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Interning with the Woodstock Film Festival offers hands-on, real-world experience in the fast-paced world of independent film. Interns work alongside industry professionals, gain valuable skills, and contribute to one of the most respected film festivals in the country. It’s an incredible opportunity to learn, network, and be part of a passionate and creative community.
A wonderful way to learn more about LGBTQ+ communities is by immersing yourself in stories that highlight their lives. There’s no better time than Pride Month to look into them!
Monash University conducted a study that looked at films with LGBTQ inclusivity vs films without, and compared their box office numbers. They discovered that films including queer characters earned 29% more revenue than ones that didn’t.
Actor and humanitarian Thomas Sadoski has a career that spans stage, television, and film. You may recognize him from his compelling role in Aaron Sorkin's celebrated series The Newsroom, his memorable appearance in the action thriller John Wick, or most recently, his powerful portrayal in Lilly — the moving biographical film chronicling equal pay champion Lilly Ledbetter's courageous journey that culminated in the landmark Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.
What could be a better way to honor Women’s History Month than by watching films crafted by women directors? WFF had the privilege of screening 57 female-directed films at the 25th Woodstock Film Festival. In 2024, the representation of women directors in the film industry showed minimal progress compared to previous years. Women directed 16% of the top 250 highest-grossing films, maintaining the same percentage as in 2023. However, within the top 100 films, the percentage of women directors decreased to 11% in 2024, down from 14% in 2023. Similarly, a study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that out of 112 directors for the top 100 movies in 2024, 13.4% were women, a slight increase from 12.1% in 2023. In France, women directed or co-directed 25.6% of fiction films and 35.7% of documentaries in 2024. However, only one out of nine animated films was directed by a woman.
The 2025 Oscars made history, with independent films dominating the night! ANORA—from the always-independent filmmaker Sean Baker who won the Maverick Award at the Woodstock Film Festival in 2008 for one of his first films PRINCE OF BROADWAY—swept five major awards. In total, seven of the seventeen films that were previously screened at the Woodstock Film Festival won thirteen Oscars! Big congratulations to all the nominees and winners!
The 2025 Oscars Nominations were announced this morning, and we are thrilled to share that a record number films that screened at the Woodstock Film Festival were nominated for awards across several categories. A special shoutout to EMILIA PÉREZ which made history with a record number of 13 nominations.
Congratulations to our friends at Netflix, Neon, Searchlight, Sideshow, A24, SPC, Cinetic, and to all the filmmakers on their nominations!
Missed the 2024 Woodstock Film Festival panels? You can now catch the inspiring discussions and insights on Apple Podcasts and Spotify—listen anytime, anywhere! WFF panels are renowned for their depth, creativity, and insight, consistently ranking among the best panels offered by film festivals worldwide.
The 2024 Woodstock Film Festival proudly highlighted the thriving spirit of independent cinema, bringing together a diverse selection of films, dynamic discussions, and empowering panels. This year's festival boasted an expansive lineup, featuring powerful documentaries, compelling narratives, and both live-action and animated shorts eligible for Academy Award consideration, all designed to captivate and challenge audiences through unique storytelling perspectives.
Enjoy this recap and don’t forget to join us for next year’s exciting festival in 2025!
Over the past 25 years, the Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) has nurtured a remarkable community that continues to grow. Each year we commissioned original artwork for our posters, by artists such as Peter Max, Milton Glazer, Bill Plympton, Mary Frank, Joan Snyder, and for 2024, Matt Dillon.
As we commemorate Black History Month, it presents a perfect opportunity to pay tribute to the remarkable and diverse contributions of black individuals to our society. One of the best ways to do this is by watching movies that tell their stories. This collection of films for Black History Month offers a range of inspiring biopics, thought-provoking dramas, and other cinematic gems that will take you on a journey through history. These movies will showcase the powerful stories of the black community, offering both entertainment and education so enjoy these films created by Woodstock Film Festival Alumni!
Sundance 2024, celebrating its 40th year under the new leadership of Eugene Hernandez (co-founder of Indiewire) is now in the rearview mirror. This pivotal film festival in American independent filmmaking premiered many of today’s new and exciting talents while showcasing the works of many of its alumni, those who were first discovered at Sundance years ago and are now among the most influential and interesting filmmakers of our times. Those alumni included many Woodstock Film Festival friends, such as Richard Linklater, Mira Nair, Ondi Timoner, Mark Duplass, Sara Bernstein producer of FRIDA, and more.
After weeks of eager anticipation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has at last revealed the official roster of nominees for the 2024 Oscars this morning. Among the distinguished candidates are several films featured in the 2023 Woodstock Film Festival program and year-round special events.
The 2023 Woodstock Film Festival unfolded as a celebration of storytelling, creativity, and the art of filmmaking. The festival, wrapping up its 24th year, welcomed cinephiles and industry professionals alike to an immersive experience that transcended the boundaries of traditional cinema. While it is a treat to celebrate independent cinema as a community for five full days, we look forward to the growth the festival brings each year we operate. Enjoy a recap of this year’s fest, and don’t forget to join us for an even bigger and better event next year for our 25th Anniversary!
This year was our very first livestream of the WFF Let’s Talk Film! Podcast. We had the pleasure of hosting so many amazing filmmakers. Hosts Katy Mejia and Adam Schartoff chatted with the filmmakers, producers, and actors who attended the 24th annual festival on three separate livestreams about their filmmaking process and so much more!
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.
45% of the films at The Woodstock Film Festival this year are directed by women, which might be too many to be able to watch all in one weekend! To celebrate the growth of women in independent filmmaking, we have made a boiled-down list, to show some of our picks for female-directed films to catch at this year’s festival.
After its launch in 2011, Letterboxd was primarily used by film critics to track the films they reviewed. There are many reasons why fans and critics have dubbed it “the safest space for film discussion we’ve got,” and, in addition, we’ve compiled our Top 5 reasons why you should be on Letterboxd:
In this episode of the WFF LET'S TALK FILM! Podcast hosts Katy Mejia and Willis Williams chat with award-winning screenwriter James Schamus about fake unions created by Hollywood and the long history of the Writers' Strikes. James also provides insight into industry practices that prevent career stability for working writers + much more!
The Woodstock Film Festival is one of New York state's top regional film festivals. Next year will be 25 years since it was co-founded by Meira Blaustein. We recently launched the Woodstock Film Festival Let’s Talk Film! Podcast where Meira goes into detail about how it all started and why you should submit your film to the Woodstock Film Festival.
The Woodstock Film festival has a long history of supporting women working in the film industry through its Spotlight on Women in Film & Media program, showcasing many outstanding women-directed films each year. The popular film festival annual panel ‘Women in Film: Then and Now’ started in 2004, and over the years, has gathered notable high-profile women directors, producers, and actors to begin a dialogue.
Woodstock Film Festival’s filmmaking alumni have been busy lately, directing, producing and exhibiting their work. Read on for updates about what some of our alumni are up to, how their films are being recognized, and where you can see their work.
At the Woodstock Film Festival, our full-time staff share a passion for great cinema. The films we enjoy most move us, spark a fire within us, and inspire us to connect with our community. This Valentine’s Day, enjoy this list of our recommended favorites.
I have been attending the Sundance Film Festival for about twenty years. Often the Academy Awards buzz gets intertwined as the Oscars nomination announcements usually occur in the midst of Sundance. With so many films and filmmakers connected to the Woodstock Film Festival both participating at Sundance and/or vying for Oscar noms, it’s no surprise that my preparation this year was all about both.