Announcing Jessica Edwards as New Exec Director, Maverick Award Winners from the 27th Annual Woodstock Film Festival
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On Sunday October, 18th the Woodstock Film Festival today announced winners across multiple categories for the 27th annual edition, including its juried awards for films in competition: Mouse for Best Narrative Feature, Rehearsals for a Revolution for Best Documentary Feature, Washed Up for Best Ultra Indie, They’re Here for Best Short Documentary, and more.
This year, a special Honorary Maverick Award was presented to Woodstock Film Festival Co-Founder Meira Blaustein, recognizing her visionary leadership, more than 26 years of dedication to independent cinema, and the enduring legacy she has built as she prepares to transition from her role as Executive Director.
For the first time in festival history, the Maverick Awards traded Saturday night for Sunday brunch. Set amid the sprawling fields, wooded trails, and mountain views of our sponsor Oz Farm in Saugerties, the reimagined celebration brought filmmakers, honorees, and guests together in a relaxed, intimate setting that feels distinctly Hudson Valley. The food and beverage sponsors included Griffin House, Empire Merchants North, Sawyer Motors, and Blue Duck Brewing Company with contributions from Bread Alone and The Station.
The Woodstock Film Festival is also delighted to announce that Jessica Edwards will step into the role of Executive Director.
Outgoing Executive Director and Co-Founder Meira Blaustein expressed her enthusiasm for Jessica’s appointment. “I have had the pleasure of working with Jessica at the Woodstock Film Festival over the past few years, and I have nothing but the greatest respect for her. As a filmmaker, a distribution consultant, and a former publicist, Jessica brings with her deep understanding, creative vision, and vast and strong contacts in the film industry. As a resident of the Hudson Valley, she knows and loves the region and its community. I am confident that she will not only retain the vision of the Woodstock Film Festival, which I have worked so long and hard to build and nurture, but will lead it towards an exciting new growth. I can't wait to see what the next few years will bring. Welcome, Jessica!”
Claude Dal Farra, President of the Board, also welcomed Jessica’s appointment, highlighting her understanding of the Festival’s mission and her readiness to lead its next chapter. “From our very first meeting with Jessica, it was clear to us that she was the natural person to succeed Meira and carry forward the extraordinary work Meira has done over more than 25 years. Jessica understands what makes the Woodstock Film Festival special — its commitment to filmmakers, its independent spirit, and its deep connection to the Hudson Valley — while also bringing the experience, energy, and vision to lead it into its next chapter. On behalf of the Board, we are tremendously excited to welcome Jessica as our new Executive Director, and to work with her on the future of the Festival.”
Jessica Edwards shared, “To call this a dream job would be an understatement. I'm honored to build on the founders’ legacy and help shape the festival's future. Woodstock's history is shaped by its creativity, innovation, and independent spirit. I want to carry that spirit forward by bringing filmmakers and industry partners from around the world together with audiences here in the Hudson Valley. My vision for the festival is to create opportunities for people to meet, share ideas, and discover films together — connections that I hope will support filmmakers and inspire the next generation of cinema lovers."
Edwards’ appointment marks an important moment for the Woodstock Film Festival as it looks to the future, building on the strong foundation established by Meira Blaustein and the community of filmmakers, artists, supporters, and audiences who have sustained the Festival for more than two decades.
Please see the full list of winners below:
GIGANTIC PICTURES AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE
MOUSE, directed by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson
The winner of this award receives a $5,000 cash prize.
Jurors
Aya Cash (You’re the Worst, The Boys)
Debra Granik, (Winter’s Bone, Down to the Bone)
William Horberg (The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Queen’s Gambit)
Jury Statement
“Making movies is hard. It’s a damn miracle that anything gets made. And to make something good? To get that good film seen? Near impossible. The actor who brought financing quits a week before pre-production, the DP is in a fight with a gaffer, the editor went on a coke binge. Or just the chemistry is off. The collaboration isn’t there. There isn’t enough money. There’s never enough money. The movies in this category are six little miracles. A testament to both the filmmakers for making them and a testament to Meira, Amir, Jessica, and their team for programming them. Meira has kept this festival ‘fiercely independent’ for 26 years now. That is its own kind of miracle. Nothing matters more than getting these movies showcased.
So now to our showcase. Before we announce the winner, we do want to say how blown away we were by all six movies. It gave us hope for independent cinema that this was such a tough decision. Thank you for letting us see your work. We also want to give a special mention to Josephine, a film we were truly dazzled by, and shocked to learn was by a first-time filmmaker, Beth de Araújo. It is so bold and assured in its execution.
The ‘best’ narrative feature we are awarding is the film Mouse by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson. High school and grief are two things that inevitably go together for almost all of us. But finding a fresh story to tell, and telling it with nuance and honesty and all the tonal colors necessary to make us feel the familiar raw, confusing immediacy of those larval years, is a high bar for any filmmaker to attain. The performances are stunning, unexpected, and truthful. Thank you for bringing us into this world of grief, and taking us by the hand out the other side.”
Honorable Mention: JOSEPHINE, directed by Beth de Araújo
THE LEON GAST AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY
REHEARSALS FOR A REVOLUTION, directed by Pegah Ahangarani
Jurors
Tia Lessin (Trouble the Water, Steal This Story, Please!)
Michèle Stephenson (Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, Black Girls Play: The Story of Hand Games)
David Osit (Thank You for Playing, Mayor)
Jury Statement
"Our jury was deeply impressed by these eight very accomplished and masterfully-made documentaries, but one film stood out to us: an epic family saga that has just as much to say about the limits of storytelling in the face of loss, as it does about the mercurial and indefatigable nature of resistance. We were blown away by this film, so full of honesty and intimacy that its own formal construction bursts at the seams. The result is a prescient, thoughtful, and deeply valuable document of the cyclical cost of war and oppression that the United States fuels, and must no longer ignore. We are honored to award the prize for Best Documentary to Rehearsals For A Revolution by Pegah Ahangarani."
LAURENT REJTO MADE IN THE HUDSON VALLEY AWARD Sponsored by Kyotocolor Inc.
RAIN REIGN, directed by Erika Burke Rossa
For a filmmaker whose film was produced in the Hudson Valley, honoring the legacy of Laurent Rejto. The winner of this award receives a major studio-level digital color grading for their next film. It will include "Look Development" in Pre-Production, as well as full online conform & Full 4k Digital Intermediate Color Grading with a Deliverable Package — valued at $80,000.
Jurors
Corbin Bernsen (L.A. Law, Major League)
Peter Hutchings (The Hating Game, Which Brings Me to You)
Stacey Cormier (Hudson Valley Film Commission)
Jury Statement
“Corbin, Peter, and I deliberated and selected Erika Burke Rossa's Rain Reign as our winner for the Laurent Rejto Made in Hudson Valley category. Our decision was based primarily on story, and an incredible script that remained tonally consistent throughout the film. The cast delivered beautiful, deep performances, tackling everyday struggles and human relationships. The film's locations felt eloquently selected and effectively portrayed the Hudson Valley's diverse aesthetic as a film destination.”
GRAY SCHWARTZ ULTRA INDIE AWARD
WASHED UP, directed by Isabel Moncloa Daly
The winner of this award receives a $2,000 cash prize.
Jurors
Jason Kliot (Coffee and Cigarettes, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room)
Delilah Napier (Floating Carousel)
Lucy Powers (Floating Carousel)
Jury Statement
“I’m Jason Kliot, and I served on this jury with Lucy Powers and Delilah Napier, who won this festival’s Ultra Indie Award last year for Floating Carousel.
The film we’re honoring this morning sets a mythical creature down in a world that feels entirely real, and the two sit together so naturally that we never question it. That balance rests on emotional and psychological truth, and above all on the performances. The cast plays the comedy and the sorrow with equal conviction, and each of them seems to live in this world completely. Their characters are eccentric yet entirely believable, funny, tender and unexpectedly deep (no pun intended).
It also has a keen sense of place. We came to know a whole community and the pressures on it: tourism, gentrification, and the struggle to hold on to a home. For a first feature, it is remarkably assured, playful and unpredictable, and deeply felt. It was unlike anything we had seen before, made by a filmmaker with a voice entirely her own, working from a script of real originality.
It is our great pleasure to present this award to Isabel Moncloa Daly, and to Issy Brett and Carys Glynne, who wrote it with her, for Washed Up.”
BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
THEY’RE HERE, directed by Laura Poitras & Rachel Lauren Mueller
Jurors
Rabab Haj Yahya (Coexistence, My Ass!, The Feeling of Being Watched)
Robert Stone (Radio Bikini, Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst)
Sasha Wortzel (River of Grass, How to Carry Water)
Jury Statement
"Out of a terrific selection of short documentary films, we chose to honor a film whose artistry and composure recontextualized the recent events in Minneapolis in a way that we found both moving and powerful. The winner for Best Short Documentary is They’re Here by Laura Poitras and Rachel Lauren Mueller."
Honorable Mention: ONE LAST ORDER, directed by Sam Soko & Lauren Defilippo
BEST SHORT NARRATIVE
DONGMEI, directed by Rubing Zhang
Jurors
Isil Bagdadi (Cinema Arts Centre host and curator)
Marshall Curry (The Neighbors’ Window, Street Fight)
Shelby Stone (Lackawanna Blues, The Chi)
Jury Statement
“The jury of the 27th Woodstock Film Festival is honored to announce Dongmei as the Winner of the Best Narrative Short Film of 2026. This powerful film from writer/director Rubing Zhang transports us into the world of a family in crisis and the delicate power dynamics between them, as well as the societal pressures facing queer women in China. Beautifully shot and acted, there is a depth and authenticity to Zhang's work. The film holds up a mirror to how a parent's controlling nature can fracture a family, leading to deep-seated trauma and emotional estrangement. Congratulations to the filmmaker!”
BEST ANIMATION
SABA, directed by Liron Topaz
Jurors
Liz Blazer (Animated Storytelling, author)
Joy Buran (Human Kind Of),
Noelle Melody (Human Kind Of)
Jury Statement
“The Best Short Animation award goes to a film where every frame was made by hand. Its poetic and elegant world-building serves as a metaphor for memories of a time gone by. At its core, it is a film about love, loss, and memory. Wrapped in a charming package, the meaning takes viewers by surprise, revealing the profound power of love, the preciousness of time spent with our elders, and the challenge of living without them. In the words of its director, it ‘explores life’s fundamental questions: the paths we take, separation from those we love, and the endless effort to find closure, reconcile loss, and move forward.’ The winner of Best Short Animation is Saba, by Liron Topaz.”
Honorable Mention: VIRGIN FANDANGO, directed by Marcy Page
Jury Statement: “This year, we programmed an incredible lineup of animated shorts — films made by small teams, and films made by whole studios. Every one of them answered the question: ‘Why is it animated?’ They reminded us that animation can do things no other form can, and that it knows no bounds. We’ve chosen an animated short for Honorable Mention that blends dance, drawing, song, and music. It is a hand-crafted film in which the animation process itself is a work of art: more than 12,000 painted tiles, brought to life to feature nearly 170 empowering historical women, from the Virgin Mary doing the fandango to Hillary Clinton breakdancing in a pantsuit. Honorable Mention goes to Virgin Fandango, by Marcy Page.”
WORLD OF HA CHANGEMAKER AWARD
SEIZED, directed by Sharon Liese
The Changemaker Award honors a filmmaker whose work, either narrative or documentary, most effectively delves deep into a pressing contemporary issue and generates a constructive conversation.
The winner of this award receives a $5,000 cash prize.
Jury Statement
“At a time when freedom of the press is under constant attack, and when media conglomerates garner more and more power and autonomy, small town, independently run publications are more important than ever. Seized tells, with humor and humanism, the story and fight for independence and freedom of the press, and as such, embodies the spirit of the Changemaker Award.”
HASKELL WEXLER AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
NUISANCE BEAR, cinematography by Jack Weisman & Gabriela Osio Vanden
Juror
Ellen Kuras (The Betrayal - Nerakhoon, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Jury Statement
“The filmmakers of this year’s Best Cinematography award took extraordinary strides to capture poetry and drama through exquisite visual storytelling in the face of very challenging shooting situations. This is a resonant work of beauty and humanity.”
Honorable Mention: THE GREAT EXPERIMENT, directed by Stephen Maing & Eric Daniel Metzgar
NYWIFT AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DIRECTING A NARRATIVE FILM
RAIN REIGN, directed by Erika Burke Rossa
Presented by NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez and Board Member Kim Jackson, the award is given to each Excellence in Narrative Filmmaking recipient, plus a certificate and a NYWIFT 6-month membership.
Jurors
Cynthia Lopez
Rasheik Smart
Easmanie Michel
Jury Statement
“Selected for the outstanding portrayal of what it means to be a disabled child with agency, conviction, and strength regardless of circumstance. The film is crafted in a multi-layered, complicated way that demonstrates love can thrive in unpredictable ways.”
NYWIFT AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN DIRECTING A DOCUMENTARY FILM
OUR DARK HORSE, directed by Grace Barry
Presented by NYWIFT CEO Cynthia Lopez and Board Member Kim Jackson, this award is given to each Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking recipient, plus a certificate and a NYWIFT 6-month membership.
Jurors
Cynthia Lopez
Rasheik Smart
Easmanie Michel
Jury Statement
“NYWIFT jurors selected this film because of the filmmaker’s approach to capture cinematically the charismatic beauty and majestic spirit of horses in America. It teaches us how these animals remain unprotected and unregulated by U.S. government policies. We believe everyone should see this quiet yet breathtaking, revelatory film that explains: What happens to the thoroughbred horse when he doesn’t win the race?”
NYWIFT IMPACT AWARD
RE/PAIR, directed by Lacey Schwartz Delgado
Jury Statement
“In a time in our society when hate and violence permeate the news cycle every day, we as a jury believe this film should be required watching for the vital uncomfortable conversations we as a society need to have about the relationship and history between the Jewish and Black communities in America.”
BEST EDITING, NARRATIVE AWARD
WICKER, edited by Sofi Marshall, ACE
Jurors
Sabine Hoffman, ACE (Passing; The Glorias),
Agnès Challe-Grandits (The Diplomat, American Rust),
Keiko Deguchi (Task, Love + War)
Jury Statement
“Awed by the sharp rhythmic editing of this film, both in its quiet and in its big moments, the jury awards Sofi Marshall for the excellence in film editing of Wicker. Her pacing and weaving create the perfect tempo for this magical film, highlighting superb performances and shaping this otherwise incredulous story into a funny, thought-provoking, and moving fairy tale.”
BEST EDITING, DOCUMENTARY AWARD
TO HOLD A MOUNTAIN, edited by George Cragg
Jurors
Alex Bayer (100 Foot Wave, The Oratorio),
Sabine Hoffman, ACE (Personal Velocity, The Ballad of Jack and Rose),
Isabel Sadurni (Take Care of Maya, What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael),
Rachel Schuman (Storm Lake, Arrest the Midwife)
Jury Statement
“Drawn in immediately with its patient rhythm and clear vision, the skillful, sensible editing allowed us to intimately witness and care about the challenges of its character's heroic defense of their land and values. The award for excellence in documentary editing goes to George Cragg and To Hold a Mountain.
Honorable Mention: REHEARSALS FOR A REVOLUTION, edited by Arash Ashtiani
BEST STUDENT SHORT
BLESS THE TELEPHONE, directed by K.D. Chalk
Jurors
Lori Singer (Footloose, Short Cuts),
Amy Gossels (Something’s Gotta Give, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart)
Jury Statement
“Lori and I really enjoyed this group of films, and we want to congratulate all the student filmmakers! But after careful consideration, one film really stood out to us based on its powerful script, innovative approach to storytelling, beautiful and truthful performances that never felt like performances, and the fact that the writer/director also co-stars, making it even more remarkable. We would therefore like to present the award for Best Student Short to K.D. Chalk for Bless The Telephone! Huge congratulations!”
For more photos from our ceremony, please visit our photo archive.