Pro-Palestine protestors take to the Sundance Film Festival

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Park City, Utah – Roughly 100 protesters were heard chanting, “From the river to the sea,” while carrying signs and Palestinian flags on Sunday at the annual Sundance Film Festival. The group was there to show their support for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine.

Joining the rally was former Scream actress Melissa Barrera, who was fired from the movie project after voicing her support for the people of Palestine. 

Organizer Ermiya Fanaeian with Armed Queers of Salt Lake City spoke to KPCW about why they chose to demonstrate there. “We’re here today to demonstrate against much of the Zionist propaganda that is going to be showcased at Sundance and really just let the world… know that Utah has largely stood in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle,” Fanaeian stated. 

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Other protestors said it was important to show up at Sundance because of the publicity the festival regularly generates. The festival is held annually in January at Park City, Utah to showcase new documentary and dramatic film projects.

The local police were notified ahead of time and closed down vehicle access on Main Street.

Ongoing Israel-Palestine Conflict

On Sunday, the Health Ministry of Gaza reported that the death toll has surpassed 25,000 since tensions first rose after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, in which militants killed over 1,000 Israelis. Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly declined the possibility of a Palestinian state. On Thursday, he publicly rejected the U.S. call to scale back Israeli military presence in Gaza. 

The Biden administration has long pushed for a two-state solution despite sending military aid to Israel. There has been growing support for a ceasefire from Democratic members of Congress. 

Netanyahu has said he won’t ease military operations until all hostages have been returned and militant groups in Gaza are destroyed. In a televised press conference last week he stated, “We will not settle for anything short of an absolute victory.”

On Monday, Prime Minister Netanyahu proposed a two-month pause in exchange for the release of all remaining hostages. The hostage negotiations have been stalled for months because Hamas desires to see a permanent ceasefire. If the plan goes forward it will be the longest pause in military presence since the conflict began on October 7.