Robert Redford to Take Sundance Film Festival to London

May 31, 2011
Cecily Layzell

Annette Bening & Julianne Moore in The Kids Are All Right - Suzanne Tenner

Actor and filmmaker Robert Redford has launched Sundance London, a 4-day version of his Sundance Film Festival to run in the British capital in April 2012.

The Sundance Film Festival is going international. Veteran actor and filmmaker Robert Redford has launched Sundance London, a four-day film and culture festival which will take place in the British capital in spring 2012.

Sundance London will run from April 26-29, three months after the 10-day film festival in Park City, Utah, and "bring to the UK the very best in current American independent cinema," the actor said announcing the event.

He added that the festival’s goal was “to help build a picture of our country that is broadly reflective of the diversity of voices not always seen in our cultural exports."

The inaugural edition of Sundance London will include a selection of movies from the 2012 Sundance Film Festival alongside live music, master classes, discussions and other cultural programming.

Sundance London to Be Held at The O2

Sundance London will run at The O2, part of the former - and controversial - Millennium Dome complex in south-east London.

The event is being organised in partnership with AEG Europe, a sports and entertainment company that owns and operates The O2.

Speaking of AEG Europe’s involvement, Senior Executive Director Alex Hill said: “We’re particularly proud to be hosting Sundance London next year. Mr Redford’s passion for the arts, the depth of his many businesses and the curatorial reputation of Sundance Institute are world renowned and we see this as a natural extension of the music and sporting events presented at The O2.”

Sundance Film Festival Expands Across USA

Sundance London follows the film festival's expansion across the US in January 2011. Filmmakers were sent to nine cities, including Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago and Brooklyn, for one night to screen and discuss their latest movies with audiences. The aim of the initiative was to create a filmic 'collective moment', according to the film festival’s website.

Sundance Influential Showcase for Independent Cinema

Oscar-winning Robert Redford, now 74, founded the Sundance Institute in 1981. The Sundance Film Festival, which is part of the Institute's programming, is held annually in Park City, Utah. It has grown to become one of the premier platforms for independent cinema, launching the careers of directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh, and sending films like Little Miss Sunshine, An Education and The Kids Are All Right on to commercial and critical success.

Further information is available on the Sundance London website.