Chloé Zhao, Nia DaCosta and Geeta Gandbhir to Be Honored at Sundance’s Robert Redford Tribute Event

Chloé Zhao, Nia DaCosta and Geeta Gandbhir have been added to the list of honorees for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival’s annual fundraiser. Dubbed “Celebrating Sundance Institute: A Tribute to Founder Robert Redford,” this year’s fundraiser will pay homage to the actor and filmmaker who founded the festival in 1978 and died earlier this year.

Each new honoree will receive a special award for their contributions to the cinematic craft. Zhao will receive the annual Trailblazer Award, presented by Google; DaCosta will receive the annual Vanguard Award for fiction, presented by Acura; and Gandbhir will receive the annual Vanguard Award for nonfiction, presented by Acura. They join this year’s previously announced inaugural Robert Redford Luminary Award winners Ed Harris and Gyula Gazdag, who will also be honored at the event.

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The event will honor Redford’s commitment to championing independent filmmakers and storytellers through the Sundance Institute’s labs, intensives, grants, fellowships and programming. The fundraiser aims to raise money to continue the late actor’s legacy and the Institute’s mission.

Other special guest and participants at the awards event will include Amy Redford, Ava DuVernay, Ethan Hawke, David Lowery, Tessa Thompson and more.

The fundraiser will take place on the second day of the festival on Jan. 23 at the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Park City, Utah.

The festival runs Jan 22-Feb 1 in Park City and Salt Lake City. At-home festival programming will become available online for audiences in the United States Jan. 29-Feb 1. This will be the festival’s final year in its longtime home of Park City before it moves to Boulder, Colo. in 2027.