Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival will honor the late independent cinema stalwart during the annual event’s 2026 installment — its final one in Park City, Utah.
The festival, regarded as a launchpad for indie filmmakers, will feature a gathering titled “Celebrating Sundance Institute: A Tribute to Founder Robert Redford,” as one such “meaningful tribute to Robert Redford and his vision that has inspired generations of artists and redefined cinema around the world,” according to a press release Tuesday.
The Best Director Oscar winner, who died last month at age 89, will loom large over the festival that he founded to nurture independent filmmakers and provide them with a space for their stories to be told.
“We’re looking forward to honoring the festival’s time in Park City and Robert Redford’s legacy,” said Eugene Hernandez, director of the Sundance Film Festival and public programming. “His fearless support of artistic integrity and risk-taking is at the core of the work we continue to do, and the 2026 festival will be a celebration of that important mission.”
There will also be a screening of Michael Ritchie’s BAFTA-winning 1969 skiing film, “Downhill Racer,” Redford’s first independent film and one that served as the catalyst for him to found the the festival. He starred in the film alongside Gene Hackman, who died earlier this year at age 95.
Attendees of the festival will also enjoy The Park City Legacy program, which runs from Jan. 27 to Jan. 30. Included are brand-new digital restorations of previous Sundance breakouts, including “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Half Nelson,” “American Dream” and “Mysterious Skin,” as well as an archival showing of “Humpday” from the late writer-director Lynn Shelton.
In-person and virtual Sundance ticket packages and passes go on sale Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET, with single film tickets becoming available on Jan. 14.
After 41 years in Park City, the Sundance Film Festival will relocate to the larger city of Boulder, Colo. in 2027, giving it space to further expand and support its ongoing mission. The festival’s first year in its new home will be held at venues around the city’s pedestrian-only Pearl Street Mall, as well as on the University of Colorado campus.
