Redford urged film-makers to be bold

The actor and director said the aim of the festival was to give a platform to diverse film-makers and their opinions.

"This is really a festival about different voices in film that really reflect, a little more accurately, the world we live in," he said.

The festival kicked off with the comedy Happy Endings, starring Lisa Kudrow.

Festival director Geoff Gilmore said the film had been chosen because it explored modern American values, which is a theme of many of the festival's 120 other movies.

Dissent

Happy Endings is directed by Don Roos, responsible for The Opposite of Sex, and also stars Tom Arnold and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

It focuses on the lives of three different groups of people whose lives overlap.

Lisa Kudrow stars in Happy Endings, which opened the event

Festival founder Redford said he believed that people thought the times were "chaotic" or "on course" depending on their political beliefs.

"I'd like to think of this festival as a festival of dissent, and I'd like to celebrate that," he said.

Showcase

The festival,founded in 1981, has showcased successes such as Reservoir Dogs, The Blair Witch Project and The Full Monty.

Last year's festival provided a platform for hits such as Open Water, Napoleon Dynamite, Garden State and Super-Size Me.

Offerings from this year include feature film The Chumscrubber, an ironic take on life in the American suburbs and documentary Murderball which is about quadriplegic athletes.