ABOUT US

Our Mission

Founded in 2000, the Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that nurtures and supports emerging and established filmmakers, sharing their creative voices through an annual festival and year-round programming to promote culture, diversity, community, educational opportunities and economic growth.

WFF provides innovative mentoring and inspired educational programs benefitting filmmakers, students and diverse audiences, while serving as a powerful cultural and economic engine for New York’s Hudson Valley and beyond. Such efforts have consistently resulted in the festival being hailed as one of the top regional film festivals worldwide.

The Woodstock Film Festival is an Oscar®-qualifying festival in the short film categories - Live Action Short Film, Animated Short Film, and Documentary Short Film.

HISTORY

PAST HONOREES

PAST ATTENDEES

PAST FILMS

Painted poster celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Woodstock Film Festival, with abstract green, black, and tan brushstrokes and text including dates October 15-20, 2024.

"The Woodstock Film Festival is a haven for those who love independent and challenging cinema. The spirit of the namesake of the festival is in the very fiber of the festival itself — freewheeling, experimental, searching and visionary."

— Julie Taymor

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YEAR-ROUND STAFF

CO-FOUNDER / EXECUTIVE & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
MEIRA BLAUSTEIN

CO-FOUNDER / EMERITUS
LAURENT REJTO

DEPUTY DIRECTOR
TERESSA DELCAMPO

ADMINISTRATIVE & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
CYNTHIA KANE

DIGITAL CONTENT & PROGRAMMING MANAGER
TREVOR ROBERTS

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
CASEY O’CONNELL

FESTIVAL STAFF

PROGRAM & OPERATIONS MANAGER
CHARLEE LIEBESKIND

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S ASSISTANT
ELLIE WHITEMAN

GUEST RELATIONS CO-DIRECTORS
TINA SAIENNI & ANJELICA PUGLISI-DELUCA

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
CHRIS ANDERSEN

NATIONAL PRESS TEAM
FALCO INK

PRESS COORDINATOR
RENATA LUCZAK

PRESS ASSISTANT
SOPHIE FRANK

DEPUTY DIRECTOR’S ASSISTANT
ELIZABETH ADAMS

GRAPHIC DESIGNER
NAOMI GRAPHICS

ART DIRECTOR
STACEY ANDERSON

PRINT TRAFFIC COORDINATOR
KEARIN COONAN

PRODUCTION LEAD
PHILLIP LEVINE

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION MANAGER / VENUE COORDINATOR
WILLIS WILLIAMS

PANELS COORDINATOR
SAM LIGHT

FEAST FOR FILM COORDINATOR
JEFFREY KOLTON

PROGRAM COPY EDITOR
JUDD TAYLOR

TRANSPORTATION COORDINATOR
MESHA FOGEL

PROGRAMMERS

HEAD OF PROGRAMMING
MEIRA BLAUSTEIN

FEATURES PROGRAMMER
AMIR BOGEN

HEAD SHORTS PROGRAMMER
AMANDA NASEEM

SHORTS PROGRAMMERS
CHARLEE LIEBESKIND
HALI TRAINA

ANIMATION PROGRAMMERS
JOY BURAN & NOELLE MELODY

DOCUMENTARY PROGRAMMER
JESSICA EDWARDS

CONTRIBUTING PROGRAMMER
ADAM SCHARTOFF

EDUCATION

YOUTH FILM LAB PROGRAM DIRECTOR
MEGAN SPERRY

FILMMAKERS RESIDENCY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
ALEX SMITH

FILMMAKERS RESIDENCY ARTISTIC CONSULTANT AT LARGE
SABINE HOFFMAN

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Claude Dal Farra

BOARD PRESIDENT

Claude Dal Farra is a film producer and CEO of BCDF Pictures, whose credits include BACHELORETTE, THE HATING GAME, CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET, TO LESLIE and more.

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Ilene Marder Hinchey

BOARD VICE PRESIDENT

Ilene Marder Hinchey is a founding member of the WFF Board having co-produced the first event of the first festival in 2000, and served as WFF Press Director for more than ten years.

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David Baldwin

David Baldwin, one of the early architects of HBO with 31 years of service; EVP of Program Planning there for 15 years, and then an Executive Vice President Program Planning at Starz for 5 years.

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Mark Goldfarb

BOARD TREASURER
Mark Goldfarb served as the president of the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce back in the 90’s and brings his experience of managing multiple business, interfacing with government agencies and marketing to the WFF board as it’s new board member and treasurer.

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Lauri Andretta

Lauri Andretta is a former bank Vice President and Proprietor/Board of Directors member of Empire Merchants North LLC.

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Vicki Chesler

BOARD SECRETARY
Vicki Chesler brings decades of experience running Manhattan-based publishing and marketing businesses. She was on the Board of the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild prior to joining the WFF Board in 2021.

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Hayes Clement

Hayes Clement is a real-estate broker and founding partner of the 14-agent Clement, Brooks & Safier Team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hudson Valley Properties.

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Jonathan Gray

Jonathan Gray is highly regarded in the independent film community as an attorney, producer and advisor for over 25 years.

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Kevin Greene

Kevin Greene is highly regarded in the independent film community as an attorney, producer and advisor for over 25 years.

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Patrick Harrison

Patrick Harrison was the Vice President, Member Relations and Global Outreach at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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Sarah Johnson

Sarah Johnson is an Emmy award winning Producer and Executive Producer, an organic farmer, and an activist for environmental, educational and gender issues.

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Jeff Morris

Jeff Morris is a seasoned entertainment/media executive with 30 years of management, business development, strategic planning, and consumer research expertise.

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Nicole Quinn

Nicole Quinn has written scripts for HBO, Showtime, and network television.

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Peter Saraf

Peter Saraf is an independent film, television and theatre producer whose credits include LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, ADAPTATION, AWAY WE GO, THE FAREWELL, A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, LOVING, LAND, EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED, SUNSHINE CLEANING, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED and the series’ VIDA and SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS.

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Bruce Weiss

Bruce Weiss has been producing independent films for over 20 years. He started his filmmaking career producing the films of Hal Hartley including THE UNBELIEVEBLE TRUTH, TRUST & SIMPLE MEN.

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Roger Ross Williams

Roger Ross Williams is an Oscar®, Emmy®, NAACP Image award, Webby and Peabody award-winning director, producer and writer –and the first African American director to win an Academy Award ®, with his film MUSIC BY PRUDENCE.

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Mike Hassan

Mike Hassan entered independent filmmaking in 2001 as a founding member of Deerpath Films, the company behind Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever. A corporate lawyer specializing in intellectual property and acquisitions, he’s worked across film, music, and design.

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