PARK CITY, Utah— There's plenty of change in the air at the Sundance Film Festival, where 128 feature films are expected to debut in the next ten days starting Thursday.

Streaming companies are now amongst the most likely to scoop up buzzed-about breakthroughs. The opening day marquee event belonged to a Netflix movie: the feverishly awaited Taylor Swift drama "Miss Americana." And for the first time in decades, its producer, Robert Redford, began the annual ski town festival without a few opening words.

Sundance also missed her annual opening day press conference where since the 1980s Redford, the ever-sunny face of the festival, has been ruling. Last year, at the press conference Redford made only a brief cameo and said he would step back. "We're at a stage where I can push on to another location," said Redford afterwards.

Redford, 83, who also said he retired from performing last year, will still have a role at Sundance. He stars in two films screening at Sundance, including one co-directedby his nephew, Dylan Redford, apart from being on hand at the festival.