Stars, sun and screen

Actor Robert Redford kicked off the 26th Sundance Film Festival in Utah, America, on Thursday with an appeal to participants to remember the victims of the devastating Haiti earthquake.

Speaking at the 10-day long event’s opening press conference in Park City, Redford said this year would see the festival “return to its roots” as a place where unheralded film-makers could take centerstage.

This year’s festival features an intriguing collection of entries in the documentary section, a genre which has enjoyed a striking renaissance over the past decade.

Among the expected highlights this year are Restrepo, a gritty account of Marines defending a remote base in Afghanistan.

Other films vying for honours in the US documentary competition are Bhutto, Jessica Hernandez and Johnny O’Hara’s depiction of the turbulent life and times of the former Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto, murdered in December 2007.

More than 100 documentaries and feature films from America and overseas will be screened during the festival, which draws to a close on January 31.