"I started coming to the Sundance Film Festival in 1987 (before it adopted its final name) and returned every year that an outlet was willing to send me. Back in my LA Weekly days, I was chronicling the rise of the independent film movement launched by Steven Soderbergh's "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" in 1989. I interviewed Robert Redford enough that he'd recognize me at the festival. He knew I was carrying his message."
"'We're all in a wistful mood this year,' said Linklater, who brought many films to Sundance, including 'Slacker,' 'Before Sunrise,' and 'Boyhood.' 'Bob's [Redford] not with us any longer. The festival is moving to Colorado, but our industry is based on transformation... We're a hermit crab industry. Obviously, you go where you can flourish and survive, and we've always done this. The film industry moved largely from N"
"In the last days of the 2026 festival, various legacy programs celebrated the great films of the past, from "Half Nelson" and "Little Miss Sunshine" to "Mysterious Skin," whose filmmaker Gregg Araki was back at the festival with new film "I Want Your Sex." And it's not every day you get asked to join a favorite filmmaker to do running commentary on their most recent film, in this case Richard Linklater's "Nouvelle Vague," which just landed 10 nominations at France's César awards."
Longstanding attendance at Sundance dates back to 1987 and chroniclers tracked the independent film movement after Steven Soderbergh's 1989 breakthrough. Robert Redford became a central, recognizable figure whose message resonated with festival regulars. Sundance sustained the wider film industry's health for four decades and plans are underway to reinvent the festival in Boulder, Colorado. The 2026 festival featured legacy programs celebrating influential films, returning filmmakers like Gregg Araki, and special events such as running commentary with Richard Linklater. Festival leadership organized a final veterans' event where filmmakers and producers shared memories and perspectives on the festival's evolution.
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