The exterior of the Egyptian Theatre is illuminated on Main Street during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 22, 2015. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File)2026-01-22T06:19:28Z PARK CITY, Utah (AP) Robert Redford liked to say that everybody has a story. Hes not the only person who said it, but he is one of the few who did something to celebrate it, his daughter, Amy Redford, said Wednesday evening ahead of the Sundance Film Festivals opening day. Thanks to her fathers vision, the Sundance Institute he founded and its year-round programs have helped shape and nurture American independent film for the past 40 years. This years Sundance Film Festival is a grand goodbye party: Its the first without Redford following his death in September, and the last in Utah before the festival relocates to Boulder, Colorado. This is a festival of new beginnings and endings, his daughter said in an interview with The Associated Press. Im going to look around and drink it up and enjoy it and just not take anything for granted. Robert Redfords legacy and Sundances decades-long history in Utah are key themes of the 2026 festival, which officially begins Thursday morning with over a dozen films premiering throughout the day. By the time the dust has settled from Oscar nominations, the festival will already be in full swing with the world premieres of Amir Bar-Levs documentary The Last First: Winter K2 about the changing culture of extreme mountain climbing, Rachel Lamberts tender drama Carousel, starring Chris Pine and Jenny Slate, and Judd Apatows portrait of comedian Maria Bamfords mental health journey on the opening day list. Also upcoming is David Alvarados American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez about the legacy of the playwright and director, and Joanna Natasegaras The Disciple, which delves into the stranger-than-fiction story of how Dutch-Moroccan record producer Cilvaringz found his way into the inner circle of the Wu-Tang Clan. Too Many Cooks creator Casper Kelly will also debut his midnight movie Buddy, starring Cristin Milioti, about escaping a childrens television show.The Sundance Film Festival runs through Feb. 1.___For more coverage of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/sundance-film-festival LINDSEY BAHR Bahr has been a film writer and critic for The Associated Press since 2014. twitter instagram mailto HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Schoenbaum is a government and politics reporter based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She also covers general news in the Rockies and LGBTQ+ rights policies in U.S. statehouses. twitter mailto