Overview

• Redford died in his sleep on Sept. 16 at his home in Sundance, Utah, at age 89, according to an official tribute from the Sundance Institute.
• He founded the Sundance Institute in 1980, from which the festival emerged and reshaped independent cinema, launching careers, influencing studio practices, and elevating documentaries to wider audiences.
• He became a defining screen presence in films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting, and All the President’s Men, even as his directing earned top honors with Ordinary People winning Best Picture in 1981.
• He was a longtime environmental advocate in Utah, donating about 1,200 acres to conservation easements near Mount Timpanogos and supporting efforts that expanded protected lands and blocked harmful development.
• The Salt Lake Tribune reports the annual festival is slated to move to Boulder, Colorado after the 2026 edition while the institute remains, a relocation plan not formally confirmed by organizers.