The Sundance Film Festival, currently taking place in Park City, Utah, became the site of a significant protest in response to two recent fatal shootings in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The demonstration, called “Sundancers Melt ICE,” was organized for Sunday afternoon and aimed to memorialize the victims: Renee Good, tragically killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on January 7, and Alex Pretti, who lost his life at the hands of a Department of Homeland Security agent just a day before.
Social media influencers within the film industry played a notable role in promoting the protest. Among them was actress Natasha Lyonne, who raised awareness through her posts. Footage shared on Deadline documented the protestors holding up their lit phones and chanting “love melts ICE,” while a small contingent of law enforcement observed from a distance.
Notable figures from the film world, including Elijah Wood, lent their voices to the cause. Wood shared with Deadline: “The folks who have been unlawfully gunned down in Minnesota – it’s awful. Here we are at this film festival that is about bringing people together; it’s about telling stories from all over the world. We’re not divided here; we’re coming together.”
Actor Natalie Portman also took a stand, wearing pins that read “ICE out” and “Be Good” during her media appearances at the festival. Addressing the current political climate, she remarked, “What’s going on in this country right now is absolutely horrific. What the federal government, Trump’s government, Kristi Noem, ICE – what they’re doing is really the worst of the worst of humanity.”
Olivia Wilde, another prominent figure in attendance, expressed her disgust over the shootings, stating, “I’m appalled and sickened. We can’t go another day just sort of accepting this as our new norm. It’s outrageous. People are being murdered… And so if we can do anything out here to support the movement to cast ICE out, to delegitimise this unbelievably criminal organisation, then that’s what we should be doing.”
The protest at Sundance underscores the intersection between the film industry and social advocacy, reflecting a collective commitment among artists to address pressing social issues while emphasizing the importance of unity and compassion in challenging times. The solidarity shown by festival attendees serves as a hopeful reminder of the power of community activism.