Veteran actor Robert Redford praised the #MeToo and Time's Up movements as a "tipping point" in Hollywood that will create more opportunities for women, as he kick started the the Sundance Film Festival.
"It's kind of a tipping point. It's changing the order of things so that women will have a stronger voice. They didn't have it before. Too much control by the male dominance. Now I think it's going to be more even-handed.
"I think the role for women to be able to step forward and exercise their voices more is a really wonderful thing, and I think the role for men is to listen, let women's voices be heard, and think about it," said Redford during the festival's opening press conference.
The star was joined by Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam and Sundance Film Festival director John Cooper as they raised the curtain on the festival, which runs through January 28.
"It's about more than a few individual men. It's about the underlying systems of power," said Putnam.
She added that people need to ask tough questions about why female filmmakers struggle to get financing for their movies and why studios do not employ as many women at top executive levels.
The festival has also created a hotline for attendees who are victims of misconduct. It is also publicising a code of conduit that stresses creating a fest "free of harassment, discrimination, sexism and threatening or disrespectful behaviour.
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