Robert Redford took to the stage last night after the screening of the 2007 Sundance festival's opening documentary, the anti-war film Chicago 10. Redford has earnest hopes: for the festival itself, with a return to its indie roots, and also for the world. "We put all our concerns on hold to let the leaders lead," Redford told the packed house, explaining his opposition to the war in Iraq. "I think we're owed a big, massive apology." 

Brett Morgan's Chicago 10 looks back at the late 1960s trial of anti-war activists including Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. The film blends historical TV footage with animated characters. Well-known actors, including Nick Nolte and Mark Ruffalo, provide voices for the animated characters.

The next ten days are non stop films: dramas, comedies, documentaries, international films, midnight movies and a wide array of shorts. Stars galore will trek to Park City, Utah to promote their films. Steve Buscemi will be premiering two films this year, Tom DiCillo's Delirious and Interview, the fourth film he has directed. Keri Russell stars in Waitress (pictured above), Adrienne Shelley's last film before her tragic murder this fall. Christina Ricci plays a nymphomaniac chained to a radiator in Craig Brewer's Black Snake Moan.

Vera Farmiga, who rose to fame with her gritty performance in the indie film Down to the Bone,  stars in two widely disparate films, the thriller Joshua and love story Never Forever. Jake Paltrow directs his famous older sister Gwyneth in The Good Night, with a cast that also includes Penelope Cruz and Martin Freeman. Indie stalwart Lili Taylor will also be there, re-teaming with Six Feet Under castmate Lauren Ambrose in Starting Out In The Evening. In perhaps the most talked about film of the fest is Hounddog, a controversial film in which perky twelve-year-old child star Dakota Fanning is raped.

That's a taste of what is to come; the search for this year'sLittle Miss Sunshine is already on. Distribution deals are in the making. For the complete festival guide, head over to Sundance's official site.