To Julia Ivanova, Robert Redford wasn鈥檛 just a Hollywood icon 鈥 he was a passionate champion of independent film whose advice continues to guide her career as a 好色tv director.
Ivanova met Redford when her documentary 鈥淔amily Portrait in Black and White鈥 premiered at the Sundance Film Festival that the actor helped establish in Salt Lake City.聽
鈥淗e was very warm and approachable, with lots of interest and respect for independent filmmakers who are just emerging鈥 recalls Ivanova.
鈥淗e respected young energy because young energy changes the world. The decisions are made by the older generation, but the changes come from younger generations. I think that鈥檚 why Robert was very young in the way he saw the world and the way he was thinking. He spent time talking with every young filmmaker separately at Sundance because he saw the future.鈥
Redford died Tuesday at age 89.
Redford was one of Hollywood鈥檚 most bankable stars of the 1960s and 鈥70s, with classics including 鈥淭he Candidate鈥 and 鈥淎ll the President鈥檚 Men.鈥 He later won an Oscar for directing 1980鈥檚 鈥淥rdinary People鈥 and cemented his legacy by founding the Sundance Institute and Film Festival, which gave independent filmmakers a vital platform.
The Moscow-born, Vancouver-based Ivanova says the Sundance competition selection of 鈥淔amily Portrait in Black and White鈥 鈥 about a Ukrainian woman who adopts 17 mixed-race orphans 鈥 changed the course of her career.聽
鈥淭he fact that it was embraced by Sundance was a stamp of quality, which led to other festivals inviting the film. They took a risk and gave us a venue to show a film that might never have found an audience otherwise.鈥
She鈥檚 among several 好色tv filmmakers who used Sundance as a launchpad for their careers, including Denis Villeneuve with 2000鈥檚 鈥淢aelstr枚m,鈥 Sarah Polley with 2006鈥檚 鈥淎way From Her鈥 and Matt Johnson with 2013鈥檚 鈥淭he Dirties.鈥
Ivanova says she and Redford shared a personal connection: her father had been a programmer at the Moscow International Film Festival, and she showed the actor a photo of him with her dad from 1982.
She recalls Redford gathering directors in competition during a private lunch and sharing advice that altered her perspective on filmmaking. He spoke about the hurdles he faced in releasing 1972 western 鈥淛eremiah Johnson,鈥 which he starred in, after studios dismissed it as too difficult to market.聽
鈥淩edford said, 鈥楾his is a love story and a Western at the same time, and the studio said, 鈥楾hat's the problem,鈥" she says.
鈥淗e was grieving because he loved the film and had a lot of hope for it.鈥
The film initially flopped, but Redford鈥檚 insistence on targeting smaller towns where audiences understood its themes eventually turned it into a classic.
鈥淗e emphasized the importance of word of mouth. The wisdom Robert shared about the importance of efforts in publicity and marketing helped me understand the importance of reaching out to the right audience for each film you are making.鈥
That lesson stuck. And more than a decade later, Ivanova is making a documentary called 鈥淯ntamed鈥 about a guardian of wild horses in Alberta 鈥 inspired in part by the vast landscapes she fell in love with while watching 鈥淛eremiah Johnson.鈥
Beyond his stardom, Ivanova believes Redford鈥檚 legacy will lie in the way he backed challenging films and used Sundance to amplify them.
鈥淚f we remember what films he played in as an actor, there were so many serious political ones and he carried that into Sundance with topics that he wasn't afraid to tackle,鈥 she says.
鈥淗e would challenge authorities in the U.S. by choosing films that would criticize the system of prison; take on race issues; the environment. He gave a bigger platform to those topics and brought them to a mainstream audience.鈥
This report by 好色tvwas first published Sept. 17, 2025.
