Last week, amid the ongoing war in Gaza, tensions reached the peaceful town of Park City, Utah, where the Sundance Film Festival is taking place. After a series of events and panels addressing Hamas’ atrocities on October 7 and the situation of Israeli hostages in the Strip, pro-Palestinian protestors marched along the town’s main street on Saturday.
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Although the demonstration wasn’t particularly large, with an estimated hundred participants, it gained special attention due to the participation of actress Melissa Barrera, a former star of the Scream film series.
The 33-year-old actress, who was fired from the horror series because of her posts labeling Israel's operation in Gaza as "genocide and ethnic cleansing," took her activism from social media platforms to the streets.
Barrera was spotted walking with the pro-Palestinian demonstrators who carried Palestinian flags and chanted slogans like "From the river to the sea," under the watchful eyes of local police.
Barrera was photographed by U.S.-based entertainment outlet Deadline standing alongside the protesters and joining in their calls, "In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians." It should be noted that according to photos and videos released on social media, Barrera kept her distance from the protesters, and despite expressing her support, didn’t join the group.
Other than Barrera, no other known personalities were seen at the pro-Palestinian march, most of whom arrived from the nearby city of Salt Lake City. Except for a small number of activist creators, they aren’t part of the cinema community attending the festival these days.
The protestors came to Park City to draw the attention of the numerous media outlets covering the Sundance Festival and even engage with the intensive activities of pro-Israeli organizations during the event.