New Sundance Director Tabitha Jackson Talks Boosting Accessibility, Independent Voices

Jackson will replace John Cooper, who announced he would be stepping down from the role last April

| February 1, 2020 @ 6:47 PM Last Updated: February 1, 2020 @ 7:21 PM
Tabitha Jackson Sundance

Tabitha Jackson is the incoming director of the Sundance Film Festival following John Cooper’s exit — and she has big plans for the festival and how to get independent film seen by as many people as possible.

“My role as festival director will be to focus on how we reflect the world of the most exciting independent work made by the most original distinctive artists,” Jackson told TheWrap.

Jackson takes over after John Cooper, who has held the position since 2009, announced he would be stepping down last July. Jackson, who has been the director of the documentary film programming division since 2013, will be the first women to hold the role of festival director at the festival.

Also Read: Sundance Festival Director John Cooper to Step Down in 2020

“Yes, I am a woman, but I don’t know to what extent that will affect the job I actually do,” she explained. “Each of us brings their own position into the world. If it’s of use symbolically, then that’s meaningful, but I think I need to prove myself on substance and commitment on artists and artistry, and show my desire of getting this work to audiences and the industry and facilitate distribution. And just to have some fun! It’s a serious business in the independent space. The festival should be serious fun!”

After Cooper announced his plans to step down, Sundance CEO Keri Putnam oversaw the search for the next festival director. Putnam told TheWrap that the Institute received 700 applications for the position, and the organization interviewed people inside and outside of the community, as well as domestically and internationally. The shortlist got shorter and shorter, and Jackson continued to impress the committee.

“Throughout it all, Tabitha continued to rise to the top,” Putnam said. “I knew her well from working with her previously, just the rivalrous qualities and including her incredible love of artist and their love of her — it all started from there. Also her leadership skills, the way people are inspired by her, the way she leads, her tastes and I think, at the heart of it all, her real understanding of our purpose in the world dedicated to further independent voices int he culture. Also her openness to the change, the way we further that mission in the time of great change…. I’m thrilled that we landed on her for this job.”

Jackson is an award-winning producer, writer and director and has more than 25 years of experience in the arts and nonfiction film areas. In addition to being the director of the documentary film program at the Sundance Institute, she also served as the head of Arts and Performance at Channel 4 Television in London.

For years, the Sundance Institute has led a diversity initiative to reach new communities as well as have diverse projects submitted to the festival. Additionally, the festival has made efforts to increase diversity among media members covering the annual event. The Press Inclusion Program was created in 2018 after a study by USC Annenberg revealed that two-thirds of movie critics were white men.

Also Read: The Scene From TheWrap at Sundance (Photos)

Jackson will continue to hone in on the diversity initiative and will use data to see where the festival sees gaps.

“The diversity initiative isn’t something that dictates programming, but it’s held within us as a value, that we are a global artist community, and artists are making work from their own perspectives,” Jackson explained. “There are many factors at play: gender, race, religion, social economic class. And if we have blind spots, if we see from our own data — we now ask them to self describe == that’s incumbent on us to address if we see gaps. The bigger endeavor of independent film is at stake.”

 Jackson not only wants to make the festival accessible to members of the media who might not have the financial support to attend, but also wants to increase accessibility for the disabled community.

“The ongoing challenge is how to make this incredible thing on a mountain in Utah accessible in all kinds of ways,” Jackson said. “It is expensive being here. But also, we want to increase accessibility in activity: how do you navigate Main Street in the ice in a wheel chair? How can we make it a good experience for a person with autism? Our question is, how can the cinematic work for you. All kinds of accessibility is a project that I’m taking on.”

The Sundance Institute was founded by Robert Redford in 1981 and is a nonprofit organization that aims to preserve space for artists in the independent film, theater and media areas.

Sundance Portraits From A to Z: Andy Samberg to Zazie Beetz (Exclusive Photos)

  • Sundance2020 gallery split v2
  • Glenn Close, Four Good Days
  • Mila Kunis, Four Good Days
  • Rodrigo Garcia, Four Good Days
  • Toni Collette, Dream Horse
  • Euros Lyn, Dream Horse
  • Sienna Miller, Wander Darkly
  • Diego Luna, Wander Darkly
  • Ron Howard, Rebuilding Paradise
  • Alison Brie, Horse Girl
  • Jeff Baena, Horse Girl
  • Steven Yeun, Minari
  • Yuh Jung Youn, Minari
  • Han Yeri, Minari
  • Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
  • Kelly Rowland, Bad Hair
  • Ashley Blaine Featherson, Bad Hair
  • James Van Der Beek, Bad Hair
  • Yaani King Mondschein, Bad Hair
  • Elle Lorraine, Bad Hair
  • Justin Simien, Bad Hair
  • Hatice Cengiz, The Dissident
  • Bryan Fogel, The Dissident
  • Andy Samberg, Palm Springs
  • Cristin Milioti, Palm Springs
  • Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, Palm Springs
  • Andy Siara, Palm Springs
  • Joe Keery, Spree
  • John DeLuca, Spree
  • Spree Director and Cast
  • Uncle Frank Director Alan Ball and Cast
  • Allan Ball, Uncle Frank
  • Paul Bettany, Uncle Frank
  • Sophia Lillis, Uncle Frank
  • Peter Macdissi, Uncle Frank
  • Rachel Brosnahan, Ironbark
  • Dominic Cooke, Rachel Brosnahan, and Merab Ninidze, Ironbark
  • Wilmer Valderrama, Blast Beat
  • Diane Guerrero, Blast Beat
  • Moises Arias, Blast Beat
  • Kali Uchis, Blast Beat
  • Daniel Dae Kim, Blast Beat
  • Mateo Arias, Blast Beat
  • Esteban Arango, Blast Beat
  • Lee Gelernt, The Fight
  • Brigitte Amiri, The Fight
  • THE FIGHT and Kerry Washington
  • Winston Duke, Nine Days
  • Bill Skarsgård, Nine Days
  • Zazie Beetz, Nine Days
  • Benedict Wong, Nine Days
  • Arianna Ortiz, Nine Days
  • David Rysdahl, Nine Days
  • Edson Oda, Nine days
  • Sil Lai Abrams, Drew Dixon, and Sherri Hines, On the Record
  • Gloria Steinem, The Glorias
  • Julie Taymor, The Glorias
  • Harvey Guillén, What We Do in the Shadows
  • Christopher Abbott, Possessor
  • Brandon Cronenberg, Possessor
  • Agnes Gund, Aggie
  • Catherine Gund, Aggie
  • Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Farewell Amor
  • Zainab Jah, Farewell Amor
  • Jayme Lawson, Farewell Amor
  • The Go Go's and Steve Pond
  • The Go Go's and Director Alison Ellwood
  • John Reynolds, Save Yourselves
  • Sunita Mani, Save Yourselves
  • Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, Save Yourselves
  • Alec Baldwin, Beast Beast
  • Jose Angeles, Will Madden, and Shirley Chen, Beast Beast
  • Bao Nguyen, Be Water
  • Julie Nottingham, Be Water
  • Lana Wilson, Miss Americana
  • Christine O'Malley, Morgan Neville, and Caitrin Rogers, Miss Americana
  • Jessica Hargrave and Ryan White, Assassins
  • Carey Mulligan and Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
  • Maimouna Doucoure and Zangro, Cuties
  • Charlie Shotwell, Jude Law, and Oona Roche, The Nest
  • Devin France, Wendy
  • Elisabeth Moss, Shirley
  • Michael Stuhlbarg, Shirley
  • Josephine Decker, Shirley
  • Logan Lerman, Shirley
  • Brian Lazarte, McMillions
  • James Lee Hernandez, McMillions
  • Julia Garner, The Assistant
  • Kitty Green, The Assistant
  • Marquise Vilson, Sam Feder, Amy Scholder, Disclosure
  • Zeke Smith, Zackary Drucker, and Jen Richards, Disclosure
  • Rebecca Hall, The Night House
  • David Bruckner, The Night House
  • Stacy Martin, The Night House
  • Charm City Kings Cast and Crew
  • Wagner Moura, Sergio
  • Brent Travers and Daniel Marc Dreifuss, Sergio
  • Greg Barker, Sergio
  • Annie Clark and Carrie Brownstein, The Nowhere Inn
  • Pilou Asbæk, Run Sweetheart Run
  • Ella Balinska, Run Sweetheart Run
  • Pilou Asbæk, Shana Feste, and Ella Balinska, Run Sweetheart Run
  • Emily Mortimer, Relic
  • Patricia Vidal Delgado, La Leyenda Negra
  • Monica Betancourt, La Leyenda Negra
  • Viggo Mortensen, Falling
  • Lance Henriksen, Falling
  • Laurent Bouzereau and Natasha Gregson Wagner, Natalie Wood, What Remains Behind
  • Stacey Reiss, Spaceship Earth
  • Mark Nelson, Spaceship Earth
  • Matt Wolf, Spaceship Earth
  • Linda Leigh, Spaceship Earth
  • Marina Zenovich, Lance
  • Andrea Riseborough, Luxor
  • Karim Saleh, Luxor
  • Brenda Chapman, Come Away
  • Aubrey Plaza, Black Bear
1 of 117

Sundance 2020: Stars like Glenn Close, Kerry Washington and Bill Skarsgard stop by TheWrap Studio presented by Heineken at the Pando Art Gallery

View In Gallery

Related Content

KEEP READING..

The news
you need now,
more than ever.

Create a FREE Account

Already a member? Login

LIMITED TIME - Sign up for WrapPRO for 70% off

Try PRO today
FOR FREE