Gaza War Protest Hits Sundance On Sunday; “Safety & Security” Top Priority, Festival Says

deadline.com:

The war in Gaza is coming to Park City. Rumored for weeks, a pro-Palestinian protest has been set for noon on January 21 at the Sundance Film Festival.

By coincidence or not, the Let Gaza Live gathering is organized at almost the exact same time a Sundance partnered panel on “deadly tropes about Jews and Israel on TV, Film and Media” is planned on Sunday.

Presented American Orthodox Jewish nonprofit organization Jew in the City, the tropes panel is not programmed by the festival. “We are inviting you to gather with us for a peaceful protest at the Sundance Film Festival, one of the largest indie film festivals in the world, that showcases documentaries and films that break barriers,” said protest organizers on social media last week. “While bombs are dropping, the people cannot continue watching films on their screens while ignoring a genocide in Gaza,” they state.

A post shared by PSAU (@palestiniansolidarityut) “While we do not take issue with Sundance as a whole, we aim to let spectators and news reporters know that Utah stands with Palestine,” the group Palestinian Solidarity UT adds. “We have also been made aware of the demonstration and its commitment to maintaining a peaceful environment,” a Sundance Institute spokesperson told Deadline Friday night. “While the organizers are non-affiliated with the Festival itself, the safety and security of our festival goers is always of concern to us, and we consistently work with local law enforcement to uphold an environment that is welcoming, inspiring, and secure for all our attendees.” The Park City Police did not respond to request for comment from Deadline on the protests.