Inside Sundance CEO Joana Vicente’s Startling Departure

Taylor Swift is giving fans a rare peek inside her private life!

The rumors are true. After 40 years, the Sundance Film Festival may (and an emphasis on “may”) be leaving the confines of Park City, Utah.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer The Sundance Film Festival may kick the snow off its boots once and for all. The annual celebration of independent film announced on Wednesday that it is open for pitches from cities across the United States on becoming the new permanent home of the festival starting in 2027. Sundance has taken place in the luxury mountain haven of Park City, Utah since 1981 (except for two virtual years during the pandemic).

After nearly 40 years in Park City, the Sundance Film Festival may be pulling up stakes.

EXCLUSIVE: D. Smith, the filmmaker behind the critically acclaimed documentary Kokomo City, which won the NEXT Audience and Innovator Awards at Sundance 2022, has partnered with Media Res and Brandon Sharp’s Agenda on her next docu project, Blvd, which is said to ask Dr. King the question: Was it just a dream?

EXCLUSIVE: Metrograph Pictures announced on Wednesday that Good One — the first feature from writer-director India Donaldson, which premiered to rave reviews at this year’s Sundance Film Festival — will open in theaters nationwide on August 9.

The 55th edition of the Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, the parallel section of the main Cannes Film Festival, has announced its 2024 line-up. Running from May 15 to 23, the Fortnight, or the Quinzaine Des Cinéastes, in French, will debut 21 feature films and ten short films.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Emily Kassie and Julian Brave NoiseCat’s documentary “Sugarcane” garnered the top nonfiction honor at the 26th annual Sarasota Film Festival. About the abuse and death of Indigenous children at a Canadian-based Indian Residential School, the docu premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival (SFF), where it picked up the U.S. documentary directing kudo.

On the heels of its premiere to critical acclaim at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the documentary Kneecap on the Irish rap trio of the same name has been slated for release by Sony Pictures Classics in theaters nationwide on August 2, when it will open against Columbia Pictures’ family film Harold and the Purple Crayon.

Alex Ritman How does an actor authentically and respectfully embody a legendary real-life singer on screen without it being seen as tribute act? And how do they do it when so much of that person’s life as a performer — a life that tragically ended not long ago — was played out in front of the cameras, across the media, in interviews and captured on phones? This was the task given to Sara Green, the choreographer and movement coach who worked closely with “Back to Black” star Marisa Abela to help transform her into Amy Winehouse for Sam Taylor-Johnson’s biopic, which releases in the U.K. today with StudioCanal (and in the U.S. on May 17 with Focus Features).

Annika Pham Copenhagen-based DR Sales has secured major sales on the Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner and Visions du Réel Grand Angle entry “A New Kind of Wilderness.” The film, directed by Silje Evensmo Jacobsen, has been acquired by ZDF and Arte for Germany and France, Cinema Delicatessen for the Netherlands, Dalton Distribution for Belgium, Against Gravity for Poland, Kino Pavasaris for the Baltics and Stardust for Japan. “From the moment ‘A New Kind of Wilderness’ was presented to us, we fell in love with the film,” said DR Sales’ Freja Johanne Nørgaard Sørensen.

Video-hosting platform Vimeo has named Philip Moyer as its new CEO, effective Apr. 8.

EXCLUSIVE: On the heels of her debut feature In the Summers‘ world premiere at Sundance, where it won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Directing Award in U.S. Dramatic competition, writer-director Alessandra Lacorazza has signed with UTA for representation in all areas.

Following in the footsteps of the like-minded A24, NEON (“Anatomy Of A Fall” “Infinity Pool”) is quickly becoming the go-to studio for adventurous indie cinema and exciting arthouse fare. The studio pulled off quite the feat in 2020 when their film, “Parasite” directed by Bong Joon-Ho, became the first non-English-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture and became their highest-grossing earner ever ($262 million worldwide).

The Great Celebrity Bake Off is back for another series this year with a fresh batch of famous people. Among those trying their best to bake up a storm is Jodie Whittaker, Paloma Faith, Munya Chawawa, Spencer Matthews and Rhod Gilbert.

Annika Pham Coming straight from Sundance with their respective buzzy docs “Power” – a Netflix Original – and “Union,” U.S. director/producer Yance Ford and his Canadian counterpart Brett Story delivered March 20 an empowering talk at Copenhagen’s “Film:makers in Dialogue” session, where they bounced ideas between each other about power structure in American society, capitalism, race and class divides from historical and contemporary perspectives. “Power,” which was competing at CPH:DOX for the Human Rights Award, is a forceful documentary essay on the origin of U.S.

The Sundance Institute announced on Friday that Joana Vicente will be stepping down as CEO, with Amanda Kelso to lead the organization as Acting CEO.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Joana Vicente has stepped down as CEO of the Sundance Institute. The news will come as a shock to the global independent film community, as Vicente served under three years in a plum role she took after years in leadership at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Filmmaker duo Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero have signed with CAA. Valadez and Rondero co-directed and co-wrote “Sujo,” which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize for World Dramatic competition. The film currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The enigmatic resurrection, rampage, and retribution of an undead monster in a remote wilderness unleashes an iconic new killer. It sounds kind of terrifying.