Natalie Portman Slams ICE Brutality & Laments “Extraordinary Films” Directed By Women “Not Recognized” During Awards Season

Actress Natalie Portman is out and about at the Sundance Film Festival for her new film “The Gallerist” from filmmaker Cathy Yan (“Birds of Prey”) that sees her co-starring alongside Jenna Ortega, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Daniel Brühl, and Charli xcx (“The Moment”).

While Chloé Zhao‘s “Hamnet” has been able to etch out eight award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Jessie Buckley, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay (Zhao and co-writer Maggie O’Farrell), many other deserving films have been overlooked. Portman is highlighting Nia DaCosta‘s “Hedda,” Eva Victor‘s “Sorry, Baby,” Shih-Ching Tsou‘s “Left-Handed Girl,” and Mona Fastvold‘s “The Testament of Ann Lee,” as she believes these “extraordinary films” are deserving of more recognition and were snubbed during this awards season.

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“So many of the best films I saw this year were made by women,” Portman said while speaking with Variety Studio at Sundance. “You just see the barriers at every level because so many were not recognized at awards time. Between ‘Sorry, Baby’ and ‘Left-Handed Girl’ and ‘Hedda’ and ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’…Extraordinary films this year that I think a lot of people are enjoying and loving, but are not getting the accolades they deserve.”

She also took the time to use her platform to speak out on the brutality of ICE agents, “This is such a joyful community celebrating film here and we’re so excited to be showing ‘The Gallerist,’ but we’re also at a moment in our country’s history that is quite devastating,” Portman said while wearing “Be Good” (a reference to murdered peaceful observer Renee Good) and “ICE Out” pins.

“It’s really impossible not to talk about what is happening right now and the brutality of ICE and how it has to stop immediately. But also, there’s a beautiful community that Americans are showing right now. They’re showing up for each other, protecting each other and fighting for their freedom. It’s a bittersweet moment to celebrate something we’re so proud of on the backdrop of our nation in pain.”

It certainly feels like the America public is on a tipping point after executions of peaceful and law-abiding ICE observers in Minnesota when it comes to the unlawful and unconstitutional actions of ICE/DHS coming off more like President Trump‘s personal secret police (masked unidentified federal agents working without ID, badges, and court ordered warrants while violating civil and consitutational rights of residents, brutalizing both citizens and undocumented residents alike) terroizing Democrat-led communities in a show of obvious policitally-motivated intimidation (adding to calls of this adimistration is wading in the waters of authortianism and fascism in plain sight, while habitually lying about events where multiple video footage proves their agents are executing defenseless residents, not defending themselves).

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You can read The Playlist’s review for “The Gallerist” right here alongside our full coverage of Sundance 2026.