Open Society Foundations Mourn Robert Redford, Advocate for Human Rights and Justice Through Film

NEW YORK-The Open Society Foundations mourn the passing of Robert Redford, the award-winning actor and director, who was a champion of human rights and environmental causes.

Open Society is proud to have long partnered with Redford's Sundance Institute and its Documentary Film Program, helping independent filmmakers shine a light on injustice in the United States and globally through the power of storytelling.

In 1996, George Soros and Redford established the fund that continues to support documentaries that win recognition globally, starting with a program at Open Society and then moving to the Sundance Institute in 2002 with an initial $4.6 million grant.

Over the past three decades, the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program has supported independent filmmakers in dozens of countries around the world as they have raised awareness of human rights and told the stories of people on the frontlines standing up for them. In addition to funding, the program has also provided creative guidance, production resources, and distribution strategies to documentary filmmakers.

These documentaries have been honored with the highest awards in film, from the Oscars to Cannes and Venice. In 2002, Amandla! earned international acclaim, winning top awards at festivals around the world for its portrayal of the struggles of Black South Africans who challenged and ultimately brought down apartheid. This year, No Other Land won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for telling the story of Palestinians in the West Bank as they are threatened with forced displacement.

"Robert Redford was a celebrated actor, a talented director, and a voice of conscience. He gave us many memorable films over the past half century, and then helped others to use the power of the screen to expose injustice and tell the stories of those resisting it," said George Soros, founder of the Open Society Foundations.