“Supporting independent artists has always been the bedrock of the Institute and the fuel behind the Festival,” said Sundance Institute founder Robert Redford. “The fact that we have been able to hold true to this core purpose is a testament to the vitality of the Institute and to the Festival’s platform as a place to discover new films, ideas, and artists. For almost three decades, Eugene has been working on a parallel path with many of the same values and objectives in mind. I’m so pleased to have him serve as our new Festival Director, helping to support a new generation of artists, and taking us into the next decade of Sundance’s story.”
Hernandez currently leads the New York Film Festival as the Festival Director and will depart after this year’s Festival, which takes place September 30–October 16. He began the position in 2020 and, for the past three years, has navigated new outlets at the start of COVID and last year brought NYFF back to cinemas at Lincoln Center and around New York. Hernandez joined Film at Lincoln Center in 2010 as the Director of Digital Strategy and began leading strategy and special programs for the organization in 2014 when he was promoted to Deputy Director.
Before joining the FLC, Hernandez was the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of IndieWire, which he helped build over 15 years into a leading editorial publication for independent and international films, filmmakers, industry, and audiences. He is a Member-at-Large of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and serves on the board of advisors for SXSW, SeriesFest, and Art House Convergence, which Sundance has supported. Additionally, he has worked as a consultant for several nonprofits, written for major print and online publications, and annually participates in the international film festival circuit as a panelist and a juror, including the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.