The Woodstock Film Festival presents its second annual WOMEN IN FILM AND MEDIA panel on March 22nd, 6pm, at Aaron Rezny, Inc, in Kingston, as part of Women's History Month, Kingston. The event is free to the public, but donations are appreciated. Reservations through Eventbrite are highly recommended.

The panelists, all accomplished filmmakers and industry members, will focus on their career trajectories and opportunities, and will explore some of the challenges and accomplishments of today’s working women in the industry, covering different areas and disciplines. Expect a candid, dynamic, empowering and inspiring conversation. Audience participation is welcome.

Debra Granik, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker (DOWN TO THE BONE, WINTER’S BONE, LEAVE NO TRACE)

Jamie H. Zelermeyer, producer (HALF LIFE, THE NIGHT LISTENER, THE THING ABOUT MY FOLKS), NYWIFT president (New York Women in Film & Television)

Carol Dysinger, Academy Award-winning filmmaker (LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL), CAMP VICTORY AFGHANISTAN)

Ellen Chenoweth, Casting Director (OH BROTHER WHERE ART THOU, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THE BOURNE LEGACY, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT)

More panelists to be announced!

Tim Blake Nelson is a prolific actor, writer, director, and producer who has appeared in a wide variety of films such as LINCOLN, HOLES, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, MEET THE FOCKERS, MINORITY REPORT, O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?, and THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS. His playwriting credits include THE GREY ZONE and EYE OF GOD, both of which Nelson adapted and directed for the screen. Other directing credits include O, LEAVES OF GRASS, and ANESTHESIA. Most recently, Nelson’s play SOCRATES premiered at The Public Theater in the spring of 2019, and he starred in HBO’s WATCHMEN, which premiered this past fall. 

Tim will lead a candid conversation, talking about his storied career as an actor, as well as his work as a writer and director. Anecdotes from his extensive work with the Coen Brothers, as well as other directors, will be included. Tips and “secrets" of the trade will be shared. A evening not to be missed for emerging and established actors, writers and filmmakers alike, as well as for the general public.

Saturday April 18th, 6pm, Rough Draft Bar & Books.

Attendance is free, but donations are appreciated. Reservations through Eventbrite are highly recommended.

This intensive writing workshop will teach you how to transfer the movie (or tv show, mini-series, etc.) in your mind from concept to written form. In four distinct sessions, this class will help transform your creative idea into a properly structured story. Screenwriting methods that will be explored include: 3-Act Structure, Plant & Payoff, and Discovery vs. Reversal. By the end of the seminar, each participant will have generated a multi-dimensional map of their idea and will be primed to write a marketable 1st draft ‘proof of concept’ short version. Tuesday evenings, May 19 - June 9.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Alex Smith is a screenwriter, filmmaker & educator. He and his twin brother Andrew, premiered their latest feature film, WALKING OUT at the Sundance Film Festival. WALKING OUT stars Golden Globe winner Matt Bomer, Josh Wiggins, Bill Pullman & Lily Gladstone. The film was distributed by IFC Films. The Smiths also wrote, directed, and produced WINTER IN THE BLOOD, a feature film based on the landmark First Nations novel. The film won numerous awards and was screened at the Woodstock Film Festival.

Alex has taught screenwriting and filmmaking at Columbia University, NYU/Tisch, the University of Tulsa, and the University of Texas, Austin, where he was the Creative Director of the University of Texas Film Institute. He is a Michener Fellow, a Sundance Fellow, and a Rauschenberg Fellow. Alex is currently based in Woodstock, New York, where he is a resident at the Byrdcliffe Artist Colony and is a mentor for the brand new Sundance Co//ab online program.

2020 oscars

The 92nd Academy Awards was a historic night for Bong Joon Ho’s for PARASITE, which screened at the 2019 Woodstock Film Festival. The film took home “Best Picture”, “Best Director”, “Best Screenplay”, and “Best International Feature Film”. Noah Baumbach’s MARRIAGE STORY, which was Woodstock’s Closing Night Film, nabbed Laura Dern her first Oscar for “Best Supporting Actress”. Big congratulations to Hudson Valley Filmmaker Marshall Curry, whose film THE NEIGHBORS’ WINDOW won the Academy Award for “Best Live Action Short Film”. THE NEIGHBORS’ WINDOW previously won “Best Narrative Short” at the 2019 Woodstock Film Festival.

You can read our full Oscars recap on our blog.

The Glorias Acquired by LD Entertainment, Roadside attractions

Congratulations to our 2018 Maverick Award Recipient Julie Taymor, whose Gloria Steinem biopic THE GLORIAS has been picked up for domestic distribution by LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions. Based on Steinem’s 2015 memoir My Life on the Road, THE GLORIAS traces several key moments from the feminist icon’s compelling life, starring veteran talents Alicia Vikander and Julianne Moore as younger and older versions of Steinem respectively. THE GLORIAS premiered to a packed house at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, with the film’s editor and WFF Advisory Board Member Sabine Hoffman telling us how its timely themes “deeply resonated” with audience members. The film will open theatrically this fall.

JOSEPHINE DECKER’S Shirley acquired by NEON

Fresh off of their success at the Oscars with Bong Joon Ho’s PARASITE, rising distributor NEON has acquired Josephine Decker’s SHIRLEY. Starring Elisabeth Moss and produced by Woodstock Film Festival alumni and Honorary Maverick Award recipient Christine Vachon, the stirring psychodrama premiered at Sundance where it received the “U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Auteur Filmmaking”. The film, which centers on a young couple who moves in with an eccentric academic and his novelist wife was also shot in the Hudson Valley. Congratulations to everyone involved!

jon swab’s RUN WITH THE HUNTED ACQUIRED BY vertical entertainment

RUN WITH THE HUNTED, which screened at the 2019 Woodstock Film Festival and won the “Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature”, has been picked up by Vertical Entertainment. The film follows a young boy who runs away after committing a noble murder, burying his past by becoming the leader of a ragtag group of young street urchins. Congratulations Jon!

catch carlo mirabella-davis’ SWALLOW in Theaters on March 6th

Carlo Mirabella-Davis’ SWALLOW, which screened at the 2019 Woodstock Film Festival, winning the “Gigantic Pictures Award for Best Narrative Feature” is coming to theaters March 6th, courtesy of IFC Films. Julie Taymor, who presented the jury award to Carlo at the Woodstock Film Festival, will host the Q&A with cast and crew on March 6th at the IFC Center. The film was shot in the Hudson Valley and stars Haley Bennett as a cloistered housewife who develops a compulsion to consume dangerous objects to escape her dull life. Congratulations to Carlo and everyone who worked on the project!

SXSW starts next month in Austin, with several films associated with Woodstock friends and alumni in the official lineup. Be on the lookout for our Co-Founder and Executive Director Meira Blaustein, who will be attending the annual conference and film festival! Take a look at some of the highlights below:

• LAPSIS – Directed by Woodstock alum Noah Hutton and shot in the Hudson Valley.

• AND WE GO GREEN – Directed by Woodstock Film Festival Advisory Board member and alum Fisher Stevens and Malcolm Venville.

• CRAZY, NOT INSANE – Directed by Woodstock alum Alex Gibney.

• LIGHTS CAMERA UGANDA –Co-directed by Woodstock Film Festival Hugo Perez, and featuring festival’s former star volunteer, Alan Hofmanis.

• SHIVA BABY – Directed by Woodstock alum Emma Seligman. The film screened in the shorts program at the 2018 Woodstock Film Festival.

• THE DILEMMA OF DESIRE – Produced by Woodstock Film Festival alum Cynthia Kane.

• CODED BIAS – Co-produced by Woodstock Film Festival Advisory Board member Sabine Hoffman.

• FREELAND – Produced by Woodstock Film Festival Advisory Board member Gill Holland.

Please consider making a tax deductible donation to help us bring movie magic to the Hudson Valley and beyond. Your contribution will make a tremendous positive impact on the programming that we bring year-round and during the film festival. The Woodstock Film Festival is a not-for-profit, 501 (C)(3) 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.

Please help us by making a tax deductible contribution to our Capital Campaign. Whether you donate $5 or $500, every little bit helps.

Thank you for your support. The film center is headquarters for both the Woodstock Film Festival and the Hudson Valley Film Commission. For more details, visit this link.