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.
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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