Utah's Sundance kid steps out of character

By Jeff Vice
Deseret News movie critic

UNDANCE RESORT, Provo Canyon — The face, the voice and even the relaxed wardrobe were Robert Redford's. But there was something eerily un-Redford-like during his solitary appearance for the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.
      Not that Redford has ever been arrogant or rude to the media, but he seemed especially apologetic during the hourlong press conference held Saturday morning at the resort he helped found. Perhaps it was answering all the questions about "Kurt and Courtney," a documentary that was pulled from this year's festival lineup at the last minute.
      It also might have been his tardiness for the media event (he was 30 minutes late). For whatever reason, Redford was surprisingly subdued as he fielded questions from members of the international, national and local media outlets who are covering the festival.
      "The weather is not my fault," he said with only a trace of irony in his voice. Conditions at the resort included a cold and miserable storm of sleet.
      Fortunately, Redford's mood brightened considerably when talk and questions turned to this year's film festival, which runs until Jan. 25, in a variety of locations around the Wasatch Front. He praised the up-and-coming nature of "independent" filmmaking.
      "The films we've shown (at the festival) keep getting better and better," he said.
      Redford also explained the mission statement for the festival, which he describes as the first one "exclusively dedicated to independent film."
      According to Redford, he and other festival officials have two purposes in holding the annual event — to help young filmmakers exhibit their films and give audiences an opportunity to see some non-mainstream movies from those aspiring writer/directors.
      "We're not interested in stuffing people into theaters just to buy popcorn. Merchant mentality like that has dominated the market," he said. "(We are) interested in . . . film as a cultural experience."
      Still, Redford expressed some regrets that the film festival has become a battleground for movie distributors looking for hot new talents, both acting and directing-wise.
      "There are a lot of people rushing out of the screenings with their (cellular phones) in hand after looking at only the first 15 minutes of some movies," he said. "I just urge you to keep open to the possibility of some of the others."
      And to further his goal of helping independent filmmakers whose works don't get major studio distribution, Redford announced some details of the Sundance Institute's new partnership with the national General Cinemas group. That business agreement will lead to the creation of a series of Sundance Cinema Centers, a planned chain of movie theaters that will show solely independent film fare.
      The first of those theater centers will be located in major film markets, including New York and Chicago, but not in Utah.
      Redford also corrected some negative statements that were attributed to him in the press regarding the Slamdance Film Festival — a much smaller festival that is also dedicated to independent film.
      "More power to them. They are very committed to their cause," said Redford, noting that his only gripe with Slamdance officials is the fact that they schedule their event to run concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival — and in Park City to boot.
      Not all the media's queries were serious. The one question Redford left unanswered concerned his carefully tousled hairstyle.