At Sundance, Behind the Exit of CEO Joana Vicente Looms a Larger Crisis

The abrupt exit of Joana Vicente as CEO of the Sundance Institute in March — a mere two and a half years after taking the job — has film festival insiders reeling and a tight-lipped organization unwilling to talk about why.

But that may be because Vicente’s exit wasn’t triggered by a signature blow-up, a specific conflict or a particular programming failure, even though the Sundance Film Festival 2024 was smaller than in recent years, raised less money and sold fewer titles. 

Multiple insiders told TheWrap that Vicente’s exit followed a failure to articulate a clear and compelling vision for the festival at a critical inflection point for independent film.