'' All Is Lost '' was written and directed by J. C. Chandor , his second feature film , following 2011 's '' Margin Call '' . During his time commuting from Providence , Rhode Island to New York City , Chandor developed the idea for '' All Is Lost '' . After meeting Robert Redford at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival where '' Margin Call '' premiered , Chandor asked the veteran actor to be in the film . On February 9 , 2012 , Redford 's casting was confirmed for '' All Is Lost '' as its only cast member . In addition to there being only one actor in the film , Redford also stated that the film has no dialogue , although there are a few spoken lines . For these reasons , the shooting script was only 31 pages long
2011 Sundance Film Festival
2011 Sundance Film Festival
All Is Lost