Rediff Entertainment Bureau

Barbara Streisand, singer-actress, introduces the man whose work has depicted "strength and vulnerability of the American spirit", "a progressive thinker", and founder of the Sundance Institute, a platform for independent filmmakers to showcase their work.

Robert Redford, the "beloved and invaluable force", receives special mention: the Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement. Among his films are Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, An Indecent Proposal, Spy Game, All the President's Men, The Way We Were, The Sting, The Three Days Of The Condor, and Ordinary People, The Horse Whisperer (which he directed).

"I'm shy," Redford announces. "It's a funny business to be shy in. There are two areas really: my personal work, which is most important to me. The other is trying to put something back into the industry. Sundance is a grand manifestation [of that]."

Tonight, Redford says, he wants "to make sure that we embrace the risks and make sure that our artistic creativity is kept alive. One word that emerges is freedom [of expression]. It is not one to be taken lightly. As an artiste I cannot think of a greater life than the one I have been blessed with. I want to acknowledge my family, my love for them, the Academy and all of you for giving me this honour."