WFF 2020: New Formats, New Challenges
THE DRUMMER at our pop-up drive-in theater in Woodstock. Photo by Elkyn Orellana.
In a year defined by a raging pandemic, divisive presidential election, and hardship for many, we are extremely grateful that the 21st annual Woodstock Film Festival was able to happen. Thank you to all of the filmmakers, patrons, and supporters who helped make it a success!
When we first closed down our offices in March, it was almost impossible to think further than a month in advance. COVID-19 had already felled some of the year’s biggest industry events, including South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, robbing independent filmmakers of their moment to proudly introduce their current projects to potential buyers and new audiences. Productions ground to a halt and releases were delayed indefinitely as the world collectively held its breath, waiting for the worst to pass over.
Our small team moved its day-to-day activities online, creating makeshift offices out of our kitchens and living spaces. Over countless Zoom meetings and webinars, we began to research and brainstorm ideas to save our now-canceled spring programming. To stay engaged with our community, we began hosting free online talks with filmmakers, producers, and actors while highlighting freely streamable short films by Festival alumni. By June, we were back at our offices, drawing up plans and scouting potential venues for a summer drive-in screening series that would serve as a test run for the fall film festival.
FULLY REALIZED HUMANS at Greenville Drive-In Outdoor Cinema. Photo by Beth Schneck.
Thankfully our new friends Dwight and Leigh at Greenville Drive-In Outdoor Cinema offered us an enviable location with beautiful views of the Catskill Mountains at their quaint, pastoral location in Greenville, New York. Following the success of our drive-in screenings of Katherine Dieckmann’s DIGGERS, Allen Coulter’s HOLLYWOODLAND, Michael Almereyda’s TESLA, and Julie Taymor’s THE GLORIAS, we felt confident in our ability to host a drive-in festival. The addition of Overlook Drive-In in Poughkeepsie, managed by Charles and his experienced staff, provided the perfect place to present some of our larger titles. With Greenville and Overlook onboard for WFF 2020, our remaining two challenges were putting together an online program and constructing a pop-up drive-in in the town of Woodstock. Luckily our team members Jeff Kantor and Zach Bell were able to put their skills to the test and make our plans a reality.
Q&A with MATERNA director David Gutnik at Overlook Drive-In. Photo by Anthony Sarcone.
In the end, the 21st Woodstock Film Festival prevailed. Many of our sponsors and private donors returned while our skeleton staff and volunteer corps made what seemed like an impossible operation doable. Filmmakers traveled from far and wide to showcase their films and meet, safely, with their friends and colleagues. At the same time, our dedicated audience members attended the drive-in screenings en masse and streamed our diverse online program of films and panels from the comfort of home. After months of quarantining and hard work, seeing everyone’s happy faces made all of our efforts worth it.
What made this year’s festival possible was the continuous participation and support we received from the independent filmmaking community. We would like to thank all of the directors who submitted their films to us and showed up in-person or online. In a time of widespread postponements and delays, we are immensely indebted to everyone who gave us the special opportunity to share their work with our audiences. This pandemic has been especially tough for creators in the film industry, and we salute your commitment to push forward and make art that both inspires and tests boundaries.
As 2020 draws to a close, the Woodstock Film Festival will continue to present creatively stimulating and entertaining events for you to enjoy. Until we meet again, see you at the movies!*
*And don’t forget to vote!