#111: Tabitha Jackson, Director of the Sundance Film Festival (Live at Sundance London)

Best Girl Grip

To kick off season six, I’m sharing a live edition that I recorded recently at Sundance London - an offshoot of the Sundance Film Festival that takes place every January in Utah - with the legend that is Tabitha Jackson, the outgoing Director of the Sundance Film Festival.

Tabitha was announced as the new Festival Director in January 2020, meaning that her first two festivals had to deal with the ramifications of Covid-19, as well as a reckoning around racial justice.

Her appointment came off the back of seven years as the Director of the Institute’s Documentary Film Program. Tabitha has over 20 years experience in the documentary and non-fiction field, having served as Commissioning Editor of Arts at Channel 4, as well as the Editor of More4 where she ran the day-to-day operations for the UK’s sixth largest digital channel including running the two key areas of original programming True Stories and More 4 Arts.

Of her commitment to the continuation of Sundance’s values, Tabitha has said “By fiercely holding space for independent perspectives and media created outside the mainstream market, we as a community can spark new narratives, protect bold critiques of power, and deepen our understanding of what is possible. It has never been more essential.”

Our conversation kicked off the 4-day industry programme and it was a really special moment, not just to share a stage with someone who I have greatly admired for a while now and who brings such grace and courage and clarity to her work, but to do something like this in association with Sundance London. Sundance is a festival I have LOVED for well over a decade. I have long combed their programme and made lists of all things I want to watch when they get a UK release and so it was a real privilege to get an insight into the ambitions and considerations behind that festival and that organisation via Tabitha. As ever, I hope you get something from this chat.

This is episode 111 of Best Girl Grip.