to Twitter to vent his anger. He claimed to be concerned that the movie, the horror film The Sacrament, was being pirated, and that “drastic measures” were called for in restoring moviegoing etiquette.

“I’m just trying to fight the good fight,” wrote Billington, “even if others don’t agree with my methods.”

Billington also noted on Twitter that the cellphone user in question wasn’t a first-time offender: In a tweet sent to a California DJ, he wrote that he had “confronted the same guy before last year,” noting that cellphone use during TIFF screenings is a “big issue.