Filmmakers Residency / Incubator Week 1 Recap

After months of anticipation and careful planning, the Woodstock Film Festival’s inaugural Filmmakers Residency / Incubator program is now underway! Hosted in collaboration with White Feather Farm Foundation at their new residential property in Woodstock, New York, this month-long initiative services four filmmakers who are in the middle of developing projects with social justice themes.

(Left to right) - Brooke Pepion Swaney, Maba Ba, Eunice Lau and Set Hernandez Rongkilyo

The residents meet with program mentors Paco de Onís and Pamela Yates

Upon settling into their new home, participating filmmakers Maba Ba, Brooke Pepion Swaney, Eunice Lau and Set Hernandez Rongkilyo were treated to a welcome dinner with the residency’s Artistic Director Alex Smith and Woodstock Film Festival Co-Founder + Executive Director Meira Blaustein. Over the next few days each filmmaker met one-on-one over Zoom and in person with Alex and program mentors Mira Nair, Julie Anderson, Matty Rich, Pamela Yates and Paco de Onís. Pam and Paco also presented a screening of their most recent feature 500 YEARS, fielding questions from the residents while speaking about the harrowing experience of making the project during an indigenous uprising and the ouster of President Otto Pérez Molina in Gautemala.

Later in the week, Brooke held a screening of her documentary DAUGHTER OF A LOST BIRD, which follows a young woman as she reconnects with her Native American birth mother and returns to her homelands. The film explores the ethical gray areas surrounding transracial adoption and the lasting wounds of generational trauma. An inspired group conversation about the film and its subject lasted long into the night.

Between mentor sessions, nature hikes and visits to the farm each resident spent time writing and working on their individual film projects. Here’s what everyone had to say about their experience so far:

“At a time when so many people can't connect with others, this residency has provided amazingly deep and meaningful connections with my other fellows, mentors, and to the people who work the land that we are inhabiting.”

— Brooke Pepion Swaney, Resident

“The first week of this residency has been transformative, not only as a writer but also as a person. Never mind the extreme generosity from our mentors and the deep, genuine connections quickly formed amongst my fellows, all of which is testament to the atmosphere of love and safety set up by our hosts at the Woodstock Film Festival and White Feather Farm.”

— Maba Ba, Resident

“The ethos of this residency resonates so much with what my documentary film is about. I cannot ask for a more perfect climate, mentors and fellow filmmakers to conceive and discover this story.”

— Eunice Lau, Resident

“For me, filmmaking can feel scary because it requires me to dive deep into myself. This residency allows me to grapple with these fears, through the mentors, the coordinators, my co-fellows, and my community reminding me I already have the tools to do so.”

— Set Hernandez Rongkilyo, Resident