Nate Parker, director of The Birth of a Nation, will get this year’s Sundance Institute award, which brings a cash prize and industry mentorship.
Sundance Institute is giving its Vanguard Award to filmmaker and actor Nate Parker (pictured), whose directorial debut The Birth of a Nation won the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
The award will be presented at Institute’s Night Before Next benefit in Los Angeles on August 11.
The Vanguard Award includes a cash grant and mentorship from industry professionals and Institute staff. Previous recipients include Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station), Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) and Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl).
The Birth of a Nation, which was supported by the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program from development to post-production, opens in US cinemas on October 7.
Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam said: “Night Before Next will bring our community together to celebrate and support independent artists who create bold, original work. In this spirit, we are excited to honor Nate Parker as he prepares to release the extraordinary film The Birth of a Nation, which we supported during development and premiered at our Festival.”
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