Sundance Institute

On Wednesday, November 17 Robert Redford and Sundance Institute were honored with the National Award for Citizen Diplomacy. The award was presented at the U.S. Summit and Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy in Washington D.C. and Sundance Institute Executive Director Keri Putnam accepted the award on Redford’s behalf. This historic three-day event is part of a government initiative to promote volunteerism on international activities at home and abroad. The goal of the initiative is to double the number of volunteers at home or abroad, from an estimated 60 million today to 120 million by 2020. During the Summit, individuals and organizations representing over 1,000 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are recognized for their achievements and convened to discussed new pathways of engagement.

Redford has said in the past, “Cinema, both fiction and non-fiction, has shown over and over that as human beings, we share values beyond any border, real or imagined,” and he founded Sundance Institute on the belief  that art, and in particular film, has a unique power to nurture understanding between diverse cultures and people – to foster tolerance in an often intolerant world.  Along with Redford, the other honorees were chosen based on their  exemplary individuals working to promote cross-cultural dialogue and commitment to increasing  American citizen engagement in international affairs. The award  highlights Robert Redford’s long-standing commitment to creating a platform for independent film to connect artists and audiences. Click here to read about the other honorees.

Photos by Rod Oman.