Protesters Rally Against ICE as Political Climate Intensifies at Sundance: ‘Shoot Films, Not People’

Hundreds of protesters marched down Main Street in Park City on Monday during the Sundance Film Festival, chanting anti-ICE slogans and calling for accountability following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.

The demonstration unfolded during Sundance’s final hurrah in Park City, the Utah ski destination where Robert Redford established the festival in 1981 as a haven for independent cinema. The march marked the most visible escalation of the politically-charged atmosphere at this year’s festival, largely shaped by the growing national backlash to ICE’s weeks-long deployment in Minnesota.

“If we are going to stop our country’s slide toward authoritarianism, each of us must commit to regular, sustained and, most importantly, peaceful resistance,” one volunteer with Utah Overpass Action told the crowd. “We must stay engaged until we can come together and end this national nightmare.”

At one point, he asked protestors to observe a brief moment of silence “to recognize and remember the countless human beings who have been abused and killed by ICE over the years.” Demonstrators chanted “Shoot films, not people,” a nod to the ongoing festival screenings and industry events being held right down the street. Other chants included “Abolish ICE,” “Hey hey, ho ho, Trump and ICE have got to go,” and “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here,” while speakers urged attendees to call their senators and push for legislative action.

Jes Vesconte, a U.S.-based activist who led several chants in Park City, introduced himself as a filmmaker who came of age in Los Angeles, “raised by a community of people shaped by immigrants.”

“They are going after our neighbors — our storytellers,” Vesconte told Variety in front of the crowd. “Fascists go after artists because artists let you know that this world was built by people. It’s imaginary — and that means it can be imagined differently. We have the power to do things differently, and artists help us imagine that world. Journalists, artists, storytellers, activists. All of us.”

Throughout the festival, several actors and filmmakers wore ICE Out pins on red carpets and used press appearances to criticize the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde, Will Poulter, Zoey Deutch and Molly Ringwald were among those who spoke out to Variety.

“I’m appalled and sickened,” Wilde told Variety on Saturday at the premiere of “The Invite.” “If we can do anything out here to support the movement to cast ICE out — to delegitimize this criminal organization — then that’s what we should be doing.”