(17 Sep 2025)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beverly Hills, Calif. – 16 September 2025
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Bill Kramer, CEO, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:
"In his activism and his philanthropic work, in his community work, it wasn’t just about independent filmmakers and diversity of voices and filmmaking. He was a huge environmentalist, and you saw that in his home, in the way he ran the Sundance catalog and the Sundance resort, and all of the organizations that he was deeply committed to. So he, you know, he walked the talk. I think early on, he moved to Utah and really started thinking about community, the environment, commitment to diverse voices, commitment to indigenous voices. I mean, the indigenous lab that he started at Sundance basically started the American Indigenous filmmaking community with Heather Rae and Bird Runningwater. So the amount of extensions from his work and how it’s impacted us is massive."
STORYLINE:
The CEO of the U.S. film academy is remembering Robert Redford’s "deep commitment to Indigenous stories, queer stories, all marginalized communities."
Bill Kramer got his start in the film world working under Redford in fundraising at the Sundance Institute and is now CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
"He was so committed to diversity of voice and thought, and he was deeply committed to storytelling and to the heart of filmmaking, and that’s who he was, and you saw that every day in everything he did. I mean, he was a truly authentic person," Kramer said in an interview Tuesday at his office in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Kramer says Redford’s one competitive Oscars win — at the 1981 ceremony, for his directorial debut "Ordinary People" — marked a turning point in his career.
"That was such an important moment for him, because people saw him differently after that moment, and the complexity of that film, the way it dealt with mental health issues. But the seriousness with which he treated really delicate subjects, the way he took Mary Tyler Moore and said you could be a different sort of actress, and I’ll help you with that. I mean, on every level, that film is a masterpiece," he said. "So I was really thrilled, even as a young person seeing him win that Oscar, but then he was honored many years later with an honorary Oscar for his body of work, and for his commitment to independent filmmaking and everything he has achieved through the Sundance Institute."
Redford’s founding of Sundance — the premier independent film institute and festival in the U.S. — has impacted Hollywood deeply, with many Sundance filmmakers moving on to commercial success within the studio system.
"So many filmmakers working today—David O. Russell, Ava DuVernay, Chloé Zhao, Ryan Coogler—came through Sundance. So whether they stay in the independent space or move on to bigger films, I think they all credit Bob and Sundance with launching their careers. It’s remarkable," he said.
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