Still, Redford did need some convincing from Burrows. "And she was absolutely amazing. Now I can't imagine anyone else playing that part," she said.

"The Guitar" will make its debut at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Initially, Redford resisted submitting the film because of possible nepotism concerns. (Her father's Sundance Institute runs the festival).

"There's an obvious assumption that my film would get in automatically because of my last name," she said. "But I promise that I did go through the same submission process everyone else did. It's pretty nerve-wracking."

She's "equally grateful, relieved and nervous" about the film's acceptance. And speaking of Sundance, the 37-year-old Redford also appears in another festival feature, the dark comedy "Sunshine Cleaning," which stars Amy Adams ("Enchanted").

But while Redford's name is listed in the cast, she insists her part in the movie is minimal. "I swear, I'm in it for a minute or less. It's practically a cameo."

Besides, she's concentrating her efforts on promoting "The Guitar." "This is really big. I could almost retire now, knowing I've made the film — this film I really wanted to make," she said.

If you go ...

What: "The Guitar"
Where: Sundance Film Festival '08
When: Today, 3:15 p.m. (Park City); Saturday, midnight (Park City); Monday, 6:30 p.m. (Ogden); Wednesday, 9 p.m. (Sundance resort); Jan. 26, 9:30 p.m. (Salt Lake City)
How much: $15 ($10 wait-list tickets)
Phone: 435-776-7878
Web: www.sundance.org/festival

---

E-mail: jeff@desnews.com