- The Sundance Institute will honor founder Robert Redford with a tribute fundraiser event.
- The event will introduce the Robert Redford Luminary Award on Jan. 23.
- Renowned directors Ed Harris and Gyula Gazdag are the inaugural recipients for their contributions.
PARK CITY — The Sundance Institute announced Wednesday that it will host a special evening to honor the late founder Robert Redford and present the inaugural Robert Redford Luminary Award to acknowledge individuals who continue Redford's legacy.
Robert Redford, known for being an Oscar-winning director, liberal activist and godfather for independent cinema under the name of one of his best-loved characters, died in September at 89 years old. He founded the Sundance Institute in 1981 to support up-and-coming films and producers through labs, workshops and mentorship programs.
The Sundance Film Festival will include "Celebrating Sundance Institute: A Tribute to Founder Robert Redford" on Jan. 23. Held at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, the event will honor Redford's "legacy, vision and enduring mission to support independent storytellers," the Sundance Institute said in a statement.
The annual event is a fundraiser that enables the nonprofit to "launch and uplift the work" of artists from around the world through year-round programs in labs, intensives, grants, fellowships and public programming.
"Guests will come together to celebrate Robert Redford and the profound impact of his vision in nurturing independent voices and the next generation of filmmakers. ... (Sundance Institute) has shaped independent cinema and uplifted the power of storytelling and will continue to carry forward that mission," the institute said Wednesday.
Sundance Institute Board Chairman Ebs Burnough said this year will be "profoundly meaningful" as it focuses on Redford and his impact in the film industry.
"We look forward to our guests joining us in honoring and celebrating the vision that we will carry forward," Burnough said.
As part of the tribute fundraiser, the inaugural Robert Redford Luminary Award will be established to recognize artists dedicated to the Sundance Institute and its mission of elevating new voices and championing storytelling.
"The (award) recognizes and celebrates individuals who have, in a visionary way, used their resources, insights, and reach to create possibility where there wasn't, thus doing their part to make the world a better place," the institute said.
The first recipients will be Ed Harris and Gyula Gazdag. The two honorees have served as creative advisers with Sundance for more than two decades, guiding artists to develop and refine their skills while being immersed in the film world.
Harris and Gazdag have played "crucial roles" at Sundance by dedicating their time to mentor and collaborate with generations of filmmakers and artists, acting CEO of Sundance Institute Amanda Kelso said.
Harris has a film, TV and theater career spanning five decades that includes two Golden Globe awards, four Academy Award nominations and an Emmy nomination. He has worked as a creative adviser for the Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs since 2002.
Harris said his time with the Directors Lab has been "the most rewarding, fulfilling, invaluable experiences of my life."
"The work and the people I've met and learned from and loved have enriched my life considerably. I'm eternally grateful to Robert Redford for his vision and passion. And I humbly accept this honor," he said.
Gazdag is a renowned screenwriter, film and theater director and former professor and mentor. He was named one of the 10 best film teachers in America by Daily Variety in 2010 and has been with the Sundance Institute since 1994, first as a creative adviser, then as artistic director of the Directors Lab.
Gazdag said the Sundance labs became his second home and were one of the best things that ever happened to him.
"It has provided me with fresh air, inspiration, camaraderie, moral support and love. I always felt that making an effort to reciprocate all of that results in a fruitful process of free creation," Gazdag said. "This award, bearing Robert Redford's name, to whom I am eternally grateful for what he created, is a great honor for me. It is extremely precious, since it is coming from the place that I cherish and admire."
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will take place Jan. 22 to Feb. 1 in Park City and Salt Lake City. This will be the final Sundance Film Festival in Utah, as it will be shifting to Boulder, Colorado. The Sundance Institute will still be headquartered in Utah and continue to host labs and workshops for producers and filmmakers.
