Sundance Institute Set to Honor One of Its Own in Michelle Satter at Festival Gala

The Sundance Institute is finalizing details for a festival gala fundraiser — Celebrating Sundance Institute presented by Google TV — that will honor one of its own and a roster of rising filmmakers.

Set to take place at Utah’s Grand Hyatt Deer Valley on Jan. 24, which marks the first weekend of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, the gala will shine a spotlight on marquee honoree Michelle Satter. The beloved and respected Satter, who serves as founding senior director of artist programs at Sundance Institute, will be feted “for her longstanding commitment to nurturing artists and cultivating independent film through the Sundance Labs, where visionary artists convene to develop groundbreaking projects through an in-depth creative process, for the past four decades,” per the Institute.

The evening will see a series of Vanguard Awards presented by Acura also doled out to Dìdi filmmaker Sean Wang and Sugarcane co-directors Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie. Both titles premiered at Sundance last January and went on to win festival prizes. The annual gala is a fundraiser for the Institute that serves to support artists through labs, grants and public programming.

“For over four decades Michelle has been devoted to truly championing independent storytellers,” said Sundance Institute acting CEO Amanda Kelso. “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.”

Kelso also praised Wang and the Sugarcane auteurs as “inspiring filmmakers that represent the next generation of independent storytelling.” Wang’s Dìdi won the U.S. dramatic audience award, special jury prize for best ensemble cast. Focus Features later acquired the film. Brave NoiseCat and Kassie’s Sugarcane won the U.S. documentary directing award.

As for Satter, she started at the Sundance Institute way back in 1981, working alongside Robert Redford. Together with a team, they hatched a plan to support independent storytellers through an annual June filmmakers lab. Over the years, she’s also been integral in building the episodic program, producers program and the Institute’s global initiatives. She also oversees the Indigenous, catalyst and documentary film programs, and is credited with founding the global digital platform Sundance Collab.

She is seen as an influential mentor to generations of auteurs like 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 more. News of the Sundance honor comes after she has received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award aka an honorary Oscar presented at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science’s 2024 Governors Awards.

“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,” Satter said in a statement. “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 Sundance Film Festival will take place from Jan. 23 to Feb. 2 in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with a selection of titles available online from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2.