Sundance Institute celebrated the NIGHT BEFORE NEXT benefit at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on August 11. Raising crucial funds to offset the non-profit Institute’s year-round programs, the event honored Nate Parker (The Birth of a Nation) with the Institute’s annual Vanguard Award, which was presented by Sundance alum Michael B. Jordan. During the event, Nate Parker and The Birth of a Nation team announced the Sundance Institute | The Birth of a Nation Fellowship for 18-to-24-year-old filmmakers participating in the Institute’s Ignite program.

The Sundance Institute | The Birth of a Nation Fellowship will support a filmmaker of color each year for the next five years in the Sundance Ignite program, which was established in 2015 to provide year-round mentorship and industry experiences for talented young artists. The program aims to increase access to authentic, independent storytelling, developing a new audience base and providing a pipeline of support for emerging artists. The first Sundance Institute | The Birth of a Nation Fellow will be named in the Fall.

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.

Photo Credit: Ryan Kobane/Sundance Institute