The 2026 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, has become a platform for Hollywood stars to voice their outrage against recent fatal shootings involving US immigration enforcement agents. A significant protest unfolded on the festival's Main Street, drawing attention to the deaths of two individuals in Minnesota and prompting high-profile interventions from leading film industry figures.
Stars Rally Against Immigration Enforcement Violence
Organised as the "Sundancers Melt ICE" demonstration, the event called for a ten-minute respectful gathering at sunset to memorialise Renee Good, who was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on January 7th, and Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by a Department of Homeland Security agent just one day before the protest. Participants held up illuminated mobile phones while chanting "love melts ICE" as law enforcement officials observed from a distance.
Elijah Wood's Emotional Response
Lord of the Rings actor Elijah Wood was among the protesters who spoke out against the violence. He told Deadline publication: "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."
Natalie Portman's Strong Condemnation
Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman made her position unmistakably clear while conducting media duties at the festival, wearing visible "ICE out" and "Be Good" pins on her clothing. Portman delivered a powerful statement to Deadline, declaring: "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's Call to Action
Actor and director Olivia Wilde expressed her revulsion at the shootings, telling Variety: "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."
Social Media Amplification
The protest gained additional momentum through social media channels, with actor Natasha Lyonne among those spreading awareness about the demonstration through her online platforms. The coordinated effort brought together festival attendees and Hollywood personalities in a unified show of solidarity against what participants described as excessive force by immigration enforcement agencies.
The Sundance Film Festival, traditionally a celebration of independent cinema and storytelling, has thus become an unexpected stage for political activism and social commentary, with prominent industry figures using their platform to call attention to what they perceive as systemic violence within US immigration enforcement practices.
