Redford touts fest diversity
With the #OscarsSoWhite controversy boiling over in Hollywood, Sundance Film Festival chief Robert Redford took the podium in Park City, Utah, on Thursday and affirmed the event’s role as a place for diverse stories, but he declined to jump into the fray.
“Diversity comes out of the word ‘independence’ — that’s the principal word that we operate from,” Redford said when asked about Sundance’s role in promoting diversity. “Generally, it’s something we’re pretty proud of.”
The film academy has come under fire for not nominating white actors in any of its performance categories this year. The Sundance co-founder spoke in general terms about the importance of minority representation but declined to engage directly with the question of Oscar nominations. When pressed further on the issue of the snubs, he and Sundance director John Cooper demurred.
“Why are you asking us?” Cooper said with a small smile.
“I’m not into Oscars,” Redford added, perhaps cheekily. He added later, “What I mean is, I’m not focused on that part. For me, it’s about the work.”
As a venue for voices outside mainstream Hollywood, Sundance has prided itself on movies from black filmmakers. Among the pictures it has premiered in that vein in recent years are “Dope,” “Fruitvale Station” and “Beasts of the Southern Wild.”
Redford was careful to draw a line between showcasing those movies and taking a more activist position.
“The artists are making films about what’s on the public’s mind ... and because we’re in support of the artists we say, ‘Well, what do they come up with?’ ” he said. “We don’t take a position of advocacy.”
Diversity will be on the minds of both filmmakers and attendees during the nation’s preeminent film festival for the next several days. The festival, which runs through Jan. 31, will screen work from a range of black filmmakers and performers, which is sure to further the heated diversity debate already happening in Hollywood.