Welcome to Celebrating Sundance Institute Presented by Google TV!

This Festival fundraising gala co-chaired by Ebs Burnough and Pat Mitchell, will celebrate Michelle Satter — Sundance Institute’s Founding Senior Director of Artist Programs — for her unparalleled commitment to nurturing and supporting artists through the Sundance Labs for the past four decades. 

Sundance Labs and Festival alum James Mangold, writer-director of A Complete Unknown, will be honored with the Trailblazer Award in recognition of his unwavering dedication and notable contributions to the field of cinema. Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award–winner and two-time Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo, currently starring as Elphaba in Universal Pictures’ Wicked, will be honored with the Visionary Award in recognition of her uncompromising work and notable contributions to the entertainment industry.The annual Vanguard Awards Presented by Acura will be awarded to Sean Wang, writer-director of Dìdi (弟弟), and Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of Sugarcane, who premiered their films at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Your support, this evening and beyond, directly contributes to Sundance Institute’s year-round work enabling artists to bring their stories to life. Through these ongoing grants, mentorships, and other critical resources, the work that Michelle has built and championed will continue for decades to come.

Since 1981, the nonprofit Sundance Institute, founded by Robert Redford, has been dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences. Through our programs, we seek to uplift, support, and inspire independent film and media artists from around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. Be a part of the night’s magic all while helping support the Institute’s mission to cultivate the next generation of filmmakers.

To donate to Sundance Institute, please visit this link. Thank you for your support!

TONIGHT’S PROGRAM

Please enjoy your meal and tonight’s program, which we have planned to run for approximately an hour and a half. 

Performance by the Red Spirit Singers of the Southern Ute Tribal Nation

Welcome: 

Tessa Thompson – Trustee, Sundance Institute

Amanda Kelso – Acting CEO, Sundance Institute

Awards & Honors:

  • Andrew Ahn presents the Sundance Institute Vanguard Award for Fiction presented by Acura to Sean Wang
  • RJ Cutler presents the Sundance Institute Vanguard Award for Nonfiction presented by Acura to Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie
  • Olivia Colman presents the Sundance Institute Visionary Award to Cynthia Erivo
  • Amy Redford, Marielle Heller, and a special surprise guest lead a tribute to Honoree Michelle Satter, Sundance Institute’s Founding Senior Director of Artist Programs
  • Joel Edgerton presents the Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award to James Mangold

Closing:

Pat Mitchell — Trustee, Sundance Institute

Ebs Burnough — Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sundance Institute

An intimate performance by special musical guest

Thank you to all of this evening’s supporters. The Festival and our year-round work would not be possible without you. 

To donate to Sundance Institute, please visit this link.

Presenting Sponsor

Vanguard Award Sponsor

Event Chairs:

Ebs Burnough and Pat Mitchell

Thank you to our Host Committee,

Ebs Burnough Event Co-Chair 

Pat  Mitchell Event Co-Chair

Andrew Ahn

Paul Thomas Anderson

Darren Aronofsky

Miguel Arteta

Ritesh Batra

Radha Blank

Anna Boden

Patricia Cardoso

Lisa Cholodenko

Ryan Coogler

Cherien Dabis

Nia DaCosta

Mark Duplass

Sean Durkin

Ava DuVernay

Robert Eggers

Chris Eyre

Rick Famuyiwa

Ryan Fleck

Scott Frank

Sydney Freeland

Rashad Frett

Cary Fukunaga

Rodrigo Garcia

Debra Granik

Reinaldo Marcus Green

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Sterlin Harjo

Ed Harris

Sian Heder

Marielle Heller

Nicole Holofcener

Tamara Jenkins

Eliza Hittman

Miranda July

Nikyatu Jusu

Nicole Kassel

Rory Kennedy

Braden King

Daniel Kwan

Kasi Lemmons

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

David Lowery

Joshua Marston

Christopher McQuarrie

John Cameron Mitchell

Gregory Nava

Jessie Nelson

Pete Nicks

Kimberly Peirce

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Dee  Rees

A.V. Rockwell

Howard Rodman

Ira Sachs

Walter Salles

Daniel Scheinert

Tessa Thompson

Charlotte Wells

Roger Ross Williams

Benh Zeitlin

Chloe Zhao

Champion tables

Acton Family Giving

All That’s Left of You 

Ebs Burnough and Pierre Lagrange

Nina and David Fialkow

Luisa and Chris Law

Stephen and Sharmaine Hillard

Jeanne Donovan Fisher

Melony and Adam Lewis

Madison Wells

Stanley Hotel 

Susan and Jim Swartz

Advocate Tables

Blumhouse

IMDbPro

Impact Partners

K Period Media

Margo Jacobs

Ann Lewnes

THE LIBRARIANS

Pat Mitchell

Bill Plapinger and Cassie Murray

Zoltana Films

Patron Pair Packages

Tessa Dunnigan

Jonathan Gardner

Ian Calderon and Karen Karpowich

Frederico Melo

Simbelle Productions

Olga Segura

Laura Turner Seydel

Janice Ugaki

Alexa M. Whiteside, Esq.

Individual Tickets

Andrew Ahn

Carlos Archilla

Sean Bailey

Miranda Bailey

Bethany Basta

Dave and Jan Baszuski

Carolyn Bernstein

Krista Beyrer

Christopher Calvin

Nicole Jaclyn Chessin Esq.

Maria Cuomo Cole

William P. Condon

Donna Gruneich

Amy Haught

Tim Horsburgh

Craig Kestel

Lyn Lear

Linda Lichter

Charlotte Lubert

Alicia Minana

Courteney Monroe

William Morgan

Julie Morris

Andy Nahas

Pete Nicks

Kellen Quinn

Beth Deutschman Rabishaw and Gary Rabishaw

Philip Raskind

John Riccitiello

Favianna Rodriguez

Ellen and Mike Rosenberg

Nadine Schiff-Rosen

Bird Runingwater 

Ira Sachs

Sudeshna Sen

Clint and Jennifer Thompson

Ethan Turner

Barry Tyerman

Rosadel Varela

Bill Way

General Donation

Anna Boden

Stacey Bosworth

Rodrigo Garcia

Nicole Holofcener

John Miller

Official Providers

The Dufour Collaborative

Grand Hyatt Deer Valley