1 WEEK AWAY: 21st Annual Woodstock Film Festival, THE GLORIAS Recap
The 2020 Woodstock Film Festival, happening September 30th - October 4th, is right around the corner! For more information about this year's amazing lineup of films, shorts, and panels screening online and at area drive-ins, please visit our home page, official event page on Facebook, and join our mailing list for updates.
This year we will be screening a robust program of full-length and short films online as well as two feature films a night at Greenville Drive-In Outdoor Cinema in Greenville, New York, the Overlook Drive-In in Poughkeepsie, New York, and a pop-up drive-in located at Andy Lee Field in Woodstock, New York. There will also be a diverse slate of live-streamed panels with industry leaders and filmmakers available online.
Below are some program highlights, including some new additions:
CLOSING NIGHT FILM:
NOMADLAND by Chloé Zhao
October 4th at the Overlook Drive-In
Synopsis: Following the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada, Fern (Frances McDormand) packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. The third feature film from director Chloé Zhao, NOMADLAND features real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors and comrades in her exploration through the vast landscape of the American West.
The film will screen as a double feature with Chris Wedge’s EPIC.
Director's Bio: Chloé Zhao was born in Beijing, China, and was raised in both Beijing and Brighton, England. After moving to the US, she studied politics at Mt Holyoke College and film production at NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Chloé is a writer, director, and producer. Her first feature, SONGS MY BROTHERS TAUGHT ME, premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2015, and her second feature, THE RIDER, premiered at Cannes Film Festival’s Director’s Fortnight in 2017 and won the Art Cinema Awards. After NOMADLAND, her next feature is Marvel Studios’ ETERNALS. Chloé lives in California and adores her two dogs and three chickens.
SPECIAL SCREENING:
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME
written & starring Heidi Schreck,
directed by Marielle Heller
October 4th at the Greenville Drive-In
Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Heidi Schreck earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this hilarious, hopeful, and achingly human show, Heidi resurrects her teenage self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives. Director Marielle Heller brings the acclaimed Broadway show to new life on film, marrying the electricity of live performance with a deeply cinematic intimacy.
The film will screen as a double feature with the New York Premiere of Yoruba Richen’s
THE SIT IN: HARRY BELAFONTE HOSTS THE TONIGHT SHOW.
Playwright's Bio: Heidi Schreck is a writer and performer living in Brooklyn. After an extended run on Broadway, What the Constitution Means to Me played a sold-out, limited run at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C as well as at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, and will continue its national tour in 2021. What the Constitution Means to Me was named Best of the Year by the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, Time Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, The New Yorker and more; NPR named it one of the “50 Great Pop Culture Moments” of 2019.
Schreck’s other plays Grand Concourse, Creature, and There Are No More Big Secrets have been produced all over the country and she has worked as a stage actor in NYC for almost 20 years. Her screenwriting credits include I Love Dick, Billions, Nurse Jackie and shows in development with Amazon Studios, Big Beach, Imagine Television and A24. As both an actor and writer she is the recipient of three Obie Awards, a Drama Desk Award, and a Theatre World Award; as well as the Horton Foote Playwriting Award and the Hull-Warriner Award from the Dramatists Guild. She was named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business in 2019, and was featured on Variety’s 2019 Broadway Impact List. Schreck was awarded Smithsonian Magazine’s 2019 American Ingenuity Award, for her work in the Performing Arts.
Director's Bio: Marielle Heller is an award-winning director, writer, actress and producer whose impressive, multifaceted career and unique voice has garnered her critical acclaim. She directed the film, A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, starring Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers, for which he received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. She previously directed the three-time Academy Award-nominated film, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?, starring Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant, just three years after the release of her Indie Spirit Award-winning directorial debut, THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL. She can soon be seen starring in Scott Frank’s Netflix limited series, THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT. Marielle recently launched a production company, Defiant By Nature, aimed at shining bright lights on women and non-binary creators. Its first look television deal with Big Beach, her company is currently developing a limited series based on the This American Life episode, “Five Women”.
The New Now: Defining Today's Reality In The Film Biz & What Can You Do To Use or Change It For The Better". The FilmBiz — be it Indie Or Corporate — has been one of constant change for over 30+ years & Hope has ridden the waves to pursue, produce, and promote what he calls "ambitiously authored" work. Through his movies, his book "HopeForFilm" (the second edition of which was released last month), and a wide range of positions including Head Of Movies for Amazon Studios, he has forged new roads & methods, but none as challenging as the ones he will explain our facing us now. If you are looking to make a film that only you can make — or want to make sure we have such diverse work to enjoy — this masterclass is a must to attend event.
Shorts STREAMING ONLINE
SEPTEMBER 30th - OCTOBER 4th
THE GLORIAS Drive-In Screening Recap
Special thanks to everyone who came to our last summer drive-in screening of Julie Taymor's THE GLORIAS at Greenville Drive-In Outdoor Cinema last night. Executive producer Sarah Johnson joined us for a special pre-show Q&A where she discussed the behind the scenes process of putting together a period-focused project that ended up perfectly in tune with modern times.
THE GLORIAS will be streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in North America and will be available for purchase on all electronic platforms starting Sept. 30.
See you at the movies!