biography

Joana Vicente is the Executive Director and the Co-Head of
the Toronto International Film Festival. Previously, she served
as the Executive Director of the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the Gotham Independent Film Awards and she founded the Made in NY Media Center by IFP in partnership with New York City’s Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.

Joana produced over 40 feature films by acclaimed directors such as Jim Jarmusch, Nadine Labaki, Brian De Palma, Amir Naderi, Hal Hartley, Nicole Holofcener, Alex Gibney and Todd Solondz, among others.

She is also recognised as a leading figure of the digital film revolution, having co-founded the pioneering digital production companies Blow Up Pictures and HDNet Movies, which she launched with partners Jason Kliot, Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner. These companies ushered in a new era of digital filmmaking that transformed the landscape of American independent film production and distribution.