The Sundance Institute has added some filmmaker star power to its Celebrating Sundance Institute: A Tribute to Founder Robert Redford event.
Hamnet’s Chloé Zhao will receive the annual Trailblazer Award presented by Google; Hedda’s Nia DaCosta will be feted with the annual Vanguard Award for fiction presented by Acura; and The Perfect Neighbor’s Geeta Gandbhir will receive the annual Vanguard Award for nonfiction presented by Acura. Sundance also confirmed additional participants for the event including Amy Redford, Ava DuVernay, Ethan Hawke, David Lowery and Tessa Thompson.
With the honor, Zhao will join a shortlist of previous recipients that includes Christopher Nolan and James Mangold. “Sundance Institute was where my journey as a filmmaker truly began, so to be honored with the Trailblazer Award by this community feels like coming home,” she said.
Previous Vanguard winners include Celine Song, Ryan Coogler, W. Kamau Bell, Nikyatu Jusu, Siân Heder, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Lulu Wang, Boots Riley, Dee Rees, Marielle Heller, Damien Chazelle and others.
Said DaCosta: “It is such an honor to be receiving the Vanguard Award from the Sundance Film Festival. It’s also incredibly fitting because all of the qualities of creative independence and intentional storytelling I am being recognized for are things I learned there, on the mountain during the Sundance Institute labs with Bob Redford, Michelle Satter and their wonderful team.”
Added Gandbhir: “For many years, the Sundance Film Festival has been a guiding light for me — a place where bold, uncompromising stories find their home. The festival has always embodied the kind of filmmaking I strive for: courageous, deeply human, and unafraid to confront difficult truths.
As previously announced, the fundraiser, set to take place at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah during next year’s Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 23, will honor Ed Harris and Gyula Gazdag with the inaugural Robert Redford Luminary Award. The annual event raises funds to support artists year-round through labs, intensives, grants, fellowships, a continuum of support and public programming.
The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will be held from Jan. 22-Feb. 1, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with online screenings avail from Jan. 29-Feb. 1.