Overview
- The Sundance Institute staged a tribute at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley during the 2026 festival, the first major commemoration since Redford’s death in September 2025.
- The new Robert Redford Luminary Award debuted with honors to Gyula Gazdag and Ed Harris for decades of work with the institute’s labs.
- Ethan Hawke and Woody Harrelson shared personal stories illustrating Redford’s mentorship and civic clout, including Harrelson’s account of a senator reversing course after Redford’s call on Montana wilderness protections.
- Chloé Zhao accepted the Trailblazer Award with remarks on interdependence, while Geeta Gandbhir and Nia DaCosta received this year’s Vanguard awards.
- A public screening of Redford’s 1969 Downhill Racer is set for Jan. 30 at The Ray in Park City as the festival’s final Park City edition proceeds ahead of a 2027 move to Boulder.