A still from “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” by David Borestein and Pavel Talankin, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Pavel Talankin
By Jessica Herndon
The 2026 Academy Awards were a luminous night for Sundance Institute–supported work, Institute alumni, and the enduring legacy of our late founder, Robert Redford. Highlighting a year in which independent cinema continues to shape the cultural conversation, the documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, claimed the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature during the March 15 ceremony.
Beyond that incredible win, the evening belonged to visionary filmmakers whose creative journeys were fueled by the Sundance Institute Labs. The epic One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, took home six Oscars, including Best Picture.
Ryan Coogler was similarly celebrated for his groundbreaking Sinners, which earned four Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay. Chloé Zhao returned to the Oscars with Hamnet, her intimate meditation on grief. The film’s star, Jessie Buckley, won the Oscar for Best Actress. Guillermo del Toro’s gothic reimagining of Frankenstein earned three Oscars, including Best Production Design.
The ceremony also included a moving tribute to Redford by his The Way We Were co-star Barbra Streisand. Reflecting on their creative partnership, she said, “After I read the first script of The Way We Were, I could only imagine one man in the role of Hubble, and that was Robert Redford. But he turned it down because he said the character had no backbone. He doesn’t stand for anything. And he was right. So many drafts later, Bob finally agreed to do it.” The iconic entertainer added that she saw Redford as “a brilliant, subtle actor.”
Streisand went on to discuss the film’s legacy within the political climate it depicted. “I’m thrilled that The Way We Were is now considered a classic love story, but it’s also about a dark time in our history — the late ’40s and early ’50s, when people were informing on each other and subject to loyalty oaths.” She then drew a line between Redford’s beliefs and his life’s work, adding, “Bob had real backbone on and off the screen. He spoke up to defend freedom of the press, protect the environment, and encourage new voices at his Sundance Institute. Some of whom are up for Oscars tonight, which is so great.”
Closing her tribute with warmth, Streisand described Redford as “an intellectual cowboy who blazed his own trail and won the Academy Award for Best Director,” before admitting, “I miss him now more than ever.”
On a night that honored cinematic excellence and legacy, the 2026 Oscars underscored the lasting impact of independent vision.
