Veteran US actor Robert Redford took a dig at Republican frontrunner
Mitt Romney, his party's White House nomination battle and Congress as
he opened the annual Sundance film festival.
Redford, touting his knowledge of European culture, lamented the "mushroom cloud of ego" hovering over the Republican party's presidential debates, the latest of which was being held in South Carolina Thursday evening.
He was asked about US policies towards filmmakers in contrast to Europe's, and the questioner suggested Romney might be someone who would prefer a US blockbuster like "Transformers" rather than an independent film.
"In terms of what's going on there... in terms of Mitt Romney. I mean, I'm not going to get into politics. The fact is you can see the (Republican) debates going on, this mushroom cloud of ego hovering over everybody," he said.
"It's kind of silly and stupid and I'm sorry about it... Mitt Romney can go and see what he wants to see. If he likes 'Transformers,' great, it's there for him, but that's not where we are," he added.
Redford recalled the time he spent in France and Italy when he was a student, saying it probably still influences his outlook -- and even the Sundance Film Festival, which he launched in the 1980s.
More generally, he added: "For years and years and years, you've all experienced what we had to live with, the fact that other countries are far more supportive of their artists than we are...
"But when you have congressional narrow-minded people, people who are afraid of change when change is the only thing that succeeds, the only thing we know is going to happen is that things are going to change.
"There are people that are afraid of it, so they fight it. I think it's just tragic that we don't support our artists more than we do. And as long as we're going to have that kind of thinking in Congress, we're going to have to fight it."
The 28th Sundance Film Festival, held in the Utah ski resort of Park City from January 19-29, will present 117 feature films from 30 countries, including 45 first-timers -- 24 in competition -- and 91 world premieres.
Redford, touting his knowledge of European culture, lamented the "mushroom cloud of ego" hovering over the Republican party's presidential debates, the latest of which was being held in South Carolina Thursday evening.
He was asked about US policies towards filmmakers in contrast to Europe's, and the questioner suggested Romney might be someone who would prefer a US blockbuster like "Transformers" rather than an independent film.
"In terms of what's going on there... in terms of Mitt Romney. I mean, I'm not going to get into politics. The fact is you can see the (Republican) debates going on, this mushroom cloud of ego hovering over everybody," he said.
"It's kind of silly and stupid and I'm sorry about it... Mitt Romney can go and see what he wants to see. If he likes 'Transformers,' great, it's there for him, but that's not where we are," he added.
Redford recalled the time he spent in France and Italy when he was a student, saying it probably still influences his outlook -- and even the Sundance Film Festival, which he launched in the 1980s.
More generally, he added: "For years and years and years, you've all experienced what we had to live with, the fact that other countries are far more supportive of their artists than we are...
"But when you have congressional narrow-minded people, people who are afraid of change when change is the only thing that succeeds, the only thing we know is going to happen is that things are going to change.
"There are people that are afraid of it, so they fight it. I think it's just tragic that we don't support our artists more than we do. And as long as we're going to have that kind of thinking in Congress, we're going to have to fight it."
The 28th Sundance Film Festival, held in the Utah ski resort of Park City from January 19-29, will present 117 feature films from 30 countries, including 45 first-timers -- 24 in competition -- and 91 world premieres.
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