Stars honor Robert Redford at Sundance gala in final Park City year

Ava DuVernay, Ethan Hawke and Patti LuPone joined hundreds of film lovers and industry figures at a gala in Park City, Utah, on Friday night to pay tribute to Robert Redford, the Sundance Film Festival’s founder, who died in September. The event also marked the festival’s last year in Park City before it moves to Boulder, Colo., next year.

Attendees including Woody Harrelson, Tessa Thompson and Ryan Coogler arrived in an “upscale mountain chic” dress code; the night was described as a reunion and farewell to the town where many filmmakers forged careers. Patti LuPone gave a surprise performance of “Forever Young.” Ethan Hawke, who is at Sundance this year starring in “The Weight” and is an Oscar nominee for “Blue Moon,” said the Sundance Institute has had a lasting impact on generations of filmmakers and spoke of community and looking after one another.

The gala honored several artists supported by the institute: Chloé Zhao received the Trailblazer Award and said, “Trailblazing, or leadership, is not about dominance. It’s about interdependence and it’s about community.” Ed Harris and Gyula Gazdag received the inaugural Robert Redford Luminary Award, and Nia DaCosta and Geeta Gandbhir were given Vanguard Awards.

Key Topics

Culture, Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Boulder, Robert Redford, Ethan Hawke