Reuters
[Source : Reuters]
In 1981, Robert Redford launched an experiment when he invited the makers of 10 low-budget movies to what film critic Roger Ebert described as a “cinematic summer camp” in the Utah mountains.
Four decades later, Redford and the annual Sundance Film Festival that he founded are being celebrated as the foremost champions of independent films. Redford died on Tuesday at age 89.
“I can think of no other human being that has had an impact on independent film and storytelling, and cinema in the independent film world, than Robert Redford,” said Tori A. Baker, CEO and president of the Salt Lake Film Society.
“Nobody did what Bob did,” added Baker, who is also vice chair of the Cinema Foundation. “He looked around and said ‘it’s not just about my art and the film I’m making and story I’m telling.’ Instead, he turned that outward and said ‘how can I help you make your story, and how can I support the story?'”
Redford bought land in Utah in the 1970s for a family retreat. From there, he used his Hollywood fortune to launch the nonprofit Sundance Institute, a workshop for aspiring filmmakers named after his role in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
His goal was to nurture artists who were making movies that were not the traditional fodder of the big Hollywood studios.
Redford invited filmmakers to spend time with him and other established directors, writers and editors who helped guide their projects.
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