The stars at the 2026 Film Independent Spirit Awards, including Natasha Rothwell, Tessa Thompson and Kumail Nanjiani, were not afraid to make their anti-ICE stance known.
Amid a tense political era in the United States under President Donald Trump, several celebrities have been speaking out against his administration and his aggressive immigration policies, in particular, during the 2026 awards season, and it was no different on Sunday.
Before presenting the award for best ensemble cast in a new scripted series to the Jason Momoa-led Chief of War, White Lotus alum Natasha Rothwell went off script for a moment, saying, “I’m gonna go to the prompter, but I just want to say, ‘Fuck ICE.’” She was also wearing an “ICE Out” pin.
Other celebs wearing the same pins included Nanjiani, Emily V. Gordon, Hedda actress Tessa Thompson and Lake Bell. The message stands in resistance to federal immigration agents following the high-profile killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by ICE agents last month, which sparked national outrage about the tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.
After Esta Isla (This Island) won the John Cassavetes Award, which is given to a film made for less than $1,000,000, the movie’s directors, Lorraine Jones Molina and Cristian Carretero, stressed the importance of “everybody’s voice.”
“In this time of such inequality and just so many people being silenced and dehumanized, it’s so important for us to raise our voices, and that’s the power of independent cinema and filmmaking, and to change the narrative,” Molina said on stage. “So thank you independent cinema, thank you to the committee and thank you to all of us for continuing to tell our stories.”
She added, “We’re from Puerto Rico and we love our home and we’re inspired by it. And we really wanted to tell our story because everybody’s voice is important, not just a few.”
Esta Isla centers on young lovers Bebo and Lola, who are from different social worlds in Puerto Rico, and escape to a remote area of the island after a murder occurs.
Earlier during the ceremony, The Perfect Neighbor also won the award for best documentary, and filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir used her time on stage to raise awareness surrounding “manufactured fear and weaponized racism.”
The Netflix true-crime documentary explores how Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” laws are applied in cases of systemic racism and violence, specifically focusing on the fatal shooting of Ajike Owens, a Black mother of four who was killed by her white neighbor, Susan Lorincz.
“This film is her [Owens’] legacy, and we are so grateful to her family for trusting us with this story,” Gandbhir said in her acceptance speech. “And our film is made predominantly from police body camera footage. It’s about the intersection of manufactured fear, weaponized racism and dangerous laws like Stand Your Ground that polarize neighbors and embolden hatred and criminal behavior.”
She continued, “It’s a reflection of this moment in time in our country where truth is contested, empathy is overshadowed by fear and where systems meant to protect people are turning against them. So it asks us to look closely and to listen and to reckon with the realities we might otherwise turn away from.”
“I want to honor my fellow filmmakers who are of color, who are immigrants, who are LGBTQ, and everyone who comes from the most marginalized communities who continue to make work against all odds,” Gandbhir concluded. “This award is also in your honor.”
Gandbhir, along with the film’s producers Nikon Kwantu and Alisa Payne, also wore “ICE Out” pins at the Spirit Awards.
The 41st annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, hosted by Ego Nwodim, were held Sunday afternoon at the Hollywood Palladium. Find all the winners here, and check out the star-studded arrivals.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.hollywoodreporter.com ’
