Protesters Rally Against ICE At Sundance As Political Climate Spills Onto Park City Streets

As the Sundance Film Festival entered its final stretch, Park City's snow-lined Main Street became the site of one of the most visible political protests in the festival's recent history. Hundreds of demonstrators marched through the town, chanting slogans against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, bringing the widening national backlash over immigration enforcement directly into the heart of American independent cinema.

The anti-ICE protest at Sundance was triggered by outrage over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. Protesters carried placards reading "Abolish ICE" and "Shoot films, not people", a pointed reference to the screenings and industry events unfolding just steps away.

Protesters rally against ICE during Sundance finale

According to reporting by Variety, the march marked the most overt escalation of the charged political atmosphere that has loomed over this year's festival. A volunteer from Utah Overpass Action addressed the crowd, urging sustained and peaceful resistance and calling on citizens to remain politically engaged. A moment of silence was held to remember those killed during ICE operations, followed by chants demanding accountability and legislative action.

Activist and filmmaker Jes Vesconte told Variety that artists are often targeted in moments of rising authoritarianism. “They are going after our neighbours — our storytellers,” Vesconte said, adding that artists help people imagine a different world and challenge systems of power.

Politics at Sundance Film Festival: unease behind the premieres

The protests did not emerge in isolation. As The Guardian reported, a conflicted mood has hung over Sundance, with premieres and parties continuing even as discussions of state violence, immigration, and authoritarianism filtered through panels and Q&A sessions. Director Ava DuVernay addressed the killing of Pretti during a public debate on freedom of expression, acknowledging the weight of events unfolding outside the festival bubble.

Several actors echoed this discomfort. Olivia Wilde, speaking at a premiere, said the contrast between celebrating cinema and witnessing real-world cruelty was “appalling”, a remark reported by The Guardian. Edward Norton and Jenna Ortega also spoke about the difficulty of promoting films amid what they described as escalating government violence.

Celebrities react to ICE protests

Throughout the festival, celebrities react to ICE protests in visible and symbolic ways. According to Variety, actors including Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde, Zoey Deutch, and Molly Ringwald wore “ICE Out” pins and used press interactions to criticise immigration policies. Portman later described the moment as bittersweet, telling Variety that while the country is in pain, communities are also showing solidarity and care.

Smaller rallies unfolded across the weekend. As reported by The Guardian, around 100 people gathered for a “Sundancers Melt ICE” rally, attended by actor Elijah Wood, before a larger march took shape the following day. Compared to previous years, the protests were less massive but deeply symbolic, reflecting what many described as protest fatigue mixed with quiet fear.

Filmmakers and activists protest ICE through art

Sundance has long been a space for political filmmaking, and this year was no exception. Panels addressed creeping authoritarianism, the fear of storytellers, and the role of cinema in times of crisis. Filmmaker Kogonada referenced critic Roger Ebert’s belief that cinema is an “empathy machine”, arguing that art is most necessary when humanity feels under threat, as reported by The Guardian.

Festival director Eugene Hernandez also acknowledged the wider political moment during a screening of Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie. Rushdie himself spoke about the growing sense that violence is “just around the corner”, linking personal experience to broader global anxieties.

As political activism at Sundance Film Festival continues to surface, the protests underline a familiar tension. Sundance remains a place for discovery, celebration, and commerce, but it is also a stage where cultural power meets political reality. This year, the message from the streets was unmistakable: the films may end, but the unrest does not.