Change and diversity were common themes throughout the conference, which seemed to have a more somber air than in years past; the Egyptian Theater, where the conference was held, was absent many journalists who are usually Sundance regulars, and pre-conference conversations around and about the fest among journalists have focused heavily on the absence of familiar faces, as evidenced, among other things, by the lack of a waiting line Thursday morning to pick up press credentials and lighter crowds on Main Street.

Not surprisingly, many of the questions from the press tended to focus on the impact of a tightening economy on the film industry as a whole and film festivals in particular, the hope for change that the upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama represents for the arts, and, in light of the passage of Proposition 8 in California and the outcry for boycotts against the festival, an emphasis on the role Sundance has played since its inception in promoting diversity.

"What we're going to focus on is the diversity that's out there in independent film. So right away it was going to be a festival of discovery -- a chance for artists, and a place for discovery," Redford said."The way we program this festival hasn't changed since the day we started. What has changed is the world around us. We make adjustments to the world around us because the product reflects the world around us. But the mission remains the same."

Redford fielded an early question about whether the Sundance Institute is in negotiations to set up a festival in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi, clarifying that the Sundance Institute has been running labs in the Middle East for years in places like Iran and Jordan. But as to whether those efforts will result in a joint effort, he noted, "In looking to the future, and how global things have become, it makes sense that we would extend our mission to the Middle East. The fact is, I was approached by Abu Dhabi. Right now we probably have too many cooks in the kitchen, and whether anything's going to come of it, I can't say. But nothing's been signed yet."

In spite of the air of uncertainty in a year when many press have seen friends and colleagues at newspapers, online outlets, studios and publicity offices lose their jobs, Redford and fest director Geoff Gilmore appeared optimistic and even hopeful for the future of both the festival and independent film. Asked whether there's a wall between art and commerce, Gilmore responded that Sundance is about "expanding that sense of the possible," and that means "changing the nature of what people even think of as commercial." He added that the most frustrating thing for him is having people tell him how wonderful a film is, but that they don't think they can take it out to the marketplace.

Building on that theme, Redford and Gilmore tackled the question of whether the consolidation of distribution and the death of arthouses means it's harder to bring films out of festivals like Sundance -- and how filmmakers can use new platforms to compensate. Redford pointed to the internet as one thing that's changing the face of distribution for independent film. "The question is going to be what kind of distribution. But the fact is you can already see that distribution is moving towards online, towards the internet , and that in and of itself is drastically changing the distribution system," he said. "It's no longer going to be the same formula that it was for years and years and years, where the relationship between the distributors and the exhibitors dominated. It's changing. Where it goes remains to be seen."

Gilmore chimed in with his perspective on the distribution issue, adding, "It's a really complicated question, and it doesn't do it justice to talk about it very briefly here, but I do think that no one in the independent world is unaware that the distribution model is probably the most frustrating aspect of independent filmmaking . There's so much quality work out there, the real question becomes how to get it to people. But audiences have more opportunity to see films now than they did 20 years ago, and there are many, many more films in that marketplace than there were 20 years ago. But the systems have changed in terms of how films are coming out and they're continuing to change. I want to say that the internet is going to be one of the solutions, but it's not going to be the only solution."

As discussion continued down the path of economics and practicalities, Redford related a frustrating experience of going to Washington, D.C. to lobby the NEA about funding for the arts. "What was weird was, you go through this charade, everyone says they're glad you're there, thank you for coming, and you go through this heartfelt session where you say how important it is, and they say, well we're really so happy you came and it means so much to us that you care ... but we can't help you, because we don't have an money," he said. At the same time, he expressed hope that a new administration could change things for the better, adding "I do believe that you can't get any worse than we've had. So anything's gonna be better and that's going to be reflected in what happens with art."

Shifting the focus back to the positive, Redford spoke with pride about the festival's New Frontier program, which integrates edgier, experimental filmmaking, art, music and technology in a cutting-edge slate of offerings. Just prior to the conference, many of the journalists in attendance checked out the press preview at the New Frontier space across the street, where programmers spoke about the eclectic offerings in this year's New Frontiers slate. He also spoke passionately about how he's "hot for documentaries," and how the festival has grown with changing times and tried to expand what "art" means. He spoke to the importance of international documentaries, whose filmmakers often risk their lives to share stories with a larger community.

"...it becomes a kind of cultural exchange. now we can bring poetry into the picture, art into the picture, music into the picture. The festival will always be centered around the idea of independent film, but to be able to use the platform to increase the value of art by showing art in all its other forms and coalescing all of them, is very exciting."

Photo by Ray Pride