indie film veteran Eugene Hernandez The Sundance Film Festival’s new director will succeed Tabitha Jackson, who left the organization after just two years of service.
Hernandez, who is currently Senior Vice President, Movies at Lincoln Centerexecutive director of the New York Film Festival, and publisher movie commentswill join the Sundance Institute leadership team in November following the New York Festival, which runs from September 30th to October 16th.
Hernandez co-founded in 1996 indie wireThe online entertainment publication, which initially focused on independent films and served as Editor-in-Chief until 2010, will report directly to Joana Vicente, Chief Executive Officer of the Sundance Institute.
“Eugene has been inseparable from Sundance for over 25 years, since he came to the festival to build IndieWire in the mid-1990s, so this is a moment of complete circles,” Vicente said in a statement. says. “He has been at the forefront of supporting his artists independently and has been deeply invested in storytelling careers and the field as a whole.”
In addition to serving as Sundance Festival director (the fourth), Hernandez will also be responsible for public programming. This includes annual events such as Sundance Film Festival: London in the summer and Sundance Film Festival: Asia in Jakarta last month. The organization hopes Hernandez will expand its reach with more year-round programs outside of Park City, Utah, where his festival takes place.
The 2023 Sundance Film Festival will be led by Vicente, who will work closely with the festival’s programming director, Yutani Kim. The 2024 edition, which marks the 40th anniversary of the event, will be held with Hernandez in the lead.
“I am both energized and humbled to accept this opportunity to join Sundance,” Hernandez said in a statement. Decades of leadership has been a groundbreaking catalyst in my life.About 30 years ago, I was direction-seeking, curious, and went to Sundance for the first time. That mission has changed my life.”
Shortly after Hernandez’s visit to Sundance, he co-founded IndieWire. Hernandez left that organization in 2010 for his Lincoln His Center films, initially running the group’s digital strategy. He was promoted to executive director of the New York Film Festival in his February 2020, just before the pandemic began. Last year he hosted the festival at Lincoln Center for the first time in three years.