Redford still proud of Sundance

Robert Redford looks suitably grungy, in brown beanie, brown boots and a checked shirt as he sits on the podium at the opening press conference for the Sundance Film Festival.

Despite a slightly expanded waistline and perhaps the help of minor facial tweaks - something he has denied - he looks as fit as a fiddle.

When asked if he is ready to retire now that he's 74 as Larry King recently did at 77, the Sundance Kid smiled.

"I have not thought about retiring - I'm gonna die (but not just yet) . . . I would like to pass the festival on to somebody."

He says navigating the festival has been a rocky road at times, and that his own slant has been on documentaries and getting them out there to the world.

Sundance has been long championed American independent cinema and continues to do so. He cites films like Precious and Winter's Bone as two success stories from last year and is particularly proud of films that have come out of the Sundance Lab, including Taika Waititi's Boy.

There are six films that were developed at the Lab here this year. Of course Australia's Animal Kingdom came away as last year's big winner, of the dramatic jury prize, the festival's major award.

He says the core of the festival has not really changed since he founded it 30 years ago, though he frowns upon what he calls "the ambush market" the fashion and lifestyle marketers who have invaded Park City, turning into a frenetic metropolis for ten days each year.

This year there were 10,000 films submitted made to the festival so it's natural that offshoots have emerged.

Slamdance, which began 15 years ago with films his festival "didn't have space for", now has the edgier feel the original festival had of showing films that are unlikely to make it to cinemas.

There have been other offshoots since of course-like Slamdunk, Traumadance even Lapdance.

"There was Smokedance," Redford jokes," but I don't have any problem with them."

Lee Tamahori's The Devil's Double, about Latif Yahia, the man who became the stand-in for Saddam Hussein's sadistic son, Uday, has been one of the highlights so far with festival director John Cooper naming Tamahori as one of his favourite directors.

The lively New Zealander was as articulate as ever when he took to the stage.

"Sixteen year ago I came here with the story of a dysfunctional family in New Zealand; 16 years later I've found another dysfunctional family in Iraq," he told the rapt crowd.

Only loosely based on Yahia's memoir, the film, which Tamahori describes as "a rollicking good story", has more in common with Scarface than any Iraq War movie we have seen.

Dominic Cooper, best known from Mamma Mia! delivers a star-making performance as the two vastly different look-alike men.

Two prominent antipodean actresses featured in the surprisingly dramatic film Vampire, directed written filmed edited and scored by Iwai Shunji.

More a film about suicide, a huge topic in Japan, it follows a soulful vampire Kevin Zegers (Transamerica) as he preys on young women via a suicide website.

His first victim is Keisha Castle-Hughes who has never looked womanly and ethereal and decidedly paler as her blood is drained, while Australia's blonde up-and-comer Adelaide Clemens, is pure angel as another potential victim.