The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced additional honorees for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival’s annual fundraiser, Celebrating Sundance Institute: A Tribute to Founder Robert Redford, taking place on Friday, Jan. 23, at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley. During the evening, Chloé Zhao wi ll receive the annual Trailblazer Award Presented by Google, Nia DaCosta will be presented with the annual Vanguard Award Presented by Acura for Fiction and Geeta Gandbhir will receive the annual Vanguard Award Presented by Acura for Nonfiction. Sundance Institute announced Beijing-born writer, director, editor and producer Chloé Zhao as the 2026 Trailblazer Award recipient. The award recognizes an artist’s unwavering dedication and notable contributions to the field of independent film. Credit: Photo courtesy of Christian Tierney Additional special guest participants include Amy Redford, Ava DuVernay, Ethan Hawke, David Lowery, Tessa Thompson and more. The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will be held from Jan. 22-Feb. 1 in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with the at-home program available online from Jan. 29-Feb. 1 for audiences across the country. The fundraiser will be a meaningful tribute to Sundance Institute’s founder — Robert Redford, his legacy, vision and enduring mission to support independent storytellers. It will also include the inaugural Robert Redford Luminary Award, presented to Gyula Gazdag and Ed Harris. The annual event enables the nonprofit to raise funds to support artists year-round through labs, intensives, grants, fellowships, a continuum of support and public programming. Recognizing an artist’s unwavering dedication and notable contributions to the field of independent film, the Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award Presented by Google will be presented to Academy Award–winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao. Previous honorees include Christopher Nolan and James Mangold. Chloé Zhao is a Beijing-born writer, director, editor and producer. Her debut feature, “Songs My Brothers Taught Me” (2015), was supported by the 2012 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs and later premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Zhao’s other films include “The Rider” (2017), “Eternals” (2021) and “Nomadland” (2020), which won three Oscars. Most recently, she directed, co-wrote and co-edited Focus Features’ “Hamnet” (2025), from the bestselling novel of the same name. Led by her masterful creative vision and collaborative storytelling, the film has earned nine audience awards, as well as Golden Globe and Critics Choice Association nominations for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. She launched the production company Book of Shadows in 2023 and Kodansha Studios in 2025. “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,” Zhao said. “I’m deeply grateful for the support, friendship and inspiration I’ve found here over the years, and I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of this empathetic and fearless community of storytellers.” Sundance will honor Nia DaCosta, director of “Hedda,” with the Vanguard Award for Fiction during its 2026 fundraiser, Celebrating Sundance Institute: A Tribute to Founder Robert Redford, on Jan. 23 at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley. The Vanguard Award for Fiction honors emerging artists whose work highlights the art of storytelling and creative independence in fiction. Credit: Photo courtesy of Meg Young The annual Vanguard Awards presented by Acura honor emerging artists whose work highlights the art of storytelling and creative independence in both fiction and nonfiction. The Vanguard Award for Fiction will be presented to Nia DaCosta, director of “Hedda” (2025), and the Vanguard Award for Nonfiction will go to Geeta Gandbhir, director of “The Perfect Neighbor” (2025). Previous honorees include Sean Wang, Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie, Celine Song, Maite Alberdi, Ryan Coogler, W. Kamau Bell, Nikyatu Jusu, Siân Heder, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Radha Blank, Lulu Wang, Boots Riley, Dee Rees, Marielle Heller, Damien Chazelle, Benh Zeitlin and many more. Nia DaCosta wrote, directed and produced “Hedda,” which was released this fall. Previously, she directed and co-wrote “The Marvels” (2023), “Candyman” (2021) and “Little Woods” (2018), her debut feature supported by the 2015 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs. Her next film, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” will be released in theaters on Jan. 16. “It is such an honor to be receiving the Vanguard Award from the Sundance Film Festival,” DaCosta said. “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. I can’t wait to accept this award, but most importantly I cannot wait to celebrate Bob, the Festival and all of the amazing filmmakers in Park City next year.” Sundance Institute announced that its 2026 Vanguard Award for Nonfiction recipient is Geeta Gandbhir, director of “The Perfect Neighbor.” The award recognizes emerging artists whose work highlights the art of storytelling and creative independence in nonfiction. Credit: Photo courtesy of the Sundance Institute Director Geeta Gandbhir is an Emmy, Independent Spirit and Peabody Award–winning filmmaker. Her documentary “The Perfect Neighbor” (Netflix) premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition category at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and won the juried Directing Award: U.S. Documentary. As a director, her other recent credits include “Katrina: Come Hell and High Water” (2025), “Eyes on the Prize” (2025), “The Devil Is Busy” (2024), “How We Get Free” (2023), “Born in Synanon” (2023) and “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power” (2022). “For many years, the Sundance Film Festival has been a guiding light for me — a place where bold, uncompromising stories find their home,” Gandbhir said. “The Festival has always embodied the kind of filmmaking I strive for: courageous, deeply human and unafraid to confront difficult truths. What has meant the most to me is how the Festival continues to build community — one that not only celebrates artistic excellence but actively uplifts underrepresented voices and filmmakers who challenge the status quo. As someone whose work is rooted in justice, empathy, and the power of storytelling to spark change, being recognized with the Vanguard Award is profoundly meaningful. I’m deeply honored to be part of this community and this legacy of truth-telling and transformation.” The 2026 Sundance Film Festival single film tickets for in-person and online screenings go on sale Jan. 14 at 10 a.m. Visit the Sundance Film Festival website, festival.sundance.org, for more information. The post Sundance announces Trailblazer and Vanguard Award winners appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less