Inside Sundance CEO Joana Vicente’s exit

Joana Vicente

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Whichever way you look at it, Juana Vicente’s job has been difficult.

When she took over as CEO of the Sundance Institute in late 2021, the world was going through a pandemic year that had made independent filmmaking, festival planning, and fundraising difficult. During her tenure, she had to walk a fine line between the wants and needs of the entertainment industry and the reality of running a non-profit organization that had to tap into new, potentially lucrative revenue sources such as online shows.

But just over two years later, those issues no longer face Vicente, with the surprise announcement last week that she intends to step down from her position.

Sundance insiders describe Vicente’s departure as amicable and pre-planned, with her memo to staff noting, “I have decided it is time to explore new opportunities and adventures.” But it surprised festival organizers and industry insiders. The day before Vicente’s departure, Eugene Hernandez, who had just finished his first festival as a director, was in California’s wine country, attending the Sonoma International Film Festival, where he was seen receiving a long series of calls. After the news spread, he was haunted by questions from festival goers.

Just two months ago, Vincenti seemed eager to address the existential threats facing Sundance and the independent space. During the January 2024 festival, it brought together top players from the independent film community, including studio executives, sales agents and talent reps for a conversation billed as a “think tank.”

Attendees broke into groups to discuss discussion topics that impact the vulnerable independent film ecosystem, such as distribution and financing. Two attendees who spoke to Hollywood Reporter They noted that the meeting was appreciated and sparked interesting conversations, but said they were surprised that the discussions did not focus on the festival itself, which, like Hollywood, faces its own set of uncertainties, including declining attendance and rumors of an exit. Park City, with Feist in negotiations to renew his contract.

The institute and the 40-year-old Sundance Film Festival have been a pillar of American independent filmmaking for decades, but in the past couple of years, it has been trying to find its new place within the mercurial 2020s Hollywood ecosystem. (Last year, Sundance laid off 11 employees amid challenges.)

When Vicente arrived after a year of co-chairing the Toronto International Film Festival, Sundance was coming off a 2021 festival that had moved online due to the coronavirus. The seven-day event reached a total audience nearly three times larger than the typical 11-day Utah edition, the festival said. (Though it was certainly less engaging than an in-person festival.) Seeking to capitalize on that apparent success, Sundance announced a hybrid edition for 2022. The festival said it would make films available online shortly after their in-person premiere, but after that. Complaints from Hollywood The Sundance Brass agreed to put a longer lag between in-person premieres and online premieres, though it eventually became a moot point, as coronavirus spikes forced the festival to go entirely virtual.

By 2023, Sundance under Vicente was still trying to split the difference between more consumer-friendly online offerings and the industry-favorite in-person experience, which was believed to boost potential movie sales. At this festival, the first in-person edition after the pandemic, 86,000 people attended in person, according to Sundance, down from January 2020, which topped 116,000 people. (It’s worth noting that the festival’s online offerings have been praised as affordable and have been praised by disability advocacy groups, as Park City is difficult to navigate for those with mobility issues and other disabilities.)

At the continuing request of industry experts, Sundance pushed its digital offerings for the 2024 festival even further, with films not streaming online until the final five days of the festival, by which time the majority of buyers had already left Park City. While Sundance has not announced attendance for this year’s festival, lodging was expected to rise year over year leading up to the festival. The market, the first after the strikes, was healthy for sales of both star-studded and smaller efforts.

During her tenure, Vicente fell out of favor with some powerful industry players and Sundance veterans due to her constant pursuit of online screenings, which they claimed hurt film purchases and attendance. However, the poor attendance cannot be blamed solely on the festival’s format.

Entertainment companies have cut travel budgets in recent years as part of Hollywood’s belt-tightening. Between accommodations, travel and permits, Sundance is viewed as too expensive even for industry participants with expense accounts, let alone independent filmmakers who have spent their savings on passion projects that screen at the festival.

Amanda Kelso now serves as acting CEO, with Vicente remaining in the role until June to assist with the transition. Prior to Vicente’s appointment, Kelso previously served as acting CEO after Kerry Putnam stepped down after a decade of service. Kelso, a former Instagram executive, is seen as a capable businessman, and although a search for a new CEO is likely, it is not imminent as Kelso is seen as a strong proxy for Sundance’s immediate future. She previously held positions at Google and at major advertising companies such as Goodby Silverstein, and also has a background in film and television production. (An early job was as a production assistant at Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.)

Of course, Vicente’s departure comes at a time when the larger entertainment industry is dealing with a series of challenges of its own — downturn, continued labor unrest, the reality of lower productions, an unstable box office and a variety of other problems. The questions facing Sundance’s senior leadership, including the new CEO, are both important and urgent.

While recording a live broadcast for the Ranger Podcast City At Sundance this year, Vicente herself assessed that Sundance was “spending a lot of time thinking strategically about areas where we can be more relevant. What is the role of the festival? What is the role of the institute? How do we evolve in an ever-changing industry?” Around us?