PARK CITY, Utah -- It's the kind of change Robert Redford can believe in.

No, we don't mean Barack Obama's Inauguration on Tuesday -- although the Oscar winner has never been shy about expressing his political views -- but rather how 25 years of the Sundance film festival has transformed cinema.

"It was risky," he told journalists at a news conference yesterday. "In the short term, (the question was) would we survive? It was a new idea."

That idea -- to bring independent film into the mainstream and give audiences more diverse movies -- has flourished in the years since, of course. And although times are tough, he believes it will endure.

"The economic climate is huge. How it will affect the festival, I can't say ... We're in a world that's very screwed up, but there are lots of opportunities (for filmmakers)."

And for Sundance? Redford confirmed negotiations are underway to stage a film festival in Abu Dhabi. He noted because Sundance has been working in the Middle East for years -- including with its documentary program on human rights -- it makes sense to "extend our mission ... We're in discussions. There's nothing signed, but we will probably go into that territory."

As for matters closer to home, Redford said he won't be in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, but added, "I'm personally excited that the gang that couldn't shoot straight is getting out of there."

And he didn't sound concerned the historic event would overshadow Sundance, noting that if "attendance thins out" in the notoriously-overcrowded Park City, that might not be a bad thing.

"It won't bother me because it will put the focus (back on films)."

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