01/29/15 01/29/15 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from the sundance film festival in park city, utah, this is democracy now! >> i think the deniers of climate change are probably people who are afraid of change. they don't want to see change. they want to hang on -- they want to hang onto the way things were. my killing about the deniers and a lot of other issues out there too many in congress are pushing

us back to the 1950's. >> today we spend the hour with robert redford, acclaimed oscar winning director, actor and longtime environmentalist. >> i think it should stay in the ground. i think we're so close to polluting the planet the on anything sustainable. >> robert redford is the founder of the sundance film festival, now in its 31st year. we talk with him about diversity and independence on both sides of the camera. and his latest film, "a walk in the woods," which is about getting older. it is about walking the appellation trail and getting older. >> it has to do with what time you have left. he just going to sit and one thing you don't want to do is be the guy sitting in a bathrobe on a stoop somewhere and go, i wish

i would have, should have. you don't want to have that. so you make the most of your life. >> robert redford. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are broadcasting from park city, utah. >> former soviet leader mikhail gorbachev is warning the confrontation in ukraine could turn into an all-out war between russia and the west. gorbachev accused the west of dragging russia into a new cold war. he said -- "i can no longer say that this cold war will not lead to a 'hot war.' i fear that they could risk it." more than 5,000 people have been killed in fighting between ukrainian forces and pro-russian separatists in eastern ukraine. on wednesday, u.s. treasury secretary jack lew traveled to kiev to give ukraine a $2 billion loan guarantee.

ukrainian prime minister arseny yatseniuk met with lew and thanked the united states as one of ukraine's strongest allies. >> we are defending freedoms and liberties in ukraine and the entire world. so this is the right way to do and i would like to iterate once again that the united states is one of the strongest allies of ukraine. >> two israeli soldiers and a spanish united nations peacekeeper were killed on wednesday in an exchange of fire between hezbollah and israel in one of the most violent clashes between the two sides since the 2006 war. the soldiers were killed when hezbollah fired five missiles at a convoy of israeli military vehicles. the u.n. peacekeeper died in lebanon when israel responded

with air strikes and artillery fire. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu spoke on israeli television after meeting with security chiefs. >> whoever is behind today's attack will pay the full price. for some time, i ran has been trying to establish an additional terrorist front against us from the golan heights. we are taking strong and responsible actions against this attempt. the lebanese government and the al-assad regime share responsibility of the consequences of the attacks emanating from the territories against the state of israel. >> at the united nations chilean ambassador cristian barros, who is serving as president of the u.n. security council, condemned the killing of a u.n. peacekeeper. >> the members of the security council condemned in the strongest terms the deaths of a peacekeeper.

the members of the security council express their deepest sympathy to the family of the fallen peacekeeper and to the government of spain. wednesday's attack by hezbollah on israel took place in the occupied forms disputed tract of land occupied by israel but claimed by both lebanon and syria. in washington, state department spokesperson jen psaki defended israel's actions. >> just a technical question, some have made the argument that this area is israeli-occupied lebanon. what is the u.s. position on the status? >> i would have to check with our legal team on a specific status. i would be happy to do that. >> in a symbolic move, the new greek government has hired almost 600 laid off government cleaners, mostly women, who had been protesting outside the

finance and economy ministries . they were laid off in 2013 to meet demands by international lenders. on greece's new finance minister wednesday, yanis varoufakis announced the decision. >> one of our first moves will be the immediate cutting up costs at the ministry. for example, the number of advisers. this spending cut will fund the retiring of the cleaning ladies at the ministry. -- rehiring of the cleaning ladies at the ministry. >> attorney general nominee loretta lynch is back on capitol hill today for day two of her confimration hearing. if confirmed, lynch will become the first african-american woman to serve as attorney general. during wednesday's hearing, lynch described the national security agency's spying programs as "constitutional and effective."

>> recent events have underscored the importance of this as an issue in the war on terror. i would hope we could move forward with any proposed changes to fisa with a full and complete understanding of the risks that we are still facing, and if any changes need to be made, again, after full and fair consideration with this committee met with the intelligence committee, and the discussions that we need to have, making sure we can still provide law enforcement with each will say need. >> senator patrick leahy questioned her about torture. >> do you agree waterboarding is torture and it is illegal? >> waterboarding is torture. >> and thus illegal? >> does illegal. >> republican senators repeatedly questioned lynch about her views on president obama's execution action on immigration. this is republican senator jeff sessions of alabama.

>> when we have a high number of unemployed, we've had declining wages for many years, with the lowest percentage of americans working, who has more right to a job in this country, a lawful immigrant who is a green card holder or citizen or person who entered the country unlawfully? >> senator, i believe the right and the obligation to work as one that is shared by everyone in this country. regardless of how they came here. certainly, if someone is here regardless of status, i would prefer they be participating in the workplace and not. talks to her confirmation hearing, attorney general nominee loretta lynch revealed she was against the legalization of marijuana and for the death penalty. the u.s. supreme court has stayed the execution of three oklahoma death-row prisoners until the court hears a challenge to the state's lethal injection formula. one of the prisoners, richard glossip, had been scheduled to

die tonight. a new academic student has concluded foreign governments are 100 times more likely to intervene in civil wars if the troubled state is an oil-rich nation. petros sekeris of the university of portsmouth said his research shows -- "clear evidence that countries with potential for oil production are more likely to be targeted by foreign intervention if civil wars erupt." in related news, royal dutch shell has signed an $11 billion deal with iraq to build a massive oil plant in the basra. the cbc and the intercept have revealed canada's leading surveillance agency is monitoring millions of internet users' file downloads in a secret program codenamed levitation. it caps on to internet cables and analyzes records of the to 15 million downloads daily from popular websites commonly used

to share videos, photographs music, and other files. the report is based on documents provided by national security agency whistleblower edward snowden. a new report has found more 16 million children in the united states live in families that receive food stamps. the figure has almost doubled since 2007 before the economic crisis began. according to the southern education foundation, more than half the children attending public school now qualify for federal programs for free or reduced-price lunches -- the highest percentage in at least 50 years. at a summit of latin american leaders in costa rica, cuban president castro called on president obama to use executive powers to ease the decades-long embargo against cuba. >> president barack obama could use his wide-ranging executive

authority to modify substantially the application of the blockade. it is in his hands to do this without a decision from congress. >> raul castro also said cuba will not be able to normalize relations with the united states until washington gives back the land being used for the guantanamo prison and naval base. in other news from latin america, two former chilean intelligence officials have been sentenced in the murders of charles horman and frank teruggi, two u.s. citizens who were killed shortly after the 1973 coup led by gen. augusto pinochet. retired army intelligence officer pedro espinoza was sentenced to seven years in prison. rafael gonzález, who worked for chilean air force intelligence was sentenced to two years of police supervision. the horman case inspired the 1982 costa-gavras film , "missing." in news from australia authorities conducting an inquest into the deadly siege at

a chocolate cafe in sydney last month have concluded one of the hostages was killed by police bullet fragments. jeremy gormly is assisting the new south wales state coroner. >> she was struck by six fragments a police bullet or bullets, which ricocheted from hard surfaces into her body. i will not detail the damage done to miss dawson other than to say one fragment struck a major blood vessel. she lost consciousness quickly and died shortly afterwards. >> in st. louis, a brawl broke out at a public meeting as local residents gathered to discuss a plan to set up a board to review complaints against the police. the proposal was drawn up after 18-year-old michael brown was fatally shot by a police officer in nearby ferguson, missouri last august. people angry at what they say is mistreatment at the hands of the police began shouting and scuffling when a member of the police officers' union began speaking out against the proposal.

>> who wants to be the next darren wilson hung in effigy in the town square because of defending his life? >> what citizens want is a new level of accountability. >> charges are being dismissed against a detroit police officer who fatally shot aiyana stanley-jones, a 7-year-old girl, during a botched 2010 raid at her home. aiyana was shot while she was sleeping on the couch with her grandmother. the officer, joseph weekley, was originally charged with involuntary manslaughter and careless discharge of a firearm causing death. weekley was tried twice in court. both times ended with a hung jury. and a south carolina court clear has tossed the convictions of a group of african-american civil rights activists known as the friendship nine who were arrested for sitting at a whites-only lunch counter in 1961. found guilty of trespassing, they became the country's first demonstrators to choose to serve

jail time rather than pay a fine for sitting at an all-white lunch counter, launching the "jail, no bail" strategy. clarence graham was one of the nine who took part in the action. >> and 1961, we went downtown. we were not looking for any hero worship. we were simply 10 students who were tired of the status quo tired of being treated like subclass citizens, tired of being kicked, called the "n" word. >> on wednesday, judge john c. hayes iii announced the decision to clear the men. hayes is the nephew of the judge who handed down the original sentence. and those are some of the headlines, this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war today, a democracy now! special.

this is democracy now! democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are broadcasting from the sundance film festival in its 31st year. we're joined once again by the sundance founder, robert redford. yes, the acclaimed oscar winning director, actor, environmentalist. welcome back to democracy now! it is great to have you with us. we're going to jump into it. just a week ago, the senate refused to formally acknowledge the existence of human induced climate change. 49 republicans voted against the measure, noting human activity significantly contributes to climate change. they voted no. your response? >> that is no surprise. i think it is pretty obvious what is going on. i think deniers of climate change are probably people who are afraid of change. they don't want to see change.

they want to hang on -- they want to hang on to the way things were. my feeling about the deniers and a lot of other issues out there is, too many in congress are pushing us back to the 1950's. that is what it feels like. they're pushing us back in time rather than forward in time. why? maybe they are afraid of not being able to be included. i don't know what it is. it is kind of sad because they're so polarized. mean-spirited. >> your sense of the senate majority leader mitch mcconnell? >> my sense of him? i don't think much of him. what i do think of him, i probably shouldn't be talking about. no, i will tell you, where he really crossed with me was when obama was elected and he announced as the minority leader , our chief objective is to go

against him on everything he tries to do. when he said that i said, this guy is going to be a speaker? this feels un-american. it felt like an un-american thing to do and say. from that point on, he has been relentless in denying and going against, not great for the american public, that represented it in my mind. >> one of their first access to push for the keystone xl pipeline. it is for a strange to be here with you now because just a few years ago, we were talking about this very subject. president obama still hasn't ruled on it, but the republicans and some democrats are pushing forward on the keystone. >> it is the same old same old. it is all about jobs. the bigger picture is not been looked at. the bigger picture is not being told. another words, let's start with the idea of a pipeline going

that many miles, 1200 miles, whatever it is, and there is never been a leak in a pipeline? it leaks already. montana, san jose, california. why do you look at the history of pipelines. my suggestion would be, don't listen to these guys because there pushing something that is about yesterday. but look at the history. look at the history of pipelines, wherever, all over. find out how many leaks. how secure have they been? how have they destroyed certain communities with their leaks? those issues are not being addressed. and there is the job issue in the dispute on that. i say, look at the history. mainly, look at the facts. listen to the argument just say, hold on, let's look at the history of pipelines, let's look at the facts. the true facts, not the ones hyped up by the gop. >> they so often say we need this oil to move forward in america. >> well, we also need

alternative energy too. i think that is the future. i don't think oil is the future. this is going to be an a popular view, but i have worked in an oil field as a kid, and the chevron oil fields in california. so i have had a lot of experience with oil. i think it should stay in the ground now. i think we're so close to polluting the planet beyond anything sustainable, i think we better start -- let's stop this argument about generative energy is not going to produce enough jobs. to me, that is mistake because it would reduce an industry and an industry would produce jobs. some but he has to speak up to the fact that alternative energy is the way of the future, not oil, certainly not cold and gas. that is my feeling. >> and your thoughts on the koch brothers? it is just been announced they and their allied groups will pour $900 billion into the next

election, doubling what they did in the last election. $900 million into the next election. >> money is the name of the game. i think money is what moves the ball, and they're moving the ball. i think it is moving in the wrong direction. it is very narrowminded, but they have the money to do it. it is a free country. >> some people might say, why my talking to this famous actor oscar-winning director, about issues like the environment and money and politics? >> well, i guess you could call me an activist, since 1969. i have been involved in the environment from the standpoint of wanting to draw attention to what an alternative could be, rather than what we have been having. i remember when i was at a conference in vail, colorado and they talked about all of the energy going, all of the effort and energy and money was going

to oil gas coal, and nothing was been contributed to the alternative energy. i thought, this stuff is going to run out. it is not infinite. it is going to run out. and it is costly. bennett pollutes our planet. 's summit he doesn't start thinking about what we're going to develop for our survival, it is going to be a question of what we preserve for survival. there's little to no talk about preservation because those people that you're talking about , they're living so far in the past that it seems like they are afraid of the future. >> that's robert redford acclaimed oscar winning actor, director, environmentalist, and founder of the sundance film festival. now in its 31st year. his best-known firms include "which cassidy the sundance kid" and "the sting."

i spoke to him last night at the sundance film festival headquarters. we have been broadcasting from park city television all week. coming up, i asked redford about the history of what is now one of the largest independent film festivals. it started with just 150 people attending the first year. it is now well over 45,000 people. we discuss the festival's commitment to diversity and promoting women, people of color and young people -- on both sides of the camera. i also talked to redford about his new film premiering here at sundance. which is a rare occurrence. it's called "a walk in the woods" and his documentary about the colorado river. all that and more, when we come back. ♪ [music break]

>> "no kxl" by bethany and rufus. they were singing at a rally in downtown manhattan ahead of the senate's vote on construction of the keystone xl pipeline last november. senate democrats ultimately defeated the legislation by a single vote. this is democracy now! democracy now.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are broadcasting from park city, utah where the sundance film festival is underway. today, we spend the hour with the man who founded sundance the oscar winning actor, director, and environmentalist robert redford. as we continue our interview, i asked robert redford about his 2012 documentary, "watershed," about the colorado river, which

made with his son and also narrated. the colorado river flows nearly 1,500 miles from its source in the rocky mountains to the gulf of california. along the way, most of the water is diverted by dams, so that it now rarely reaches the sea. i asked redford why he chose to focus on the colorado river. which provides much of the american west with water. >> i made a documentary about the colorado river when i found out the colorado river, which is an iconic trademark of america doesn't reach its destination, doesn't reach the sea of cortez. a lot of people didn't know that. they didn't know why. seven states use that one water source. when you add things like golf courses and second-home development and all that stuff plus the fact that people need the water to survive, it is a weight. i thought it would be good to do a documentary that illustrates

what the deal is. so that is why i did it. >> i want to turn to a clip that is on one of your websites about the colorado river. it is a kind of conversation between you and will ferrell. >> that was supposed to be funny. >> ok. let's of the audience judge. >> the colorado river is one of the most loved and hardest working rivers in the world. but we have overused it. most years, the river dries up even before it reaches the sea. i adding just a small amount of water to the rivers flow, we can help bring life back to the wetlands and marshes in the delta. please, would you join me and raise the river.org and find out how you can get involved? >> hello there. i am william farrell. recently, we been hearing some

talk of a little problem in the colorado river delta. we got old sundance ryden -- writing around, trying to raise the colorado river and restore its flow. i say, do we really need more river? hel, we have plenty of ocean. llet's reconnect these things the old-fashioned way am of the american way, the way to fix this thing is to send money so myself and some other scientists can begin the process of moving a small portion of the ocean back toward the wet heart of the river. -- what part of the river. now go to movetheocean.org and send us your money. >> hello, mr. farrell. thank you for your attention. but let's keep the focus on the wetlands and the wildlife and the people of the delta region.

>> you are concerned about the migration patterns of the roof is cited toby? you know what i'm concerned about? surfers. specifically, american professional surfers who suffer from a lack of adequate searchable coastline in north america and forced to travel great distances to enter surf competitions in places like fiji hawaii, brazil -- really far away, ok? we owe it to these fine men and women to move the ocean a few hundred miles in, creating more beach, more waves. how would you feel about more ocean? >> it sounds great. love it. >> see? he would love it. >> move the ocean! movetheocean.org.

>> hello, mr. ferrell. i understand you're one of america's most beloved entertainers. you sure are in my book. good for you. that is why i am sending you this message. seek help, will. soon. you need it. >> think about it. 400 miles of ocean view property. movetheocean.org. send me money instead. >> so will ferrell once to move the ocean, you want to raise the river. explain how you raise a river. >> raising the river is just raising the issue of the river. not making its way to the sea of cortez, what is the harm in that? well, the communities and the

cultures that exist in the lower part of the basin are being starved out. they have to move away because they can't have agriculture there because they don't have the water. the water is being used up for other things. had that water been allowed to continue on its way down there's a huge -- there are huge communities of native americans mexicans, who would not be starved away. they would be able to thrive. so i think that is the story the news to be told. people need to know the story. >> so you have a film, robert redford, that is premiering here at the sundance film festival. that is pretty rare for you. i mean, you are -- >> it wasn't my idea. >> talk about this film, well, you're supposed to do this with paul newman? >> once upon a time, yeah. >> and he chose the person who most reminded you of paul newman to replace him? >> know, originally -- look, the

history of this project goes back about 14 years. right after 2000. when i read the book by bill bryson, i literally laughed out loud and sought as possible third picture for paul and i to do because it had the same -- it had the same tone, but different environment. i thought, that would be good. but then as time went on getting the script, which took a long time, getting a director took a long time, and then paul's health declined. pretty soon, it was always he couldn't do it. he said, i can't do it. the first thing that came to my mind was mcnulty. i think nick and i are roughly the same age and i think we -- i personally think he is a good actor. i think he is smart. he is really interesting. maybe a little undisciplined but that is sort of what makes it fun. he and i had similar backgrounds when we were both young. i was off the rails and i was

young and a political or. >> how did you pull it together? >> i came back from europe and studied art and it was a dark period. i came back and decided i really needed to focus on healthier life. i got married, had children, started a career. >> before we talk more about the film, mentioning paul, "butch cassidy and the sundance kid" is where he got the name for this festival? >> well, yeah. i did not want it. i thought it was too self-serving. the group i was involved with her looking for a name -- involved with her looking for a name. sundance came up and i said, is a good name, but i don't use it because it looks like it is self-serving. they said, well, it is a great name. it is a great name. try to use all kinds of reasons it should be used. if you get up to the top of the

mountain, the sundance is on the snow. i said i don't think is a good idea, but i was out voted. i was afraid of there being too much association that i was looking to capitalize on the film. i said, what if the film is a disaster? >> can you believe the sundance film festival is 31 years old? >> no? >> do you think of it as one of your children? >> when it started it was a big idea back in 1985. a big idea with a small start. there's no support, only one theater in park city. sundance the place is not in park city, it is 40 miles away. it is where our lab programs are, the development processes our nonprofit sundance to element for the documentaries and films and theater and so forth, music. park city works out for us because they have something we need, which is the ethical

distribution capability and we give them something they need, which is a venue to attract people. the first year the was maybe 150 people that showed up. we had one theater. maybe 10 documentaries and 10 films. and now it is grown to the point where it is kind of like a wild horse. i can't begrudge it, i mean, that was the dream. it started as a hope. when it became a reality, it started to have its own momentum. >> and the point since you have great acclaim in hollywood, you did not need another venue -- all the creative ways you participate in the film industry, director, as an actor. so why sundance? you had it made. >> it wasn't so much about me but what i saw happening to the industry.

jenna 1960's and 1970's, particularly in the 1970's, studios controlled the film. in those days, many studios would allow smaller films to be made under their banner. i was very fortunate because some of the stories i wanted to tell about the country i grew up in when into the gray area. during the second world war, which is my first memory, there was a lot of red white, and blue. there were a lot of slogans supporting the soldiers off to war. i had family that died in the war. so when it was over, there was a lot of propaganda about what a wonderful country we were. it is a great country, and i'm pretty lucky to live in it. that as i grew up and heard slogans like, it doesn't matter whether you win or lose but how you play the game, and i realized it was a lie. everything mattered. i realized this was a country that is very much about winning.

so i decided i wanted to make -- i wanted to make a film about what i would call the grayer area of america, where it is more complex, issues are more complex. the first one was "downhill racer." i was able to do that because i was to move larger, warner bros.. then "the candidate." back in 1970, we elect people not by substance, but by cosmetics. that is high you look. that had a lot to do awith it. a person not qualified, but looked like he was or wasn't. it was about that. and then other films about the american west i'm out men, "all the presidents men." those were films i was allowed to make if i was doing a larger film. and it changed. in 1980, the industry began to be more centralized and or following the youth market,

because that is were the money was. which i understand. but it looked like it was going to be the expense of other films that were about the humanistic side, stories about american way of life, complex stories. in my mind, i thought that was very valuable. i thought it was a wonderful use of film. you can have the big blockbusters and have, with technology creating or special effects possibilities, you knew they were going to use that, that is great. but i felt it was going to be at the expense of giving up those other kinds of films. that is what led to sundance. what if we can start a development process for young artists and have a voice, but we can help them develop their skills so they can at least get their films made? that was the lab that started in 1980. then once that happened and we started the development process at sundance, suddenly, we realized we were helping them develop their skills to get films made, but there was nowhere to go because the mainstream had not allowed any

space for them. and that led to the idea of a festival. originally, it was just an idea that maybe we could have a community a phone makers come together and share each other's work. and if we were lucky someone will come. >> you talk about diversity in all sorts of ways. there's a big discussion in promoting women on both sides of the camera. one of the women who talks about how important sundance has been in her life is ava. in 2012, she won best director for first african-american woman to win -- >> she is on our board. >> another controversy over "selma." the film has been nominated for best film for the oscars. as for best director, she did not get it. no best actor nomination. it led to this #oscarssowhite

and a survey found also for voters are 94 percent white, 76% male, and an average age of 63 years old. your thoughts about this? >> i am older than that. i don't occupy myself with what the academy is doing or what is criteria is. i am a member of the academy. but i don't really occupy my self with what it's thinking is because i don't know enough about what prompts it. i do believe in diversity. i think diversity is healthy. i think diversity and film is really healthy. >> do you think the academy needs to diversify? >> i do, i think it is only healthy. there was a while when he did not have women directors and now we do. which i think is really important. i think the future would do quite well with focusing on women and young people.

i think the use of tomorrow -- youth of to mark him a we need to think about them, particularly, the environment. what are we doing for the new generation? what are we giving them to work with? the same thing in film. you want to create space for them to develop. i think women have a lot -- the country needs more nurturing. >> robert redford, oscar-winning director, actor, environment list, founder of the sundance film festival now in his 31st year. i spoke to him wednesday night here in park city, utah. here is sundance in 2013, for the first time, women directed 50% of films in the u.s. dramatic competition. that stands in stark contrast to hollywood. women film makers actually appear to have lost ground over the last 17 years in hollywood. the latest report from researchers at san diego state university found men directed 93% of the 250 highest grossing

films of 2014. women directed just 7%, a decrease of 2% compared to 1998. sundance alumni or portraits --laura potrais and ava duvernay were among just 17 women directors whose films broke into the top 250 highest grossing films this past year. when we come back, we speak to robert redford about his new film here is sundance, "a walk in the woods." ♪ [music break]

>> "glory," from the soundtrack of "selma," nominated this year for two academy awards -- best original song and best film. this is democracy now! democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are broadcasting from park city utah, from park city television. here in park city, the 31st angle sundance film festival is underway. we're spending the hour with its founder, robert redford director and a kind actor. i asked about his latest film, "a walk in the woods" with nick nolte. >> the reason i was attracted to it. one, it was a comedy. i had not done a comedy a long, long time. i kind of missed it. i was doing serious, dramatic work, which is fine.

i just wanted to do a comedy. i had done, the on broadway and earlier films and i wanted to go back to that. i felt a lot of the comity in the last three years was making its way -- it was lower grade comity. it was good and fun, but it was kind of one-dimensional. i don't to say bathroom humor, that is too negative. but was a certain kind of quality. it was down there. i thought i would like to do a comedy. this was about friendship, a friendship lost for 30 years and then regained. and that journey on the appalachian trail was found again, by two guys who were once close, when a totally different directions, became back together again because dylan else would walk the trail -- rick is no one else and walk the trip. i thought, this is a great story. >> he has a titanium knee and a yrtrick kneww?

>> that's the least of it. >> let's go to a clip of "a walk in the woods." >> hey, steven. this is my wife. >> you are the british nurse efforts a much about. >> as really hope so. >> that is a bit like a bear hug. >> are you limping? >> this is a titanium knee and this is a trick knee. i have to eat every hour or so, otherwise i get these -- >> episodes? >> no where--

>> seizures? you get seizures? >> about 10 years ago. totally changed. >> i thought you said you were in shape. >> i am. >> that is robert redford and nick nolte with them at thompson. especially for radio listeners who were not watching this on television, the part where you heard the kingdom issued working, that was the nolte sort of getting some fuel before his walk. isn't it also a film about getting older? >> i think so. it is about, what are you going to do with what time you have left? are you just going to sit? one thing you don't want to do is be a guy sitting on a rocking chair in a bathrobe on a stoop somewhere and go -- i wish i would have i could have, should

have. you don't want that. so you make the most of your life. and these guys hit a point where they see the end of the road. it is not that far away. what he going to do? one less shot, one last effort to break through. you are still young enough and able enough to try something risky? that might change the whole picture. i think that was the motivation. >> do you continue to try risky things? >> yes. the only risk is not taking risks, in my mind. i think risk moves forward. you're not going to make it all the time. you won't achieve what you want to, but as long as you're willing to take a risk to move things forward. >> when have you failed? >> right now this interview. [laughter] we don't need to go into it. there a lot of times in my life.

>> and seen it as him in retrospect, because it is for you hard to feel it when you fail, but as an important turning point that actually lead you in a direction you wanted to go in? >> i think taking chances. again, risk. i began my early adult life, i thought it was going to be an artist. i had gone to europe to study art. i saved up enough money to last for a year. that travel exposed me to a real education that i didn't feel i was getting in the classroom. getting out in the world and expecting other cultures, other linkages to different people different views. that became my education. i thought to keep myself company, i would have a sketchbook. i would go to bars and hitchhike along the way and a sketch people. i was alone. i thought it was going to be an artist. i studied in paris. i came back to new york. i ended up in a dramatic school.

i wasn't planning that. what happened when i went into it with something clicked that i hadn't expected. my life took a different turn. suddenly, i was an actor. >> do you draw now? paint? >> i do. it is the way i tell a story to myself. if i'm sitting in a restaurant and i am alone, i used to -- >> you ever alone in a restaurant? >> yeah, i am. what i would do would be, because i was alone, to keep myself company, i would sketch people i would see. i can't do that now. it gave me great comfort. i would sketch -- there's a story being told another table and i would sketch the person or the couple or the group, and then i would imagine what their story was.

on the right hands out of the page, i would write what i thought their story was to correspond to the picture. in my mind, spreading the picture in the story together -- i was putting the picture and the story together. i thought that is what it was going to do with my life into a became an act. >> her truth. can you talk about this new film you're working on? >> "truth" is a wonderful story. it has elements of greek tragedy to it. dan rather, well-known anchor, along with two other anchors from other networks, it was that moment in time where dan was at the top of his game and he fell from grace three quickly. -- very quickly. his producing partner, they were producing credible work. he ran afoul of his losses, cbs

that time. felt was pushing too hard against george bush on his air national guard record, which was flawed and had holes in it. and he was beginning to pursue with the real truth behind that was 01/29/15 01/29/15 can you just remind people what that national guard story was about? >> well, it got complicated and had to do with the memo, but what it was the administration was covering up the fact he did not show up, did not do a physical, went to alabama to campaign rather than showing up for duty. >> way back. >> way back. and so mary mapes was doing the research, getting the facts together and dan was putting it on the air. they wanted a relationship with the administration. they asked him to back off. he said, i can't do that, my job is to tell the truth. there was tension that ended up because he did not stop.

he said, this is my job. so they fired him and her. and that was a fall from grace that took place in a very short amount of time. this film is about that moment where he was at the top and then fell. i talked to dan. i called him before i did the film. it is a hard character to play for me because he is so well-known. a public face that is very well-known. you want to be careful. you don't want to imitate that person. they can become a character. you also want to find the essence of the person so you can retrieve full days type of person -- so you can be truthful about his type of person. i asked him if he was going to be uncomfortable and he said no. i said, tell me something. what was it about you and mary mapes? cate blanchett plays mary mapes. he says, i tell you what bob.

she and i were loyal to each other and we were loyal to our boss. the heart ache, the tragedy was that our faith in our bosses wasn't acknowledged. there was no reciprocation for that. so we were fired, but we stay loyal to each other all these years to each other because that was the core of our relationship. loyalty to get to the truth. we were kind of done in buyer own bosses, who we are both very loyal to. i thought, that is a great story. what's>> are there any echoes of "all the presidents men" in this? >> maybe a little bit. what attracted me to that story was showing what to reporters

did that no one knew anything about. everyone knew about nixon and the headline stuff but these two guys were doing something that nobody else was doing. they were digging and digging. >> they were bugging the place. >> your vote on this you are both on the story. >> are you hearing a connection to watergate theory? >> i was just wondering if you could remember -- >> "all the presidents men." the story of the two young reporters who cracked the watergate conspiracy. >> did you know howard? >> the white house that he was doing some investigative work. >> a stumbled into leads. >> howard was with the cia. >> they tripped over clues.

>> we would like to see all the material. >> all the white house transactions are confident. >> this is a cover-up under our noses. >> and peace by piece, they solved the greatest detective story in american history. >> there's no way the white house can control the investigation. >> i don't want to say anymore ok? >> is there a cover-up? >> mitchell knew. >> mitchell knew? >> get in here. >> at times, it looked like it may cost them their jobs. >> you're about to write a story saying he is a crook. >> the reputations. >>perhaps even their lives. >> curled bernstein. >> it was about the relationship.

they did not like each other. one was a good writer and one wasn't. they did not like each other but they had to work together. to me, that is a great story. i wasn't interested in anything other than what these guys did at a certain time that nobody else was doing, and what was the relationship like. to me, that is what "all the presidents men" was. if you want to liken that to "treat," i don't love you can other than it is about the media and hard work, but aside from that, i don't think there's much correlation because dan was well-known. these guys weren't. >> robert redford, thank you very much for being with us. i want to and with this question. je suis charlie. what took place in france. the whole idea of freedom of the press, freedom of speech, but also the backlash, the concern about islamophobia and communities under siege whether we're talking about in france or

here at home, black lives matter movement. your thoughts on where we are today? >> now we get down to democracy. i think it is very important to listen to other people's points of view, to be open, to be dollar and. i think what happened in paris is tragic. i spent a lot of time there. but i think it has to do with not acknowledging a segment of society. i don't know enough about it but it seems it had a lot to do with the muslim population that was sort of cast aside. i don't know if that is true or not, but it seems like that was at the core of what was going on. well, had it been more inclusive, had that community been more included, made to be filled part of the social impairment they were in, i'm not sure this would have happened. so i'm all for diversity.

democratic behavior. that may not have happened. >> robert redford, thank you for a much for being here. >> thank you. stay on the air. >> the oscar-winning director, claimed actor robert redford, founder of the sundance film festival now in his 31st year here in park city utah. that does it for the broadcast. if you would like a copy of today's show on ago to democracynow.org. on friday, tomorrow, i will be speaking at dolly's book store on main street here in park city at 1:00 p.m. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to outreach@democracynow.org or mail them to democracy now! p.o. box 693 new york, new york 10013. democracy now! [captioning made possible by democracy now!]

behold his mighty hand. hello? this is cecil b. de-mille in hollywood, california. the trouble with movies as a business is it's an art. and the trouble with movies as an art is it's a business. and it is. every one of us who makes films struggles with that. the system demands success. it rewards it, but punishes failure as well. annenberg media ♪ and: with additional funding from these foundations and individuals: