Just hours after a man was shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, Natalie Portman hit the Sundance Film Festival press circuit for “The Gallerist” wearing “ICE Out” and “Be Good” pins. Portman’s “Be Good” references Renee Good, who was killed by ICE in Minneapolis earlier this month. In a Variety Studio interview provided by Audible, Portman publicly condemned ICE’s brutality.
“This is a really fun community that celebrates film, and we’re so excited to be showing ‘The Gallerist,’ but we’re also at a very devastating moment in our country’s history,” Portman said. “It’s really impossible not to talk about what’s going on right now, the brutality of ICE, and how it must be stopped immediately. But at the same time, there’s also the beautiful community that Americans are showing right now. They’re showing up for each other, protecting each other, fighting for freedom. It’s a bittersweet moment to celebrate something that we’re so proud of against the backdrop of our country suffering in pain.”
Portman’s interview was conducted ahead of the world premiere of “The Gallerist” at this year’s festival. Directed by Harvard of Prey’s Cathy Yan and co-starring Jenna Ortega, the film revolves around a desperate gallerist who conspires to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami. Portman praised her young co-star.
Portman said of Ortega, “She’s a really great actress and she’s very knowledgeable about movies.” “She’s very enthusiastic, which is unusual. I think you’re very focused and in tune with everything. You’re not here to mess around.”
Portman went on to call Yang a “great leader,” adding, “She has a clear vision. She does all the work in advance and her precise leadership allows for the possibility of spontaneity. She balances this very specific tone that is satirical but also has real emotion. That’s almost impossible to create, but she knows how to do it and she got us there.”
Because The Gallerist was one of Sundance’s biggest films directed by a woman, and its premiere came just days after the Oscar nominations, Portman took a moment during the interview to criticize the Academy for ignoring this year’s few female-directed films. Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet” was nominated in eight categories, including best picture and best director, but many other films directed by women were shut out.
“Many of the best movies I’ve seen this year were made by women,” Portman said. “We found that there were barriers at every level because so many films were not recognized at awards time. Between ‘Sorry Baby’ and ‘The Left-Handed Girl’, ‘Hedda’ and ‘The Testament of Ang Lee’… there are a lot of extraordinary films this year that I think a lot of people enjoy and love, but they don’t get the praise they deserve.”
