2002 Robert Redford Lifetime Achievement Award

He's always interesting. He's always interested. He's very smart, very private. He's self-assured but shy and I adored working with him. Robert Redford's work as an actor, director and producer always represents the man himself. The intellectual, the artist, the cowboy. He has a passion for telling stories that reflect the strengths and the vulnerabilities of the American spirit, our struggle to achieve what is highest in our nature. And though we don't always succeed, Robert Redford's films make certain that we celebrate the effort. Redford took charge of his own career from the very beginning, always working closely with writers. His work as an actor and as a director is always skillfully subtle, restrained and yet deeply emotional. He's a listener, whether he's exploring the shadow of American politics, the hidden emotional life of the perfect American family or a nation's disillusionment. Always a progressive thinker and wanting to give something back. In 1981, he established the Sundance Institute, which has become a platform for new artists to develop their skills and has given the world, the festival has given the world a first look at new generations of bold and talented independent voices. His impact on the film industry is indelible. It's impossible to reduce it all to four minutes, but here are some of the reasons that Robert Redford remains a beloved and invaluable force in American film. I wasn't cheating. I wasn't cheating. You can die. For that matter, you can both die. If he invites us to stay, then we'll go. He's got to invite us to stick around. I'm over the hill, but it can't happen to you. That's just what I want to hear. Black against old. Young against poor. This country cannot house. It's houseless. Feed, it's foodless. Hi, I'm Bob Woodward of the Washington Post. Yes, yes, what? If you're going to do it, do it right. Here are my notes. If you're going to hype it, hype it with the facts. I don't mind what you did. I mind the way you did it. Bill of Rights, what Bill of Rights? We don't have any Bill of Rights. We don't have free speech in this country. We never will have. What are you telling me to do? Sit by and shut up just because it's dangerous? I'm telling you it's a waste. That's what I'm telling you, and that those men and their families are only going to get hurt, and that nothing is going to change. Nothing. And after jail, after five or six years of bad blood, when it's practical for some fascist producer to hire some communist writer to save his ass because his hit movie's in trouble, he'll do it. I really want to get a shot of the three of you men. Give me the camera, Calvin. Not until I get a picture of the two of you. Hang on a second. Give me the damn camera! This was an idea that was born out of experience, not just some token gesture of goodwill. For me, personally, I wanted to try to create something that I never had that I felt I missed, and that was a sense of community so that we could maintain some kind of purity in a business that's hard to, where filmmakers come together and share the work amongst themselves. You take pictures, beautiful pictures, but of empty streets and trees with no leaves. you one million dollars for one night with your wife. Hey, I don't mean nothing by it. I just don't know many regular girls, that's all. I don't even know you. You know me. I'm just like you. It's two in the morning and I don't know nobody. My God, you're hideous. Why do you even bother? Missed you too. When it's done, if I'm dead, kill him. Love to. I'm very, very proud to bestow the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement to a man who gave me one of the most exciting and memorable experiences of my career. I was thrilled to be his leading huh, Babs? Well, Barbara's right. I am shy. It's a funny kind of business to be shy in, but certainly feel that way tonight. But I think there certainly is a word of appreciation in order for being honored in such a way. You know, much of what happens here tonight is probably going to be forgotten in a week or so. But what's not going to be forgotten is what it means to those of us who are receiving awards or being honored tonight and to those close to us. For those people, it could be the moment of a lifetime. So in my appreciation, I'd like to say what it means for me. I've spent most of my life just focused on the road ahead. I'm not looking back. But now tonight, I'm seeing in the rearview mirror that there's something I've not thought about much called history. And what moves me tonight is that I'm joined by colleagues and peers to reflect on that history. There really are only two areas. One is my personal work, which is the most important to me. And the other is trying to put something back into an industry that's been good to me. And of course, Sundance is a manifestation of that. And the result? Well, a grand, grand collaboration of artists and colleagues who have joined to support and help give a voice to new artists. It was those people who have supported us along the way who have believed and participated. Tonight, I would really like to thank you deeply. We have a great industry, and we all know that. We're here because we know it. We love it. It's a solid and healthy industry. But even though it is, I really believe it's going to be important in the years to come to make sure that we embrace the risks as well as the sure things, to make sure the freedom of artistic expression is nurtured and kept alive. Because I believe that in keeping diversity alive, it'll help keep our industry alive. As we can see of late, the world around us is in a sea change. It's just simply not the same world anymore. And as we all struggle to find our way with it, to get a grip, to make sense out of the chaos and the destruction and the tragedy, one word that emerges is the word freedom, its importance, its rarity, and how fortunate we are to have it, to be able to be part of a freedom of expression that allows us as artists to tell our stories in our own way about the human condition, the complexities of life. The world around us is a gift and not one to be taken lightly. Then I think the glory of art is that it can not only survive change, it can lead it. As an artist, I just can't think of a better life than the one that I've been blessed with. It's just a great ride with many wonderful relationships and experiences along the way. And it's a ride I hope to continue. So tonight, I want to acknowledge my family, my love for them, my lady, the Academy, and all of you for giving me this honor. Thank you. Please welcome our nominee tonight, Academy Award winner,