Jackson will depart the Institute shortly after the upcoming Sundance Film Festival in London. Institute CEO Joana Vicente will lead the festival’s development and planning in the interim, and a public search led by Vicente is underway for the festival’s next director.
Jackson joined the Institute in 2013 as director of the documentary film program, overseeing the creation of new programs and resources that supported nonfiction filmmakers worldwide.
In February 2020, Jackson became festival director, succeeding John Cooper. She joined just as the pandemic hit and worked to redesign the festival for a new world. Under her leadership the past two festivals saw new audiences coming together online on a custom-built digital platform.
Vicente also announced that Kim Yutani, director of programming, will join the senior leadership team of the Institute. Yutani joined the festival in 2006, and has led festival programming for the past five years.
She will also now manage industry and artist relations for the festival, working closely with Vicente in planning the next festival.