‘A true icon’: New Mexico responds to death of Robert Redford

Robert Redford’s stack of accomplishments and contributions to the world of cinema could stretch a mile long, but he wasn’t one to dwell on it.

Learning about the person sitting across from him was of much more interest to the Sundance Film Festival founder.

“Whenever we sat down for interviews or just in casual meetings, I think I will forever remember him saying, ‘I’m bored talking about myself. Let’s talk about you,’” recalled Kathleen Broyles, who worked with Redford for more than 30 years.

Redford — an esteemed actor, director and producer — died in his sleep at his home in Provo, Utah, on Tuesday. He was 89. The cause of death is unknown, but his publicist told The Associated Press he was in “the place he loved, surrounded by those he loved.”

Local leaders and the New Mexico film community quickly shared their thoughts on the loss of the screen legend, who was a part-time resident of New Mexico and launched several film and political activism ventures in the state.

“I join all New Mexicans in mourning the loss of Robert Redford, whose deep connection to our state left an indelible mark on its cultural and environmental landscape,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement.

The governor cited Redford’s “authentic” depiction of New Mexico communities in his films, as well as his efforts to support local filmmakers, champion the state’s film tax incentive program and conserve New Mexico’s natural landscapes as reasons why he will be remembered “as an artist, activist, and friend to New Mexico.”

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Robert Redford, a true icon whose legacy is inextricably linked to New Mexico,” New Mexico Film Office Director Steve Graham said in a statement. “His passion for storytelling and his dedication to nurturing new talent have left an indelible mark on the film industry and will continue to inspire generations of filmmakers.”

Redford initially made his mark on the world of cinema through acting roles in films including “The Candidate,” “The Way We Were” and “All the President’s Men.” He later became a director, making his Oscar-winning directorial debut in his 1980 film “Ordinary People.”

One of the largest film legacies Redford leaves behind is Sundance, sponsored by the Sundance Institute, which he founded in 1981 to spotlight independent film projects and makers.

“In 1980, the industry began to be more centralized,” Redford said about the founding of Sundance in an interview with Democracy Now! in 2015. “...It looked like it was going to be at the expense of some of those other films that were more about the humanistic side of cinema. Stories about America, (the) American way of life — complex stories. And so in my mind, I thought that was very valuable.”

Redford tried to establish a filmmaking initiative similar to Sundance in New Mexico, aiming to train and elevate Hispanic and Native American filmmakers. He launched the effort, dubbed “Milagro at Los Luceros,” in 2009 in collaboration with former Gov. Bill Richardson’s administration at the Los Luceros State Historic Site in Northern New Mexico.

While the film institute received an appropriation from the Legislature, plans to build on-site dormitories for aspiring filmmakers never got off the ground and the project eventually “petered out” under former Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration, according to Stuart Ashman, former secretary of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.

The Santa Fe Film Institute still issues Los Luceros grants to fledgling filmmakers, and the historic site near Alcalde is still home to a monthly writer’s workshop, according to Michelle Zupan, the Los Luceros site manager.

Redford later launched a namesake scholarship program, which benefited students at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design before it closed in 2018, according to Broyles, Redford’s liaison to the state of New Mexico.

Redford first visited New Mexico in the early 1940s and was “fascinated” by what he saw driving through the Native American reservations, he told the Santa Fe New Mexican in 2010. He returned to the state to participate in projects filmed here, including the 1969 film “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and the 1988 film “The Milagro Beanfield War.”

While filming the latter, Redford lived at a home he’d built at Los Caminitos, a subdivision that encompasses the Rancho Encantado community, now the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe, where photos of his time in New Mexico can be seen throughout the resort’s bar.

“I think he liked the fact that this was not Hollywood. This had its own character, and it wasn’t (that) you just go there for film. You go here for the wealth of culture and make films,” Ashman said.

Later in life, Redford did more producing than acting or directing. He focused on passion projects like Tony Hillerman’s Navajo crime series, “Dark Winds.” Redford served as an executive producer on the 2022 AMC hit, also titled “Dark Winds,” which just wrapped season four filming in New Mexico. In fact, Redford’s last on-screen appearance was on the show, in the form of a cameo on season three.

Redford’s desire for the project, Broyles said, was to “bring above the line training to below the line people,” which means giving film crew opportunities to become writers, directors and editors, she explained.

One of Redford’s mentees, Gay Dillingham, chairperson for the Santa Fe Film and Digital Media Council, said she is “profoundly grateful” for the opportunities Redford gave her.

Dillingham met Redford in 1989 when she was making an environmental documentary called “The WIPP Trail,” which Redford agreed to narrate. He later agreed to narrate another one of her films, “Dying to Know: Ram Dass & Timothy Leary,” and also gave Dillingham notes on the project.

“He went through many hours with me, working on the edit, and I learned so much,” Dillingham said. She said the experience gave her a glimpse of Redford’s “masterful, incredible, nuanced filmmaking talent,” as well as “how gracious and generous he was with his guidance.”

Broyles, who worked with Redford for more than 30 years, said generosity and humility encompassed much of who Redford was.

Broyles said Redford once surprised a group of college students and scholarship recipients on the set of “Longmire.” He sat with them and asked each and every person questions about where they grew up and their film journey.

“He turned the tables and made it all about them, instead of about himself,” Broyles said.

Redford’s influence spanned from the north to the south, impacting Las Cruces filmmaker Ross Marks as well.

Marks, who is the founder of the Las Cruces International Film Festival and teaches at New Mexico State University, was at the Sundance Film Festival in 1995 when the organizers came up to him and told him Redford wanted to have breakfast with him. Marks was there showing his film “Homage,” which was written by his father-in-law and famous screenwriter Mark Medoff.

“(Redford) said, ‘I loved your movie, I watched it… let me give you a piece of advice,’ and that advice has stayed with me, and I tell my students it all the time,” Marks said. “(Redford) said, ‘Remember this industry is a marathon, not a sprint, and you just need to stay in the race.’”

Marks said he patterned the Las Cruces International Film Festival after Sundance and aimed to follow Redford’s example of “championing independent film” in southern New Mexico. In 2024, the city of Santa Fe was included in a group of cities being considered as the new home for Sundance, but eventually lost the bid to Boulder, Colorado.

Dillingham said she believes one way in which New Mexico can honor Redford’s memory and contributions is by possibly “resurrecting” the Los Luceros initiative and revitalizing programs that “really support the content creators and storytellers that are based in New Mexico.”

While Redford will “be sorely missed,” Dillingham said his impact on the films and people of New Mexico isn’t going anywhere.

Broyles agreed, summing up his influence with this sentiment: “He could have easily stopped at being just a pretty boy. But instead, he wove a beautiful tapestry through all our lives.”

Journal Staff Writers Logan Beitmen and Dan Boyd contributed to this report. Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Albuquerque Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.