Oscar nominees James Mangold, Cynthia Erivo, 'Sugarcane' directors celebrated at Sundance

PARK CITY, Utah — The Sundance Film Festival welcomes creatives from all aspects of the industry, including many of this year’s Oscar nominees.

“A Complete Unknown” director James Mangold is receiving the Trailblazer Award, and “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo is receiving the Visionary Award at the Sundance Film Festival Gala.

Mangold has had a close relationship with Sundance, from first participating in the Institute’s artist programs in 1994, to receiving the festival’s Special Jury Prize for Directing in 1995 for his directorial debut, “Heavy.” Now, the filmmaker is nominated for Best Director and Best Picture at this year’s Oscars.

National Geographic’s “Sugarcane” co-directors, Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, are being honored with Vanguard Awards. The awards celebrate emerging artists and highlight independent storytelling.

“Sugarcane” originally premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Documentary for Directing Award. The film has since been nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. “Sugarcane” is streaming now on Hulu.

The festival seeks new voices and fresh perspectives, not just in its documentaries, narrative features and shorts, but in all of its programming.

Among the sponsors at the festival amplifying fresh perspectives is GLAAD, a non-profit focusing “on LGBTQ advocacy and cultural change.” The organization hosted its second annual “Cheers, Queers” event, which uplifts queer voices at the festival.

The Sundance Film Festival will continue through February 2.

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