On October 20, Sundance Honors Questlove for Summer of Soul
Next month at the 2021 Vanguard Award ceremony, Sundance honors Questlove for his work on the documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). Summer of Soul is a documentary film on the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival released in 2021.
The Sundance Institute’s Vanguard Award recognizes artists whose work exemplifies the art of storytelling and creative independence on an annual basis. The award has been broadened this year to include both fiction and nonfiction storytellers.
Sundance honors Questlove for his directorial debut on Summer of Soul which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Fest. The film earned the Audience Award for U.S. Documentary as well as the U.S. Grand Jury Prize for Documentary. Currently it is streaming on Hulu.
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson stated, “I’m extremely honored to receive this award. Storytelling has always been the fiber of my creativity, be it DJing, writing articles/books, podcasting, or teaching. Of course, I share this honor with the entire team behind Summer Of Soul. It was an honor to bring this historic event to light for audiences to experience.”
The Vanguard Award recognizes artists whose work and vision exemplify the greatest degree of breakthrough creativity, originality, and independent spirit nurtured by the Sundance Institute’s artist programs. Prior recipients of the award, established since 2012, include Benh Zeitlin, Ryan Coogler, Damien Chazelle, Marielle Heller, Nate Parker, Dee Rees, Boots Riley, Lulu Wang, and Radha Blank.
This year, Sundance honors Questlove along with Siân Heder for her work on CODA, her first feature film. On Wednesday, October 20, 2021, Questlove and Heder will be featured in the online presentation that will include interviews with both artists.