Kristen Stewart To Receive Visionary Award At 40th Sundance Film Festival’s Opening-Night Gala

Anthony D'Alessandro
·2 min read
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Kristen Stewart will be lauded with the Visionary Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival’s opening-night gala January 18 at the DeJoria Center in Utah.

The Visionary Award is given to a recipient in recognition of their work as an uncompromising artist and contributions to the field of independent film.

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“Stewart’s profound work as an actor has exemplified the bold, risk-taking storytelling that Sundance has championed for many years,” the festival said Thursday in a release.

During her career Stewart counts 10 movies that screened at Sundance including The Runaways, Adventureland and Lizzie. She made her directorial debut with Come Swim at the 2017 Sundance. At the 2024 fest she has Love Me premiering in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section, which is also the recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, as well as Love Lies Bleeding, premiering in the Midnight section.

Stewart was nominated for an Oscar for her performance as Princess Diana in Spencer and was the first American actress to receive the Cesar Award for her role in Clouds of Sils Maria.

“We are thrilled to honor the immensely talented Kristen Stewart at our Opening Night Gala,” said Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO. “Kristen’s captivating performances across a wide, diverse body of work make her a truly unique talent. With over ten Sundance films under her belt, she has always remained committed to the art of independent cinema. We are excited to welcome her back to the festival and can’t wait to see what she has in store for our 40th year.”

“Sundance’s purity, lack of fussy pretension and its commitment to supporting independence in an industry that doesn’t always value the radical or the sidelined is what makes it by far the homiest place for me to go see, discuss and present films,” said Stewart in a statement. “Truly honored to be acknowledged by this beloved institution.”

As previously announced, Christopher Nolan will be honored at the opening-night gala fundraiser with the inaugural Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award, recognizing an artist’s unwavering dedication and notable contributions to the field of independent film.

The annual Vanguard Awards honor artists whose work highlights the art of storytelling and creative independence in both nonfiction and fiction. The Vanguard Award for Fiction will be presented to Celine Song, director and writer of Past Lives, and the Vanguard Award for Nonfiction will go to Maite Alberdi, director of The Eternal Memory. Award-winning journalist and producer, Pat Mitchell, will receive the Vanguard Award for Philanthropy recognizing her exemplary commitment to the Institute’s support and to philanthropy for social impact.

The upcoming Sundance Film Festival will take place January 18–28, 2024 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as online from January 25–28.

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