“Once upon a time, there was an extraordinary man who connected all of us in this room,” Ethan Hawke narrated at the opening of Sundance Institute’s annual gala, paying tribute to the festival’s late founder.
“We wouldn’t be here without our love and appreciation for Robert Redford,” Hawk said.
This year’s event was emotional not only because it was Park City’s last hurray, but also because it was held just after Redford passed away at age 89 in September. The actor-turned-director was a sought-after mainstay in the 70s and 80s with films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Way We Were, and All the President’s Men.The 1978 Sundance Film Festival was held as a launching pad for independent filmmakers. Friends of the filmmaker and festival alumni including Woody Harrelson, Chloé Zhao, Ava DuVernay and Taika Waititi made the trek to the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley one last time Friday night to toast Redford.
“For some young people who didn’t live in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, it can be difficult to understand what Robert Redford meant to my generation,” Harrelson said. “He was part of my childhood.”
Harrelson described a feeling of “uncontrollable euphoria” when he met Redford while filming the erotic thriller “A Lewd Proposal” in the early ’90s. “I admit he’s the only person on the planet I’d sell my wife to,” Harrelson chimed in. “And I’m not shy to admit that he’s the only person I’d want my money back if he took me out for the night.”
At Friday night’s event, Chao, who recently made history as the first person of color and second woman to receive two Oscar nominations for Best Director, was presented with the Trailblazer Award for her work in Hamnet. Nia DaCosta, who recently directed “Hedda” and made her Sundance debut with 2018’s “Little Woods,” won the Vanguard Award.
“Being part of this community taught me something very important. Being a pioneer or leadership is not about being dominant. It’s about interdependence. It’s about community,” Zhao said. “I would like to thank Robert Redford for recognizing the importance of interdependence in nature and human nature.”
Hawke, who has been a regular at Sundance for decades, including in the film “Before Sunrise” and this year’s drama “The Weight,” told the story of the first time he met Redford. Hawke auditioned for the 1992 drama A River Runs Through It but did not get the role. Hawke remembers Redford, who directed the film, telling him: “You’re too young for this role, but I want you to know that you’re going to have a great career, and I can’t wait to see this movie.”
What did Hawk get out of the exchange? “He believed in me. He followed me. He came to see my play. It was a 99-seat theater, and it was $10 a ticket. What was that?” Hawk recalled. “He advocated for other people. The fact that he had the time to care for all of us means so much.”
A recurring theme of this emotional evening was Redford’s passion for developing and supporting new talent, and his insistence that they call him “Bob.” But several filmmakers, including DuVernay and DaCosta, admitted they’re not comfortable using casual nicknames for people they consider heroes.
“When I think of Robert Redford, I remember how annoyed he was when I didn’t call him Bob,” DuVernay said. “If he asked me why, I’d say, ‘Because you’re Mr. Redford.’ He’d say, ‘Eva, please call me Bob.’
(That wasn’t the case for Waititi, who joked later in the night, “Robert Redford, Bob is for me, not you.”)
Before Patti LuPone made a surprise appearance and performed a heartfelt rendition of “Forever Young,” Robert’s daughter Amy Redford paid tribute to her father, saying the night “felt like coming home.”
“I can’t stop thinking about all the galas my dad wasn’t interested in attending,” Amy said. “And I thought about how much my dad would have actually enjoyed this gala.”
