Michelle Satter to be Honored at Sundance Film Festival’s 2025 Gala Fundraiser
The nonprofit Sundance Institute recently announced details for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s gala fundraiser, Celebrating Sundance Institute Presented by Google TV, which will take place on Friday, January 24, 2025, at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah.
The event will be in celebration of Michelle Satter, Founding Senior Director of Artist Programs at Sundance Institute, for her longstanding commitment to nurturing artists and cultivating independent film through the Sundance Labs, where artists convene to develop groundbreaking projects through an in-depth creative process. In addition, the annual Vanguard Awards Presented by Acura will be awarded during the evening to Sean Wang, writer and director of Dìdi , and Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of Sugarcane, who premiered their films at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
The annual gala enables the nonprofit institute to raise funds to support independent artists year-round through labs, grants, and public programming. The Festival will take place from January 23–February 2, 2025, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with a selection of titles available online from January 30–February 2, 2025 for audiences across the country.
“For over four decades Michelle has been devoted to truly championing independent storytellers,” said Amanda Kelso, Acting CEO of Sundance Institute. “She has encouraged artists to own their voice, learn their craft, become fierce leaders, and develop their resilience in our changing ecosystem. Her life-long commitment to supporting artists, especially in underrepresented communities, has helped produce some of the most bold and distinctive films that have engaged audiences globally and sustained their visionary work throughout their career. In addition, this year, we are thrilled to recognize Sean Wang, Julian Brave NoiseCat, and Emily Kassie — inspiring filmmakers that represent the next generation of independent storytelling, who have each been supported by the Institute. We look forward to our guests joining us at the Celebrating Sundance Institute gala, allowing us to continue our nonprofit efforts of launching, transforming, and sustaining the work of artists and their immeasurable impact on the world.”
Starting in 1981, Michelle Satter worked alongside Robert Redford who founded the Sundance Institute. Satter has acted as an influential mentor to generations of award-winning filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino, Chloé Zhao, Dee Rees, John Cameron Mitchell, Paul Thomas Anderson, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Ryan Coogler, Miranda July, Kimberly Peirce, Darren Aronofsky, Sterlin Harjo, Taika Waititi, and many more.
“Championing independent artists through the Sundance Institute has been the driving force of my career,” Satter shared. “I’m passionately invested in this work because I believe that art and storytelling can truly reshape the world, sparking empathy, bridging humanity, and fostering understanding for global audiences, all while engaging and inspiring them. Our Labs have grown into vital spaces for creativity, risk-taking, and community—building a model for artist support around the world. In today’s fast-changing industry, the mission of Sundance and other forward-thinking organizations has never been more crucial, paving new paths for independent artists and elevating voices that deserve to be heard.”
The Vanguard Award for Fiction will be presented to Sean Wang, writer-director of Dìdi and the Vanguard Award for Nonfiction will go to Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of Sugarcane
Academy Award nominee Sean Wang gained recognition for his award-winning short, Nai Nai & Wai Po. Wang and his first feature film, Dìdi represent how Sundance Institute as an organization works to uplift and foster independent storytellers and their projects across year-round programs.
“For over a decade, Sundance has been my north star, symbolizing artistic excellence and bold, distinct voices,” said Sean Wang. “It has since also become a community of artists, an unwavering support system, and a creative home for both myself and my first feature, Dìdi. As the recipient of several Sundance Institute artist development programs — Ignite, TAAF, and the Screenwriters and Directors Labs — I know firsthand how deeply transformative that support can be for emerging storytellers. I’ll especially never forget the experience of being at the Sundance Labs, just months before shooting my movie, and how reinvigorated and inspired I felt…”
Co-directors Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie premiered their film Sugarcane at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, which went on to win the U.S. Documentary Directing Award.
“We are deeply honored to receive the Vanguard Award for Sugarcane,” said Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, “Sundance gave us and our film a place to learn and grow through the generosity of mentors, peers, and fellow artists. We will never forget that special afternoon at the Library Center Theatre when the room went dark and we held hands — and our breath — with anticipation. It meant the world to us and our participants, who so bravely shared their lives on screen, for this long ignored but essential history to be recognized by the preeminent home for independent cinema. Sundance helped bring the reckoning our film follows to a global audience at a pivotal moment, not just for the First People of North America but for all people who call this continent home. Thank you for letting us be part of this extraordinary legacy and for celebrating the film — and community — of Sugarcane.”
For more information about Gala, please visit sundance.org/gala or contact [email protected]
