Media contact: Jaron Gandelman
press@woodstockfilmfestival.org
845-679-4265
FIERCELY INDEPENDENT
2019 WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL
MAVERICK AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
WOODSTOCK, NY (October 5, 2019) - On Saturday, October 5, the 20th annual Woodstock Film Festival Maverick Awards Ceremony took place at Backstage Studio Productions in Kingston, NY. The venue, in the heart of Kingston’s historic uptown district, was packed with filmmakers, industry luminaries, community leaders, and audience members.
Awards were presented to exceptional films and honorees in numerous categories.
The evening opened with opening remarks by Ron Nyswaner (Homeland) who introduced festival Co-Founder and Executive Director Meira Blaustein.
Following Blaustein's welcome statement, entertainment lawyer and film producer Jonathan Gray gave a reading of the First Amendment.
Renowned producer, activist and philanthropist Abigail E. Disney received the Honorary Trailblazer Award for her work creating film and television programming centered around promoting social justice. The award was presented to Disney by 2018 honorary Maverick Award recipient Julie Taymor.
Awards for Woodstock Film Festival 2019 films were presented in the following categories:
Best Narrative Feature - Swallow, by Carlo Mirabella-Davis with an honorable mention to Once Upon a River, directed by haroula rose.
The jurors also gave special recognition to actors Haley Bennett for best female performance in Swallow and Tim Guinee for best male performance in Ash.
Jurors: Julie Taymor, David Dinerstein, Rebecca Miller, Alex Smith
Award sponsored by Gigantic Pictures
Best Documentary Feature - 17 Blocks, directed by Davy Rothbart with honorable mentions to maxima, directed by Claudia Sparrow, and Accept the call, Directed By Eunice Lau.
Jurors: Joe Berlinger, Roger Ross Williams, Pamela Yates
Best Narrative Short - The Neighbor's Window, directed by Marshall Curry with an Honorable Mention to Tattoo, directed by Farhad Delaram.
Jurors: Karen Allen, Dan O'mara, Rita Taggart
Best Short Documentary - A Sister's Hope, directed by Michael Marantz.
Jurors: Curry Marshall, Lacey Schwartz Delgado, Robert Stone
Award sponsored by Markertek.com
Best Student Short - Marriage Material, the Musical!, directed by Oran Zegman with an Honorable Mention to Miller & Son, directed by Asher Jelinsky
Jurors: Jane Applegate, Isil Bagdadi, Declan Baldwin
Ultra Indie Award - Seneca, directed by Jason Chaet with an honorable mention to Tawny Cypress for her performance as "Inez" in Inez & Doug & Kira.
Jurors: Jamin O'Brien, Harris Doran, Lori Singer
Award sponsored by Gray Schwartz LLP
Animation Award - Sweet Night by Lia Bertels and Honorable Mention goes to Anna Samo, Lisa LaBracio for The Opposites Game.
Jurors: Lizzi Akana, Joy Buran, Noelle Buran
Haskell Wexler Award for Best Cinematography - Ash, directed by Andrew Huculiak, cinematography by Joseph Schweers.
Jurors: Ellen Kuras
Award sponsored by Panavision
James Lyons Editing Award for Narrative Feature - Daren Navarro and Tom Quinn for Colewell. Honorable Mentions for Alex Lora and Frank Dale Arroyo for The Garden Left Behind.
Jurors: Naomi Geraghty, Nick Houy, Kate Williams, Sabine Hoffman
James Lyons Editing Award for Documentary Feature - Jennifer Tiexiera for 17 Blocks.
Jurors: Ian Olds, Toby Shimin, Sabine Hoffman
Carpe Diem Andretta Award - Youssef Delara for his film Foster Boy.
Award sponsored by the High Rocks Charitable Trust
About The Woodstock Film Festival
Widely acknowledged as one of the premiere independent film festivals in the U.S, its special 20th Anniversary festival will be celebrated Wednesday through Sunday, October 2-6, 2019, in Woodstock, Saugerties, Rosendale, Kingston, and Rhinebeck, NY. For more than two decades, the festival has brought together thousands of filmmakers, film lovers, artists, and musicians through the annual festival and outstanding year-round programming. The festival’s year-round programming includes premiere screenings, panels, screenwriting workshops, youth film lab, and outstanding special events in New York's Hudson River Valley region.
The Woodstock Film Festival showcases passionate, creative, and thought-provoking work by some of today's most promising and accomplished independent filmmakers from all over the world. Woodstock Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with a mission to present an annual program and year-round schedule of film, music, and art-related activities that promote artists, culture, inspired learning, and diversity. For more information, please visit www.woodstockfilmfestival.org.
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Images, press kits and other assets can be downloaded here.
Media contact:
Jaron Gandelman | press@woodstockfilmfestival.org
Phone: 845-679-4265