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The Sundance Institute will be giving a major award to "Birdman" director Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
Iñárritu has been named the fourth recipient of Sundance's Vanguard Leadership Award, given to a visionary in independent film, the institute announced today.
The honor will be handed out at the fifth annual Sundance Institute benefit, June 2 in Los Angeles. TheVanguard Award, given to an emerging talent, will also be given out.
In a statement, Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam said Iñárritu "is among the most creative and innovative filmmakers working today, and the boldness, humanity and audacity of his films will inspire generations to come."
The Mexican director is known not only for "Birdman," but for "Amores Perros" (2001), "21 Grams" (2003), "Babel" (2006) and "Biutiful" (2010). He has also produced three movies that have played at the Sundance Film Festival: "Nine Lives" (2005), "Mother & Child" (2010) and "Rudo y Cursi" (2009).
Previous recipients of the Vanguard Leadership Award are: philanthropist George Gund, film critic Roger Ebert, and actress and arts advocate Glenn Close.
The Vanguard Award recipient is yet to be named. Past winners include Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Ryan Coogler ("Fruitvale Station") and Damien Chazelle ("Whiplash").