Sundance Film Festival paid tribute to Sundance Institute co-founder Robert Redford last night (Friday 23), with the late Redford described as “a stunning human” and “a truly great American”.
The festival hosted Celebrating Sundance Institute: A Tribute to Founder Robert Redford at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley just outside Park City, Utah. Redford, who co-founded the Institute in 1981, died in September last year aged 89.
The event included the presentation of the inaugural Robert Redford Luminary Awards to US actor and filmmaker Ed Harris and Hungarian director Gyula Gazdag, both of whom have worked extensively on the Sundance Institute’s lab programmes.
Several attendees arrived on the back of Oscar nominations this week, including Ethan Hawke, Chloe Zhao, Ryan Coogler and Geeta Gandbhir. Further attendees included Nia DaCosta, Tessa Thompson, Woody Harrelson, Chris Pine, Ava DuVernay, Boots Riley and David Lowery.
“Once upon a time, there lived an extraordinary man who connected all of us in this room,” said Hawke in the opening remarks, following a tribute video to Redford. “We would not be here except for the love and appreciation that we all share for Robert Redford. For the creative world that he brought and that he nurtured into being; tonight, we celebrate a true leader, and I hope that we can all keep the fire that he started burning in ourselves and burning out towards everybody else that we meet and as we go forward in our lives.”
Several speakers highlighted Redford’s environmental work. “Robert’s contribution to protecting the environment was part of what made him a truly great American,” said Harrelson. “His genius as an actor was matched by his genius as a director, and he didn’t just create many iconic films, he made space for others to do the same.”
“I want to thank Robert Redford for knowing the importance of interdependence, both in nature and in human nature,” said Zhao, a graduate of the Sundance Institute’s labs programmes.
“He was a stunning human,” said fellow labs graduate DaCosta, in accepting the Vanguard Award from Thompson. “He really saw you. He mentored all of us at the Directors Lab and he was also this presence that made the experience so singular.”
Legacy
“Of all of Bob’s accomplishments as an artist, a conservationist, a political activist, an advocate for Native American rights and culture, I believe the Sundance Institute and its nurturing and support of independent storytellers will be his most enduring legacy,” said Harris in accepting his award.
“At a time when lies have become commonplace, when diversity is condemned, when misogyny is applauded, when hate and intolerance are deemed virtuous, the lab’s support of independent storytelling remains an oasis of autistic, freedom, diversity, tolerance, imagination, hope and love. That was Bob’s vision. I’m a lucky man to be a small part of it and I am eternally grateful to Bob for his vision, passion and generosity.”
“When my dad could have created an empire, he created a nest, and the Sundance Institute was designed to support and protect and nourish, and then to set free,” said Redford’s daughter Amy Redford. “There was no place that dad would rather be but sitting with a new filmmaker, and not imposing some kind of oppressive answer but asking critical questions.
“My dad used what he had to fix what was wrong. And if you would like to honour him, I think that’s a pretty good path. Who my dad was will live in all of you that loved him. Many have said that he was a beacon. And so, that is why the award that we present tonight is all about light. In times of darkness, light is hope.”
Taika Waititi, attending the festival with Australian family feature Fing, closed the event saying “Robert Redford imagined something that did not exist and brought it forward into being.”
Redford’s death and his legacy have been a key conversation point on the mountain this weekend.
“You can feel Robert Redford [here], and thank you to Robert Redford for keeping independent film alive,” Rosanna Arquette told Screen at the premiere of Aidan Zamiri’s The Moment in which she stars. “He really is responsible for so many people’s careers; we need to honour him, and I do.”
The festival runs until Sunday, February 1. World premieres this afternoon include Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer’s Wicker starring Olivia Colman; Olivia Wilde’s The Invite with Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and Penelope Cruz; and Cathy Yan’s The Gallerist with Natalie Portman, Charli XCX, Jenna Ortega, and Catherine Zeta Jones.
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