Sundance Film Festival “deeply saddened” by death of founder Robert Redford
Sundance Film Festival has honoured its late co-founder Robert Redford, who has died aged 89.
Redford passed away in his sleep at his home in Utah, near Sundance, on September 16th. Cindi Berger, the chief executive of the publicity firm Rogers and Cowan PMK, said that Redford died in “the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved” and stated that he “will be missed greatly”.
The late Hollywood icon, who starred in beloved films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting and All the President’s Men, founded the festival in 1981.
Over the last 44 years, it has become a vital part of the cinematic calendar and has shone a light on independent filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Chloe Zhao, Ryan Coogler and more, who later became stars of the mainstream.
In a statement, the Sundance Institute said of Redford’s passing: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our founder and friend Robert Redford. Bob’s vision of a space and a platform for independent voices launched a movement that, over four decades later,has inspired generations of artists and redefined cinema in the U.S. and around the world.”
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Their message continued: “Beyond his enormous contributions to culture at large, we will miss his generosity, clarity of purpose, curiosity, rebellious spirit, and his love for the creative process. We are humbled to be among the stewards of his remarkable legacy, which will continue to guide the Institute in perpetuity.”
Redford was hugely proud of what he created with Sundance. Reflecting on the 30th anniversary of the festival, he shared to the BBC, “We started Sundance as a place to come and develop new artists, with the ambition of creating a community and giving them a platform for their work. I don’t think our mission has changed at all.”
His decision to hold it in his adopted home state of Utah rather than the traditional cinematic strangleholds of New York or Los Angeles was also deliberate. Redford recalled in 2014, “I said, let’s put it in Utah, let’s make it hard to get to. Let’s make it weird.”
No cause of death has been revealed for Redford. However, tributes have poured in from across Hollywood with the likes of Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda, Colman Domingo, and Ron Howard honouring the late icon of the screen.
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