Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The Sundance Institute announced two special awards on Wednesday. Cynthia Erivo will receive the Visionary Award and James Mangold the Trailblazer Award at the 2025 festival.
The Visionary Award is for Erivo's "uncompromising work and notable contributions to the entertainment industry." It cited her current role as Elphaba in Wicked and its upcoming sequel, as well as past roles in The Color Purple and Harriet, as Harriet Tubman.
Her 2023 film Drift premiered at the festival.
"Storytelling is the foundation of my work," Erivo said in a statement. "This recognition inspires me to continue championing bold, diverse stories that connect, challenge, and uplift us all."
The Trailblazer Award is for Mangold's "unwavering dedication and notable contributions to the field of cinema." His latest film is the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown and he has been working with Sundance since 1994.
"Sundance has been many things in my life; a faraway dream on a mountain, a laboratory at which I developed the script for Cop Land, a Festival at which I debuted Heavy, my first feature," Mangold said in a statement.
Mangold added that as an established filmmaker, Sundance became "a place I have proudly mentored talented young filmmakers."
The awards ceremony will also honor Sundance Institute Founding Senior Director of Artist Programs Michelle Satter. Vanguard Awards Presented by Acura will go to Didi director Sean Wang and Sugarcane codirectors Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie.
In January, Christopher Nolan won the Trailblazer Award. Vanguard Awards went to Celine Song and Maite Alberdi.
Sundance runs Jan. 23 - Feb. 2 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah.
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