In this week’s episode of The Screen Podcast, legendary producer and WMA agent Cassian Elwes looks back on his years attending Sundance Film Festival and how they helped to shape the independent film industry.

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Screen’s Americas editor Jeremy Kay and Elwes – whose producing credits include Blue Valentine, Dallas Buyers Club and The Butler – begin by remembering the late Robert Redford, who co-founded the festival and worked with Elwes on several occasions.

“The film industry owes him an enormous debt,” said Elwes. “It’s not just the fact that they had the film festival and the films were playing there. It’s that they had the programmes that he set up, the Sundance Institute that he funded with his own money and started.

“The amount of incredible filmmakers that came through that programme that are now major star directors,” the Elwes continued, citing the likes of Ryan Coogler and Steven Soderbergh.

The duo also discusses the Sundance Institute’s new CEO, late-night deals at the festival over the years and what the impending move to Colorado means for the event.

London-born Elwes also co-headed William Morris Independent between 1994-2009, representing independent films and filmmmakers and helping to create the contemporary packaging model. 

The Screen Podcast is now moving to weekly episodes, to be released every Thursday. It will be produced and edited by Ellie Calnan with Wendy Mitchell serving as editorial director.

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