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While being honored on Sunday night at the Burbank International Film Festival, Quentin Tarantino took time to honor late star Robert Redford (via The Hollywood Reporter), who passed away at 89 on Sept. 16.
Tarantino Credited Redford With Launching His Career
Tarantino broke out thanks to Redford’s Sundance Film Festival, which in its 13th year presented the director’s debut feature, Reservoir Dogs (1992). The festival, which likewise launched the careers of Steven Soderbergh and Paul Thomas Anderson, reinvigorated the American independent film movement and dominated the industry in the 1990s. When the conversation turned to his humble beginnings, Tarantino mused that the landscape of modern cinema would’ve been much different without Redford’s festival.
“None of us independent filmmakers would be where we are without the Sundance Film Institute,” Tarantino said, referring to the lab where fledgling filmmakers would be mentored by veterans of the game. “I’m dealing with Terry Gilliam (Brazil), I’m dealing with Volker Schlöndorff, I’m dealing with Stanley Donen (Singin’ in the Rain). Stanley Donen, Volker Schlöndorff and Terry Gilliam are in my editing room as I’m editing my first scene on videocassette!” he continued.
“A lot of money and a lot of people are dedicating their time just for us, just to give us the chance [to make an independent film],” the Oscar-winner recalled thinking at the time. “They were saying ‘You’re young, and we might get on your case, we might bust your balls, but we see you.’ I just couldn’t believe something could be that artistically philanthropic.
“So thank you very much, Mr. Redford,” Tarantino said to cheers from the crowd.
Tarantino Previously Slammed the Festival
Tarantino’s recent remarks are somewhat at odds with those he’s made in the past on the subject of Sundance and Reservoir Dogs, which was passed over for awards at the festival due to its extreme violent content. “It was the thing about Sundance that I hated most at that time,” Tarantino told Peter Biskind in the author’s 2004 book Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film. “They were liberal in the worst sense. It wouldn’t have been such a bad thing if I hadn’t been told by everyone that I was gonna win—something. But it hurt my feelings. I was sad, I was mad. When [the ceremony] was over, I did a slightly less drastic version of storming out. ‘F–k all you!’”
According to former Sundance programmer Cathy Schulman, Tarantino was “pissed off” about the snub and refused to participate in festival activities for decades to come. “We were always trying to involve him in everything,” Schulman told Biskind. “We tried to get him on the jury. We tried to get him to work in the labs as a resource person. He was never accessible to us.”
This story was originally reported by Men’s Journal on Sep 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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