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Two acclaimed directors — a veteran with an Academy Award, and an up-and-coming talent — will receive the Sundance Institute's Vanguard Awards, the institute announced today.

Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who won the directing Oscar for "Birdman," will receive the Vanguard Leadership Award, given to "a great visionary in independent film."

Iñárritu, the first Mexican director to win the Oscar and Directors Guild Award, also is known for directing "Amores Perros" (2000), "21 Grams" (2003), "Babel" (2006) and "Biutiful" (2010). He has produced three movies that have played at the Sundance Film Festival: "Nine Lives" (2005), "Mother & Child" (2010) and "Rudo y Cursi" (2009).

In a statement, Sundance Institute executive director Keri Putnam called Iñárritu "one of the most original and imaginative filmmakers working today, and his boldness and humanity inspire independent storytellers everywhere."

Past recipients of the Vanguard Leadership Award are philanthropist George Gund, film critic Roger Ebert, and actor and arts advocate Glenn Close.

The Vanguard Award, given to an emerging talent, this year will go to Marielle Heller, whose directing debut, "The Diary of a Teenage Girl," premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival and received a jury prize for its cinematography. (It was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics, and will begin its national platform release in August.)

The movie, based on Phoebe Gloeckner's graphic novel, centered on a teen girl (played by newcomer Bel Powley) navigating her burgeoning sexuality in '70s San Francisco, as she has an affair with the boyfriend (Alexander Skarsgård) of her mother (Kristen Wiig).

Michelle Satter, founding director of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program, said in a statement that Heller "brought a deeply personal voice and vision to her bold approach in adapting the graphic novel 'The Diary of a Teenage Girl.'"

The Vanguard Award, presented by Acura, includes a cash grant and mentorship from industry pros and Sundance staff. Past recipients are Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Ryan Coogler ("Fruitvale Station") and Damien Chazelle ("Whiplash").

The Vanguard Awards will be handed out at a Sundance Institute benefit celebration in Los Angeles on June 2.