The Sundance Film Festival will introduce the Robert Redford Luminary Award in 2026 to honor the legacy of its late founder, Robert Redford. The inaugural recipients of this new accolade will be actor Ed Harris and filmmaker Gyula Gazdag, recognized for their longstanding contributions to independent film and the Sundance Institute’s creative programs.
Harris and Gazdag are set to receive the Robert Redford Luminary Award during the festival’s annual fundraiser, titled Celebrating Sundance Institute: A Tribute to Founder Robert Redford. The event is scheduled for Friday, January 23, at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah, serving both as a memorial to Redford and a support mechanism for the Institute’s mission to nurture independent storytelling.
A Tribute to Robert Redford’s Vision and Legacy
Ebs Burnough, Chair of the Sundance Institute Board, emphasized the significance of the new award, stating,
“This will be a profoundly meaningful year for Sundance Institute as we honor our founder, Robert Redford. This special evening supports the mission that he built this organization upon.”
She highlighted how the event allows the nonprofit to continue empowering independent artists worldwide through various programs:
“This annual event enables the nonprofit Institute to continue to launch and uplift the work of independent artists from all over the world through labs, grants and public programs. We look forward to our guests joining us in honoring and celebrating the vision that we will carry forward.”
Ed Harris: Celebrated Actor and Dedicated Sundance Mentor
Ed Harris, acclaimed for his acting career with four Oscar nominations and three Emmy nods, will be one of the first to receive the Robert Redford Luminary Award. His film career includes directing and starring in Pollock (2000), which earned him a Best Actor Academy Award nomination. Beyond acting, Harris has been deeply involved with Sundance, serving as a creative advisor for the Directors and Screenwriters Labs for over two decades.
Reflecting on his connection to Sundance, Harris said,
“My association with Sundance Institute has primarily been with the Directors Lab. I’ve fortunately been asked to take part in the lab as an advisor for the past 19 years. Those weeks have been at the top of the list of the most rewarding, fulfilling, invaluable experiences of my life. The work and the people I’ve met and learned from and loved have enriched my life considerably. I’m eternally grateful to Robert Redford for his vision and passion. And I humbly accept this honor.”
Gyula Gazdag: Esteemed Filmmaker and Educator
Gyula Gazdag, the other inaugural honoree, is recognized as a screenwriter, director, and educator with notable works including A Poet on the Lower East Side: A Docu-Diary on Allen Ginsberg, A Hungarian Fairy Tale, and Elveszett illúziók. Gazdag has also held distinguished roles as a professor emeritus at UCLA, creative director at Amsterdam’s Binger Filmlab, and mentor at Berlinale Talents’ Script Station. Since 1994, he has contributed extensively to the Sundance Institute as a creative advisor and artistic director for the Directors Lab beginning in 1997.
Gazdag described his experience at Sundance as deeply personal:
“The Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs became my second home throughout the years, where everything is about nurturing independent art, and that is second nature to every person who is part of it. It has provided me with fresh air, inspiration, camaraderie, moral support and love. I always felt that making an effort to reciprocate all of that results in a fruitful process of free creation. Becoming part of the Sundance Institute family is one of the best things that ever happened to me. This award, bearing Robert Redford’s name, to whom I am eternally grateful for what he created, is a great honor for me. It is extremely precious, since it is coming from the place that I cherish and admire.”
Sundance Institute’s Transition and Continued Commitment
The announcement of this new award comes amid significant changes for Sundance. The 2026 festival will be the first held without Robert Redford and the last to take place in Utah before relocating to Boulder, Colorado, in 2027. This shift marks a new chapter while sustaining Redford’s vision for fostering independent creativity.
Amanda Kelso, Acting CEO of Sundance Institute, commented on the award’s importance:
“We are immensely honored to recognize the legacy of Robert Redford through this annual event. We are pleased to introduce the Robert Redford Luminary Award to Ed Harris and Gyula Gazdag, who have played crucial roles in the Sundance Institute labs for over two decades and strongly exemplify the mission that Mr. Redford set for the organization. By dedicating their time to mentoring artists and collaborating with the fellows who have come through the labs, they have been influential in the development of generations of filmmakers. We are proud to continue this important work with them.”
The Robert Redford Luminary Award not only celebrates two exceptional talents but also symbolizes the ongoing dedication of Sundance Institute to support independent voices in cinema. Honoring Harris and Gazdag extends Redford’s mission of empowering storytellers while marking a hopeful and transformative moment in the festival’s history.
