Connie Britton

Connie Britton Instagram – 30 years ago a young filmmaker named Eddie Burns cornered Robert Redford in an elevator and thrust a grainy VHS copy of his mostly finished film into Redford’s hands, asking him to please take a look. The film was The Brothers McMullen which went on to win the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 1995. This also resulted in my “big break” and the start of my career.
Years later I got to hear this same story from Redford who said he had created the Festival associated with Sundance in 1985, specifically to lift up and nurture independent film, and the voices of independent filmmakers. He always had a deep belief in the power of art, and a deep curiosity about everyone’s story, which is why he took this kid’s videotape and actually watched it.
Bob became an icon and mentor to me, both in the times I had the great fortune to work with him at the Sundance Institute and on various environmental and arts related projects such as his National Arts Policy Roundtable where this photo was taken in 2015, or when I was simply watching him from a distance as we all did, while he seamlessly and with the utmost dedication and perseverance integrated his acting work with his life’s work as an advocate and philanthropist. Bob’s legacy of Sundance merged art, the natural world, and community into one entity of betterment for storytelling, the environment, and the world. He was and will always be one of my greatest inspirations. Here’s to you Bob, with deepest gratitude.
@sundanceorg | Posted on 17/Sep/2025 00:51:48