A change in personnel is coming to the Sundance Institute, as CEO Joana Vicente will be stepping down and advising until June of this year. 

This puts an end to her almost two and a half year tenure at the institute, which is short compared to former CEO Keri Putnam, who spent a decade with Sundance, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Sundance board member Amanda Kelso will become the acting CEO through April, but it is unknown at the moment if she will continue beyond this time period.

Vicente, a portuguese film producer, worked previously with the Toronto International Film Festival starting in 2018 as an executive director, according to an article from Variety. Then in 2021, she made the transition to Sundance. 

One of the biggest challenges during Vicente’s time at Sundance was working on the festival throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This was where the idea of a hybrid festival came to fruition. In 2023 and even 2024, it gave film lovers the ability to see new films both in person and online for those who don’t feel comfortable seeing them in person.

In an official statement on her departure, Vicente says that she is proud that the festival was also able to continue in-person artist labs, one of the biggest aspects of Sundance’s appeal, as well as expand support to more storytellers across the globe.

While it may have been a short run during her time at Sundance, Vicente believes that Kelso is the right person to continue the festival’s legacy, “I will forever be your champion and I can’t wait to see what you accomplish next,” Vicente wrote in her final message of her statement.