Robert Redford’s Legacy Takes Center Stage at the First Sundance Without Him
The mountains of Utah are about to host a Sundance Film Festival that feels very different this year, because for the first time, its founder will not be there.
Robert Redford, the Oscar-winning actor, director and lifelong champion of independent film, passed away last September at the age of 89. Now, as Sundance prepares to open its doors once again, his absence is being felt not just on the red carpets, but deep within the heart of the festival he built from the ground up.
In a rare and deeply personal interview, Redford’s daughter, filmmaker Amy Redford, is offering a glimpse into the man behind the legend. Not the Hollywood icon, but the father. She describes him as playful, curious and kind. A parent who encouraged his children to chase what mattered most to them and to believe that creativity could change the world.
That philosophy shaped not only his family, but an entire global film movement.
Robert Redford founded Sundance in the early 1980s at a time when independent filmmakers struggled to be seen. Studios dominated. Risks were discouraged. Voices outside the mainstream were often ignored. Redford pushed forward anyway. Against advice. Against skepticism. He believed that if powerful platforms existed, they should be used to open doors for others.
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And Sundance did exactly that.
For decades, it became the place where unknown filmmakers found their first audience, where bold stories broke through and where careers were launched. It reshaped the film industry and proved that meaningful cinema did not have to come from Hollywood alone.
This year’s festival also carries added weight because it marks a turning point. It is one of the final Sundances in Park City, Utah, before the event relocates in the coming years. That makes this moment not just a farewell to a founder, but a closing chapter of an era.
Amy Redford says her father saw Sundance as a community. A place that came home every year. And that sense of stewardship, toward art, toward nature, toward people, is the legacy now being carried forward.
Why does this matter beyond film?
Because Sundance showed the world that independent voices matter. That stories outside the mainstream deserve space. And that one person, using influence with intention, can change an industry.
As the lights come up and the films begin to roll, this year’s Sundance stands as a tribute. Not just to Robert Redford’s work, but to the values he lived by.
Stay with us as this historic festival unfolds and as the legacy of a true original continues to shape the future of storytelling.
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