Sundance: Robert Redford Kicks Off Fest With Diversity Emphasis

Even up here in the snowy peaks of Park City, where independent film continues to thrive as a far more inclusive arm of the Hollywood ecosystem than any other, you could hear the rumbles of #OscarsSoWhite on Thursday as the Sundance Film Festival kicked off with the annual Robert Redford press conference.

In a moment where high-profile black performers and directors (including Spike Lee, Will Smith, and Jada Pinkett Smith) are boycotting the Oscars and the Academy’s president is promising “big changes”, Redford’s refusal to take a stance on Hollywood’s diversity issues is particularly noteworthy.

Later, concerned at how his remark might be interpreted by the press in attendance, Redford elaborated. What I mean is that I’m not focused on that.

“I came here originally because of the beauty of the land”, he explained. Whatever reward comes of it that’s great.

In past years, films that have premiered at the festival have earned rave reviews, and many directors, including Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh built their reputations there. Sundance, since its inception over 20 years ago, has served to showcase films from an ethnically diverse pool of film-makers who have gone on to become powerful forces in the industry.

“Diversity comes out of the word ‘independence, ‘” he said. It’s a word that I’ve operated from personally for most of my life… If you’re independent-minded, you’re going to do things different than the common fort. That’s something we’re genuinely proud of – how we show diversity because it’s tied to the fundamental word of independent… “I was slightly a little bit of a nay-sayer about it, until you start putting on that headset and going into these realities that are so moving”.

It has an impeccable record in promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity, but it does so by way of telling great stories, not by pointing fingers, said Redford, who was dressed as per the Sundance norm of casual sweater, blue jeans and cowboy boots.

He continued: “When we have these issues that come up, we don’t bring them up, we just bring a spotlight on the artists who bring them up”. We have a seat at that table in terms of providing a constructive voice [and we want to] try and facilitate that handoff.

It’s a challenging environment right now for indie film, Redford said, as many new distractions compete for audience attention and money.

When asked by a reporter about the lack of diversity in mainstream films, Redford responded, “There’s always a tendency, it seems, to label things and speak out against things, but I want to make it clear that I’m not against the mainstream”.

“I think it’s always changing”, Redford said.

“The idea of running an independent film festival was not meant to be like insurgents coming down from the mountain to attack the mainstream”. It was meant to broaden the category. There are 854 total festival screenings planned this year at 16 different venues throughout Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Provo Canyon.

The fact that the tale skewers USA lore made all the more reason to screen the film south of the border first, says Johnson, calling it “their story”. I still love meeting people on the bus, chatting about what films they’ve seen and loved (or hated). “That’s when I realized we were creating opportunity to have more viewership”.

Redford says as the popularity of this festival grows, so does the number of submissions making Festival Director John Cooper’s job more hard.

The movie, “As You Are”, a teenage drama talking about the availability of weapons will debut at the Sundance Film Festival.