I am not into Oscars, says Redford – Sundance founder refuses to be drawn into controversy

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This image provided by courtesy of the Sundance Institute and Churchill Productions Limited shows, Kate Beckinsale (right), and Chloe Sevigny, in a scene from the fi lm, ‘Love & Friendship’, a Jane Austen fi lm adaptation, directed by Whit Stillman. The fi lm premieres at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, which runs Jan 21-31. (AP)
This image provided by courtesy of the Sundance Institute and Churchill Productions Limited shows, Kate Beckinsale (right), and Chloe Sevigny, in a scene from the fi lm, ‘Love & Friendship’, a Jane Austen fi lm adaptation, directed by Whit Stillman. The fi lm premieres at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, which runs Jan 21-31. (AP)

PARK CITY, Jan 22, (Agencies): US actor Robert Redford refused to be drawn into the Oscars race controversy Thursday as the Sundance Film Festival he founded got underway in the mountains of Utah.

“I am not into Oscars, I am not into that,” Redford told reporters as he kicked off the annual gathering — a showcase for independent films — in the ski resort of Park City.

“For me it’s about the work,” he said. “Whatever comes from it, whatever rewards come from it, that’s great but I don’t think about it.”

The festival opened amid a storm of controversy in Hollywood over the lack of black actors nominated for the Oscars for the second year in a row.

Filmmaker Spike Lee and actor Will Smith, as well as his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, have said they would not attend the Academy Awards on February 28 over this year’s all-white Oscar nominations.

Asked by reporters about his opinion on the matter, Redford — a two-time Oscar winner — clearly did not want to address the topic.

“Diversity comes out of the word independence,” he said. “It’s a word I’ve operated from principally for most of my life.

“That’s something we’re pretty proud of, how we show diversity in the festival.”

He added that he was by no means against mainstream cinema — “I have been very happily part of that” — and his goal in creating the Sundance festival in 1985 was more to give a voice to independent filmmakers rather “than insurgents coming down from a mountain to attack the mainstream.”

Speaking with a group of reporters following the opening ceremony, festival executive director Keri Putnam said change in Hollywood could only come from the system as a whole rather than members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“What is happening at the Oscars is the symptom of the deeper problem which is not unique to the film and media business,” she said. “It’s something we see in technology and other areas.

Decisions

“When there is a system that has grown up a certain way with a lot of people who look the same that are making decisions, that are gaining power, it’s very difficult for people of different backgrounds to get the chance to get started and move up the ladder.”

She said she hoped Sundance — which over the years has offered a platform for independent filmmakers and launched several Oscar-nominated films including this year’s “Brooklyn” — could positively influence the debate on diversity.

“The problem is, is the talent ready?” Putnam said. “But is the system ready to receive that talent? Are they ready to say ‘yes’ to those sorts of projects?”

The festival, which runs through January 31, will shine the spotlight on some 120 independent features, many by independent newcomers trying to make their mark.

This year’s lineup offers an array of films and documentaries that deal with timely issues such as gun violence in the United States, abortion and homosexuality.

There are also a number of quirkier films on offer, including one about a tickling competition and another about a Depression-era doctor in Kansas who made a fortune peddling goat-testicles as a cure for impotence.

Redford said he was proud of this year’s lineup and the timely topics addressed.

“We don’t bring them up,” he said. “We just put the spotlight on the artists who bring them up.”

The culmination of the Sundance Institute’s year-round work developing fresh perspectives in drama and documentary films is taking over Park City, Utah, for the next 11 days.

Among themes filmmakers are exploring this year: Sexuality, identity, race and gun violence.

Both a showcase and marketplace for independent film, the Sundance Film Festival draws emerging and established artists from around the world seeking a wider audience for their work, and distributors hungry for fresh content. HBO and Netflix have already acquired films making their world premieres in Park City this week.

“Our competition is as eclectic and diverse as it ever is,” said festival director John Cooper. Of 12,700 submissions, 123 features will play at the festival, which starts Thursday and continues through Jan 31. “We’re drawn to originality. We’re drawn to excellence. We’re drawn to different ways of storytelling.”

Love stories are also a trend this year, said programming director Trevor Groth.

“They’re not traditional love stories, but that is what they are at their core,” he said. “It was really interesting to see that filmmakers finding fresh ways of getting into ideas and stories that have been told countless times, but they’re still finding fresh perspectives and angles to tell them.”

While movies are the main event, the spirit and celebrity of Sundance extends throughout Park City with exclusive parties and other starry events, and even a whole other film festival. Here’s a look at the most anticipated movies at Sundance and other festival-related happenings:

n Dramas: Several directors who have become Sundance regulars are back with premieres of their latest films, including Todd Solondz, Ira Sachs and Kelly Reichardt.

Other notable premieres include “Indignation,” a coming-of-age story set in the early 1950s that marks the feature directorial debut of Oscar-nominated screenwriter James Schamus, former chief of Focus Features; “Sing Street,” the latest musical endeavor from John Carney (“Once”); and “Mr. Pig,” from co-writer and director Diego Luna, which stars Danny Glover as a man who takes a road trip with his giant beast.

Some of the love stories in the dramatic competition are “Southside With You,” a take on Barack and Michelle Obama’s first date; “Morris from America,” about an African-American kid coming of age in Germany; and “Lovesong,” starring Riley Keough and Jena Malone as friends who discover a new intimacy in their relationship.

Other films include “Swiss Army Man,” starring Daniel Radcliffe as a dead body discovered by Paul Dano; “Goat,” an exploration of fraternity hazing and violence starring Nick Jonas and Ben Schnetzer; and writer-director Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation,” based on the true story of slave-rebellion leader Nat Turner.

* Documentaries: The slate of documentary premieres is artist-centric, with portraits of Norman Lear, Frank Zappa, Robert Mapplethorpe, Mike Nichols and Maya Angelou in the mix, along with Spike Lee’s anticipated documentary, “Michael Jackson’s Journey From Motown to ‘Off the Wall.’”

The roster of competition films is more varied, with such titles as “Jim: The James Foley Story,” about the young war correspondent murdered by ISIS; “Newtown,” which delves into parents’ grief after the Sandy Hook massacre; “Suited,” which counts Lena Dunham as a producer and spotlights tailors who specialize in making clothing for transgender bodies; and “Kiki,” about the culture of underground dance battles in New York City.

* Oscar Buzz:  With some Hollywood A-listers calling for a boycott of the Academy Awards because of its all-white slate of acting nominees, diversity is bound to be a hot topic among stars and filmmakers at the fest.

* Slamdance: Established in 1995 by filmmakers whose work didn’t make the cut at Sundance, the Slamdance Film Festival has been a scrappy tag-along ever since.

“We’re friendly neighbors,” Cooper said.

“The fact that they’re still around after 20-plus years speaks to the fact that there’s room for them to be championing these films,” Groth added.

Held during Sundance, from Jan 22 to 28, Slamdance presents narrative and documentary features in competition and special screenings. One featured film is “Director’s Cut,” written by magician and TV personality Penn Jillette.

* Big Stars: Star sightings are common in Park City throughout the 11-day festival, but especially during the first weekend. Besides Lee, Radcliffe, Dano and Dunham (also a Sundance judge this year), Danny DeVito, Don Cheadle, Viggo Mortensen, Greta Gerwig, Chelsea Handler, John Krasinski, Gabrielle Union, and Kevin Smith will all be in town.

* Party Places:  Party places abound during the festival, as Main Street storefronts are transformed into temporary lounges and hangouts. Hosts include: Eddie Bauer, Kickstarter, Variety & Fandango, and CNN, which boasts its own coffee bar. Automaker Kia will host a “supper suite” with The Church Key restaurant, serving private dinners to celebrity casts of Sundance films.

Since “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” put it on the map nearly three decades ago, the Sundance Film Festival has been synonymous with indie film.

For much of that time, John Cooper has been a key member of the team organizing the Park City, Utah gathering, rising up the ranks to be named the festival’s director in 2009. He’s seen the business around art house film change, as well. The DVD industry has collapsed depriving companies of a major source of revenue, and major studios have shuttered their indie labels and become less interested in backing edgy, commercially risky projects.

But Cooper insists he’s optimistic about the quality of the films being shown at this year’s festival and across the indie spectrum. He notes that there remains a healthy amount of cross-pollination — studios continue to seek out Sundance artists such as Colin Trevorrow (“Jurassic World”) and Ryan Coogler (“Creed”) and entrust them with their major franchises.

And he argues that the rise of streaming services aren’t just creating a new platform for people to show their work. It’s encouraging aspiring artists to become more knowledgeable about the craft of filmmaking by enabling them to easily access canonical works by top directors.

On the eve of the 32nd edition of the Sundance Film Festival, Cooper spoke with Variety about maintaining Sundance’s indie spirit, what the organization is doing to support diversity, and the big themes that filmmakers will be tackling in this year’s competition.

Sundance has pushed to include filmmakers of different races and genders in its program. Why has that been important?

Is it something we’re pushing? I don’t know. A lot of that comes organically. It’s natural that when you’re looking for interesting stories, fresh stories, original stories, it makes sense to look for diverse filmmakers with diverse backgrounds. Sundance is always about discovery and about discovery of new talent. It’s something that we’ve always been about and that feels good now that the conversation is building around this issue.

Do studios primarily come to Sundance to scout new talent or to buy films?

It goes back and forth with what’s more important — the talent or the finished product. It’s been almost 50/50 the last couple of years. They are absolutely here though to find the next generation of directors. The next generation of actors. That’s what our legacy is and it’s still our strength when you’re looking at the big lineup of festivals around the world.

I just saw Ryan Coogler two days ago at the Golden Globes, and I was just so proud of him and what he did with “Creed.” He came to Sundance with “Fruitvale Station” and that’s where he was discovered and now he got to have his voice in a bigger movie. He infused that movie with a new energy that made it fresh.

So much of the coverage of Sundance focuses on the films that sell and the price they command. Does that bother you that the success of the festival is determined by the heat of the market?

Bother is a big word. I don’t think I’m bothered. I just have to stick to my own goals and my own definition of success. My judgment of success is getting films that play well and the success after that is for everybody else to figure out. We think a lot about the experience of the ten days of the festival. Since I’ve taken over as director we have a lot of things we do for filmmakers to make the experience better — connecting them to industry figures, connecting them to each other. As the festival grew, that stuff doesn’t always happen organically. You have to build some moments for that to happen.

Filmmakers are naturally shy. I do a lot of talking to them about how a festival can be more about building a long term career than that film they are showing at that festival. I’ve been doing it so long, I see so many relationships that happen between filmmakers. We are building a community and the stronger the community, the stronger the films are.

As Sundance has grown, so have the number of companies that flock to Park City to promote their wares. How do you keep the indie spirit alive?

You always have to fight for it because as soon as it’s gone then the whole thing is gone. Sometimes you have to make hard decisions too. There are things that would be really flashy and are fun, but aren’t right. There are films that are okay films that we have to say no to because they aren’t right for our program.

There’s a balance between sponsors contributing to help indie film with those not contributing to anything but to add to their own bottom line. You try to get them on your side, but it doesn’t always work. What I do is to concentrate on the magic that’s in the theater. And we don’t allow much of that into the theaters. You keep those moments pure and magical and almost spiritual, sometimes. That’s what I concentrate on. That I think keeps the spirit alive.

Are you optimistic about the state of independent film?

We’re getting higher quality films than ever before. We’re really at a state of evolution in independent film. I see such an increased depth of story in these films — they’re original and powerful. I see a lot of attention to craft from filmmakers. An understanding of the camera and the angles and the images, and also when you talk about craft, writing. I think some of the best writing is in the dialogue and situations that are set up. That’s what I’ve seen get so much better.

There’s a bar that gets set when a filmmaker will see something like “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” I think filmmakers go “wow, that’s the bar, that’s what I’m going for.” With technology you can see all these films. When I grew up there wasn’t video. It was all luck of the draw what was playing within ten miles of your house. Now you can actually create your own curriculum and design your own course of study.

What themes do you see cropping up among this year’s crop of films?

There are a few threads — examinations of race, of gender inequality. Gun violence in America is a big subject and we have films that tackle that. We try to connect stories with a push for change.

I’m always so impressed by our filmmakers and how much they know and how passionate they are. They’re mostly young directors, but they really have a point of view, and I’m glad they chose independent film as a way to express it.

Is it harder for people to build a career on the success of a Sundance debut than it was when you started?

Things have certainly changed, but that’s not necessarily bad. There was a time, like 15 or 20 years ago, when a lot of people wanted a deal. Then they’d get one and go stagnant. They were producing work that didn’t get made because naturally it wasn’t as commercial as the stuff that the people that picked them up were looking for. It’s kind of like you hire the race horse and then don’t let it run.

Issues around sustainability are real, but look at our returning filmmakers — Ira Sachs and Todd Solondz and Kelly Reichardt. These are all filmmakers who have found ways to live primarily in an independent world. They’re very much staying true to their own vision and their own spirit.

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