Sundance Institute names new CEO

Joana Vicente, the next CEO of the Sundance Institute. Photo: Sundance Institute

LOS ANGELES — The Sundance Institute Board of Trustees announced on Wednesday that longtime filmmaker and executive Joana Vicente will be its next CEO.

Vicente is joining Sundance from the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where she spent the past three years as Executive Director and Co-Head. She will succeed Keri Putnam, who stepped down earlier this year.

“From the day we started the Sundance Institute, we have had a very specific mission to foster independence, risk-taking, and new and diverse voices in storytelling,” said Sundance Institute Founder and President Robert Redford. “Throughout her entire career, it is evident that Joana shares this same uncompromising vision, and we know that she possesses a deep understanding of the evolving landscape, and can reach a new generation of independent creators working more fluidly across disciplines, communicating across borders, and engaging directly with audiences.”

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Vicente has produced over 40 films, including Alex Gibney’s Oscar-nominated documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Nadine Labaki’s Cannes Jury Prize-winning and Oscar-nominated film Capernaüm, and Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes. She also founded three production companies, including the first U.S. digital production company and the first HD production studio in the U.S.

“Sundance has been an essential part of my career — I feel that I grew up as a producer with the support of the Festival and the Sundance labs. It is such an extraordinary opportunity to lead an organization that has defined independent storytelling for 40 years,” said Vicente. “This opportunity combines all of my passions: film, working with storytellers throughout the world, and leading mission-driven organizations. I have always felt that Sundance was a home for me, and this opportunity makes me feel as if I am going back home. As a producer, I know firsthand the incredible impact Sundance has on independent artists, and I look forward to working with Bob, the Sundance Board, and the amazing and dedicated teams at Sundance who continue to find new ways to discover, support, and inspire the most creative and diverse group of storytellers — not just in the United States, but all around the world. We are at a critical time for independent creators, and Sundance is poised to continue to be a beacon for storytellers throughout the world as they navigate the rough waters of our time.”

Reporting to the board, Vicente will work with artists, funders, donors, and national and international partners, and lead a year-round staff of 200 with an additional seasonal staff of 250. She will oversee all areas of the Institute, including its year-round artist programs, the Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Collab, public and field-building programs, and further the Institute’s advocacy work. She will begin her role at the start of November, working between the Institute’s Park City, Los Angeles, and New York City offices.

At TIFF, Vicente, in collaboration with her co-head Cameron Bailey, navigated the organization through COVID-19 while spearheading a new strategic plan for the organization. She oversaw the reorganization of TIFF with the aim to ensure a more sustainable path to long-term organizational stability, led the digital strategy and innovation for the organization, and the strategy and implementation of a fast pivot to digital for the Lightbox and hybrid for the festival. She increased industry partnerships and created a new property, the TIFF Tribute Awards, now a broadcast TV show, recognizing top festival talent. Having just concluded a successful festival, she leaves her TIFF colleagues and the organization in a strong position to continue flourishing.

Prior to TIFF, Vicente spent nearly a decade as the Executive Director of the not-for-profit Independent Filmmaker Project (now the Gotham Film & Media Institute), the oldest and largest organization of independent filmmakers in the United States. While there, Vicente was instrumental in the exponential growth of the organization, which fosters an independent storytelling community through year-round programs such as Independent Film Week, Filmmaker magazine, and the IFP Gotham Awards. She was the driving force behind the creation of the Made in NY Media Center by IFP, a creative and educational hub for storytellers, entrepreneurs, and technologists in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and the NY Economic Development Corporation.