*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE* MEDIA CONTACT
Samantha Emson
(646)881-2503
samantha@woodstockfilmfestival.org
24TH ANNUAL WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2023 AWARD WINNERS
RACHEL HENDRIX BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE WINNER
BEYOND UTOPIA NAMED BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE WINNER
ASLEEP IN MY PALM RECEIVED THE HASKELL WEXLER AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
NO RIGHT WAY RECEIVED THE ULTRA INDIE AWARD WINNER
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT: James Ivory
Woodstock, NY - On Saturday, September 30th, the Woodstock Film Festival announced their annual jury award winners in each category for this year's films in competition, along with the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The following competitive awards were presented during the evening:
GIGANTIC PICTURES AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE
RACHEL HENDRIX directed by Victor Nunez
Honorable Mention: THE MONK AND THE GUN directed by Pawo Choyning Dorji
Jurors
Ramin Bahrani (Director, Writer, THE WHITE TIGER, 99 HOMES, MAN PUSH CART)
Ted Hope (Producer, THE ICE STORM, AMERICAN SPLENDOR, THE WEDDING BANQUET)
Blair Breard (Producer, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, THE HALF OF IT, ONE MISSISSIPPI, LOUIE)
Jury Statement
Independent film arrived over 50 years ago with the promise of a grand yet humble ambition, to deliver emotionally truthful, highly specific tales on an economy of means.
Our prize winner did this and more. For its soulful, sincere, and thoughtful examination of character, place, and loss, an inspiring confidence in its choices and commitment to authenticity. The film displays an honest and necessary pace and tone, and a truly amazing and unique performance that captures a life lived in both love and challenges, while never falling short in anything it deliver, but most of all, showing love and commitment to family despite the many hardships that come with it, and ignites the rarest of phenomena: true honest emotion.
THE LEON GAST AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
BEYOND UTOPIA directed by Madeleine Gavin
Jurors
Barbara Kopple (Director, HARLAN COUNTY USA, AMERICAN DREAM, SHUT UP & SING)
Richard Rowley (Director, KINGDOM OF SILENCE, 16 SHOTS, DIRTY WARS)
Heidi Ewing (Director, I CARRY YOU WITH ME, THE BOYS OF BARAKA, JESUS CAMP)
Jury Statement
This year’s winner is an astonishingly intimate, white-knuckle thriller following families trying to escape North Korea.
Stitched together from raw, first-person footage, it is impossible not to feel the heart-breaking courage as a family clings to each other during a nighttime crossing of the Mekong River. Or the anguish of a mother who may have led her only son into a horrific trap by trying to buy his way to freedom.
Madeleine Gavin’s BEYOND UTOPIA combines high-stakes and human intimacy to grab a hold of us and never let go. It is this year’s winner of The Leon Gast Award for Best Feature Documentary.
BEST EDITING: NARRATIVE
The winner of this year’s editing award both in fiction and non-fiction will receive a year-long subscription to Media Composer Ultimate thanks to our friends at AVID
ASLEEP IN MY PALM edited by Max Ethan Miller
Jurors
Suzy Elmiger (Editor, ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES, SHORT CUTS)
Sabine Hoffman (Editor, PACHINKO, PASSING, THE GLORIAS, MAGGIE’S PLAN)
Brian A. Kates (Editor, ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED, THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL, SUCCESSION)
Jury Statement
We are happy to honor a film whose editing conveys a respect for silence as much as dialogue, for stillness as much as motion, and for the beauty of wide open spaces as much as small, domestic hideaways. For its sophisticated sense of rhythm and musicality, we give this year's editing award to Max Ethan Miller for ASLEEP IN MY PALM.
BEST EDITING: DOCUMENTARY
BEYOND UTOPIA directed and edited by Madeleine Gavin
Honorable mention: GRASSHOPPER REPUBLIC edited by Alyse Ardell Spiegel
Jurors
Rabab Haj Yahya (Editor, THE FEELING OF BEING WATCHED, SPEED SISTERS, THE LEGEND OF THE UNDERGROUND)
Emir Lewis (Editor, IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARCO POLO, DRIVING WHILE BLACK: RACE, SPACE, AND MOBILITY IN AMERICA)
Sabine Hoffman (Editor, PACHINKO, PASSING, THE GLORIAS, MAGGIE’S PLAN)
Jury Statement
Our jury was intrigued by all the submissions and we deliberated a lot.
We would love to give an honorable mention to a film that deftly walks the line between traditional verite & highly stylized montage to portray a little-known subculture in Uganda, examining the balance between communities and ecosystems. A Special mention goes to Alysse Ardell Spiegel for GRASSHOPPER REPUBLIC
This film skillfully offers a poignant historical portrayal of a harsh geopolitical reality while intimately exploring the experiences of courageous individuals. The film's high-stakes tension keeps us on the edge of our seats, resulting in an utterly gripping experience that immerses us in the global struggle for liberation and a better life. We are thrilled to award best non-fiction editing to Madeleine Gavin for BEYOND UTOPIA
WORLD OF HA CHANGE- MAKER AWARD (This comes with $5,000 cash prize)
RAZING LIBERTY SQUARE directed by Katja Esson
ULTRA INDIE
NO RIGHT WAY directed by Chelsea Bo
Jurors
Jack Fessenden (Director, Producer, FOXHOLE, STRAY BULLETS)
Sara Bernstein (Producer, JUDY BLUME FOREVER, THE ZEN DIARIES OF GARRY SHANDLING, MEA MAXIMA CULPA: SILENCE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD)
Joe Berlinger (Producer, Director, PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY, EXTREMELY WICKED, SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE)
Jury Statement
For its standout performances, heart-wrenching turns, and impressive narrative scope on a limited budget, the jury awards the 2023 Woodstock Ultra Indie to “NO RIGHT WAY” directed by Chelsea Bo.
No Right Way asks its audience to re-evaluate preconceived notions of the “right way” to raise a kid in today’s world and does so with subtlety and grace. With memorable characters lead and supporting alike, it is a heart-warming and refreshing portrait of the ‘it takes a village’ proverb in a time when such community can feel like a figment of the past. Written, directed, edited, and starring Chelsea Bo, No Right Way is an affecting meditation on parents and children, and an accomplished piece of filmmaking. Congratulations to No Right Way.
HASKELL WEXLER AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
ASLEEP IN MY PALM cinematography by Tatjana Krstevski
Honorable Mention: THE MONK AND THE GUN cinematography by Jigmé T. Tenzing
Jurors
Joan Churchill (Cinematographer, SOLDIER GIRLS, AILEEN: LIFE AND DEATH OF A SERIAL KILLER)
Jury Statement
The jury was torn so it selected a 2nd film as runner-up. In the words of the inestimable Haskell Wexler, “as communicators & artists, we have a responsibility to work from some ethic,”
“The Monk & the Gun” deserves an honorable mention for the Haskell Wexler Award for Cinematography. Beautifully shot by Jigmé T Tenzing.
To quote Haskell once more, who said “the role of the cinematographer is to serve the story,” the Haskell Wexler Award for Outstanding Cinematography goes to Tatjana Krstevski for her impressive work on “Asleep In My Palm.” This stunning film was shot in just 16 days…which makes it even more impressive.
NYWIFT AWARDS
NYWIFT Excellence in Narrative Filmmaking goes to
THREE BIRTHDAYS directed by Jane Weinstock
NYWIFT Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking for 1K goes to
NO ACCIDENT directed by Kristi Jacobson
PRESENTED BY NYWIFT Board Member: Kim Jackson
An award of $1,000 is given to each recipient, plus a certificate and a NYWIFT 6 month membership.
SHORT NARRATIVE
RICKY directed by Rashad Frett
Special acknowledgment for performance - Matthew Leone from BLUE BOY
Jurors
Thomas Sadoski (Actor, THE NEWSROOM, LIFE IN PIECES, WILD, JOHN WICK)
Jonathan Gray (Production Counsel, THE MOLE AGENT, AMERICAN FACTORY, BLACK SWAN, LIFE, ANIMATED)
Lori Singer (Actress, FOOTLOOSE, SHORT CUTS, RACHEL HENDRIX)
SHORT DOCUMENTARY
DECIDING VOTE directed by Jeremy Workman, Robert Lyons
Honorable Mention: HOW TO CARRY WATER directed by Sasha Wortzel
Jurors
Kim Snyder (Director, US KIDS, NEWTOWN, I REMEMBER ME)
Marshall Curry (Director, THE NEIGHBOR’S WINDOW, STREET FIGHT, RACING DREAMS)
Ondi Timoner (Director, LAST FLIGHT HOME, THE NEW AMERICANS: GAMING A REVOLUTION, COMING CLEAN)
Jury Statement
It's an untold story that is inspiring and relevant in a time of political cynicism.
A tale of moral conviction and bravery, of self-sacrifice, and a reminder of how important it is to take a stand, and especially to listen - The winner is DECIDING VOTE.
SHORT STUDENT
SWIM CAPTAIN directed by Christa Haley
Honorable Mentions: SOUND TO SEA directed by Ryan Craver, WAITING FOR BUFFALO directed by Grace Beutter
Jurors
Denise Grayson (Actress, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, SHAMELESS, THE KILL ROOM)
Jeff Roda (Director, Writer, 18 TO PARTY)
Shelby Stone (Producer, THE CHI, BESSIE, LACKAWANNA BLUES)
Jury Statement
Before announcing the winner of the Student Short Film Competition, we want to highlight our two honorable mentions.
SOUND TO SEA is a searing examination of teenage longing and desire, the angst of which is amplified by Ryan Craver's direction and the beautiful performances, especially those of the young cast.
In WAITING FOR BUFFALO Al Fast Wolf, of the Oglala Sioux tribe, awaits the delivery of 400 heads of Bison to the Pine Ridge Reservation. The authorities only deliver 140 heads to Pine Ridge without explanation or apology. Directors Grace Beutter and Aidan O'Malley use this small act to help the audience understand the legacy of unending broken promises while breaking your heart.
The winner of this year's Woodstock Film Festival is SWIM CAPTAIN. Christa Haley wrote, directed, and edited this brilliant angst-ridden short about the havoc a tampon can cause. The star, Kelley Depeault delivers a subtle, nuanced performance. We're so excited to see what Christa and Kelley do next!
ANIMATION
SUNFLOWER FIELD directed by Polina Buchak
Jurors
Joy Buran (Animator, Netflix, NBC, Cartoon Network, Amazon Studios)
Noelle Melody (Animator, Netflix, NBC, Cartoon Network, Amazon Studios)
Arthur Metcalf (Animator, HE’S WATCHING, FANTAISIE IN BUBBLEWRAP, IN THE BEGINNING)
Jury Statement
The Best Animated Short Award goes to a film that communicates in a way only animation can, allowing the viewer to experience a child’s perspective of the threat of war on her home. It is surreal yet all too real. From a filmmaker who has experienced this threat firsthand, and weaves symbolism of Ukrainian culture throughout, every aspect of the film is given the thought and care the subject matter deserves. Expressing a theme of resilience and hope, the child bravely stitches her life back together, even as it unravels before her eyes. We honor the dedication of this small but mighty team who seamlessly brought this vision to life — the Award for Best Animated Short goes to Sunflower Field by Polina Buchak.
ABOUT THE WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL:
The Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that nurtures and supports emerging and established filmmakers, sharing their creative voices through an annual festival and year-round programming to promote culture, diversity, community, educational opportunities, and economic growth.
WFF provides innovative mentoring and inspired educational programs benefitting filmmakers, students, and diverse audiences while serving as a powerful cultural and economic engine for New York’s Hudson Valley and beyond. Such efforts have consistently resulted in the festival being hailed as one of the top regional film festivals worldwide.
The Woodstock Film Festival is an Oscar®-qualifying festival in the short film categories - Live Action Short Film, Animated Short Film, and Documentary Short Film.
WFF MEDIA CONTACTS:
Samantha Emson
Samantha@woodstockfilmfestival.org
Katy Mejia
Katy@woodstockfilmfestival.org
NATIONAL PRESS CONTACT:
Julia Pacetti
Aaron Buotte