The Sundance Institute celebrated four decades of independent film during the Sundance Film Festival‘s opening night gala Thursday at the DeJoria Center in Kamas.

The evening, which serves as a fundraiser for the institute, pays tribute to filmmakers and actors who are Sundance veterans.

The honored artists and their awards:

• Director Christopher Nolan, Trailblazer Award
• Actor Kristen Stewart, Visionary Award
• Director Celine Song, Vanguard Award for Fiction
• Director Maite Alberdi, Vanguard Award for Nonfiction
• Former Sundance Institute Board Chair Pat Mitchell, Vanguard Award for Philanthropy

“We are so excited to honor people who are close to Sundance, and it speaks to what Sundance does,” said Joana Vicente, the institute’s chief executive officer, during a press conference earlier in the day. “(It shows) how meaningful it is to have a platform for these filmmakers to launch them into the world.”

The Trailblazer Award, which debuted this year, recognizes an artist’s unwavering dedication and notable contributions to independent film, while the Visionary Award recognizes actors and works that exemplify “the bold, risk-taking storytelling that Sundance has championed for many years,” according to the Sundance Institute. 

The Vanguard Awards honor artists whose work highlights the art of storytelling and creative independence in both nonfiction and fiction. 

Robert Downey Jr., who appears in Nolan’s most recent and critically acclaimed film, “Oppenheimer,” said that trailblazers adventure “where no one has gone before,” when he presented his director the award during the evening’s festivities.

“I am beyond tickled, as in tee-hee-hee, to present the first ever Sundance Institute Trailblazer award to Christopher Nolan,” he said. 

Upon receiving the award, Nolan, whose breakout film “Memento” premiered at the festival in 2001, joked that he is “still being discovered by … Sundance.”

“At what point do I get to move on?” he said. “All of that is by way of saying that the experience you have as a filmmaker is unique in all the world, and you carry it with you through your whole career. And I could not be more grateful for the experience that I had here 23 years ago.”

Actor Jesse Eisenberg, who has co-starred with Stewart on a number of films, including the most recent Sundance film “Adventureland,” presented her with the Visionary Award. 

“Kristen is one of these rare performers where she is so committed, so authentic, so feeling, that you almost want to make sure she’s OK at the end of the day,” he said during his speech. “And it’s that kind of painstaking feeling that she brings to everything which is such a gift for audiences because it gives us a real peek into the full breadth of our collective experiences.” 

Stewart, who has been involved in 10 Sundance films throughout the years, said “there’s nothing like being uniquely primed by timing and circumstances to accept cosmic messages and being given the support tonight,” when she got to the podium.

“I came here for the first time 20 years ago, I realized today,” she said. “I knew that in my bones this was just a place full of ‘yes’ in a world full of ‘no.’ And to be accepted by the community I have admired so personally, it is so lovely and enlightening, it is so well timed — I need this. Thank you.”

Actor and fellow filmmaker Jodie Foster presented the Chilean-based Alberdi her Vanguard Award, and said, “Maite has already impressed us with her unique artistry and I have no doubt there is more to come.”

Upon receiving the award, Alberdi, director of the 2023 Grand Jury Prize winning “The Eternal Memory,” said that she was grateful that Sundance expanded the award to include documentary and nonfiction films.

“Here, my documentaries have been understood as films,” she said.

Before the ceremony, Alberdi said being honored at Sundance is important because the festival and institute promotes “diversity and integration.” 

“(They) really open the doors to filmmakers like me,” she said. “(When making) a film in the Spanish language, it’s always difficult to enter the U.S. market, so I think that it’s very good and meaningful.”

When presenting the Vanguard Award for Fiction to Song, whose film “Past Lives” was named Best Feature during last year’s festival, producer Christine Vachon said, “Only a storyteller like Celine would be able to reach audiences across the globe, showing us that we are all deeply connected.” 

Song said she will always remember her first time at the 2023 festival.

“Sundance is the place that launched my career as a filmmaker, is a home for ‘Past Lives,’ and a home for me in the deepest way,” she said.

Keeping with the international flair, Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, presented Mitchell with the Vanguard Award for Philanthropy, to recognize Mitchell’s commitment to the Sundance Institute’s support for social impact.

“Pat is always there for other women — for gender equality, women’s empowerment, women’s leadership, young women, indigenous women,” Robinson said. “This is part of why Pat is such a warm recipient of this award. We know how well she deserves it.”

Mitchell thanked her family, friends and “my sisters in the never-ending struggles for equality.” The 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival runs through Jan. 28 in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, with a selection of titles available online nationwide from Jan. 25-28. For information, visit festival.sundance.org.

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