The inaugural Sundance London will launch with an evening event featuring Robert Redford And T Bone Burnett on April 26.
The Sundance founder and Grammy Award winner will ill explore the relationship between film and music in a discussion moderated by High Fidelity author Nick Hornby at the O2.
Sundance London will run until April 29 and will feature the UK premieres of films fresh from the 2012 Sundance Film Festival which takes place in January (read our reports from past festivals here). Daily live music performances, discussions, panels and other public events will round out the four-day festival.
Passes, ticket packages and individual tickets for both the film and music components of Sundance London will go on sale to the public on Monday November 28 at www.sundance-london.com.
Robert Redford, Founder and President of Sundance Institute, said: "The depth of T Bone’s experience and accomplishments in the worlds of both film and music set the stage for the Sundance London program and the celebration of music and film that’s to come. His ability to enliven film in such an authentic fashion has seen him produce and curate some of cinema’s most notable and commercially successful soundtracks.” In the opening night event, filmmaker, actor and Sundance founder Robert Redford and musician, songwriter, and soundtrack and record producer T Bone Burnett, will share their recollections of achieving great musical moments with the many filmmakers, actors and musicians they’ve collaborated with throughout their storied careers. Joined on stage by Nick Hornby (High Fidelity), who will moderate the evening, the two artists of ‘sound and screen’ will utilise film clips from some of the many films they’ve worked on for which music made an indelible contribution. Redford and Burnett will also discuss some of their favourite musical moments from other great films that have influenced their work. The evening will be capped off by a special musical act.
Burnett's 40 years of experience in music and entertainment include work as an artist, songwriter, producer, performer, concert producer, record company owner and artist advocate. His work as a music producer has resulted in Raising Sand, from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, The Union from Elton John and Leon Russell and best-selling albums from Counting Crows, The Wallflowers, Los Lobos, Cassandra Wilson, Roy Orbison and Ralph Stanley. His experience in film includes The Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou?, Walk The Line, The Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Cold Mountain and Crazy Heart, for which T Bone and co-writer Ryan Bingham earned an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Grammy Award.
T Bone Burnett added: "I've admired immensely the work that Robert Redford and Sundance Institute have done over the years to support independent film and filmmakers. I'm very much looking forward to Bob and I sharing our experiences of the films we’ve been a part of, as well as our recollections of the varied musicians, actors and filmmakers we've had the good fortune to work with over the years.”
On being asked to moderate the evening, Nick Hornby said: “I am delighted and honoured to be given an opportunity to talk to these two extraordinarily influential men. They have been involved in some of my favourite films, and anyone who is interested in movie music, or movies and music, will want to hear what they have to say.”
Alex Hill, AEG Europe, Chief Finance & Strategy Officer, said: “Having Robert Redford and T Bone Burnett together for the first time on stage, and with Nick Hornby to open Sundance London is sure to be a real highlight of the event. Between them, Robert and T Bone have a wealth of experience and knowledge of contemporary American film and music that few could rival.”
As previously announced, Sundance Institute, which presents the annual Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, U.S.A, will program the film component of Sundance London. 14 films from the 2012 Sundance Film Festival line-up will make their UK premieres at Sundance London. Films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in recent years include Blue Valentine, Winter’s Bone, Like Crazy, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold and Project Nim.
