Los Angeles, CA - Sundance Institute today announced it will present its Vanguard Award to filmmaker and actor Nate Parker at NIGHT BEFORE NEXT, a summer celebration benefiting the Institute and its artists on the eve of Sundance NEXT FEST at the iconic Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, August 11. Parker's directorial debut, The Birth of a Nation, premiered to great response at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize. The Vanguard Award will be presented to Parker during the cocktails and dinner portion of the evening.
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, 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.
After the Benefit dinner and program, the evening will include an outdoor party with a live musical performance by White Sea, fronted by Morgan Kibby, formerly of M83. The outdoor party will feature specialty drinks, desserts and interactive games under the stars on a summer night. Tickets to the outdoor party-only portion of the evening include a Sundance Institute membership.
Nate Parker is a humanitarian, actor, writer, director and producer. Set against the antebellum South, The Birth of a Nation follows Nat Turner (Nate Parker), a literate slave and preacher, whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner (Armie Hammer), accepts an offer to use Nat's preaching to subdue unruly slaves. As he witnesses countless atrocities - against himself and his fellow slaves - Nat orchestrates an uprising in the hopes of leading his people to freedom. The film opens in theatres October 7, 2016.
The Birth of a Nation premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was supported by the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program from development to post-production, through both ongoing mentorship and granting programs. Parker appeared as an actor in several films at the Festival in previous years, including: the Spike Lee-directed Red Hook Summer; Arbitrage, opposite Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon; and Ain't Them Bodies Saints, opposite Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, and Ben Foster. Parker is currently developing a number of projects through his production company, Tiny Giant Productions.
The Vanguard Award includes a cash grant and mentorship from industry professionals and Institute staff. Parker will be the fifth recipient of this award, joining past recipients Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station), Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) and Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl). The Vanguard Award was founded in 2011 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program and its founding director, Michelle Satter.
NIGHT BEFORE NEXT is supported by two Host Committees. The dinner and cocktails Host Committee is comprised of: Charmaine Bailey & Sean Bailey; Ryan Coogler; Lyn Lear & Norman Lear; Ava DuVernay; Cindy Harrell Horn & Alan Horn; Pat Mitchell & Scott Seydel; Amy Redford; and Nadine Schiff-Rosen & Frederic D. Rosen. The outdoor party Host Committee is comprised of: Katie Aselton, Lake Bell, Damien Chazelle, Lena Dunham, Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marielle Heller, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rashida Jones, Franklin Leonard, Justin Lin, Melanie Lynskey and Kevin Smith. Many members of the independent film community will be in attendance including Institute supporters and alumni artists who have participated in Sundance Institute Labs or the Sundance Film Festival.
Tickets to the dinner and cocktail portion of the evening where Nate Parker will receive the Vanguard award start at $1,500. Individuals interested in attending just the outdoor party only can attend and get a Sundance Institute membership for $150. Tickets are on sale now at sundance.org/nightbeforenext.
NIGHT BEFORE NEXT is presented by Acura. For information on additional sponsorship opportunities, contact events@sundance.org.
Sundance Institute relies on the generosity of supporters who share a commitment to nurturing new artists, supporting unique and diverse creative voices, and furthering the reach of independent feature and documentary films around the world. The celebration event will raise crucial funds to offset the non-profit Institute's year-round programs for artists, including Labs, grants and the Sundance Film Festival.
Sundance Institute
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institutes signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
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Download a PDF version of this news release.
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Los Angeles, CA - Sundance Institute today announced it will present its Vanguard Award to filmmaker and actor Nate Parker at NIGHT BEFORE NEXT, a summer celebration benefiting the Institute and its artists on the eve of Sundance NEXT FEST at the iconic Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, August 11. Parker's directorial debut, The Birth of a Nation, premiered to great response at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where it won both the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize. The Vanguard Award will be presented to Parker during the cocktails and dinner portion of the evening. 
