The Woodstock Film Festival returns to the Orpheum Theatre on December 5 for a special screening of Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker and 2018 Woodstock Film Festival Honorary Filmmaker of Distinction Award recipient Matthew Heineman’s THE FIRST WAVE, courtesy of National Geographic Documentary Films.
A Q&A with Heineman and other crew members moderated by Richard Rowley will follow the screening, with a catered reception for filmmakers and audience members at The Dutch Ale House in Saugerties right after.
A discount code is available for Academy voters. Please email us at info@woodstockfilmfestival.org for more information.
“It’s both a vital piece of historical record that bravely captures the unseen horrors of the pandemic and a generous celebration of human dignity whose existence feels miraculous.”
ABOUT THE FILM:
With exclusive access inside one of New York’s hardest hit hospital systems during the terrifying first four months of the pandemic, Oscar®-nominated and Emmy® Award-winning director Matthew Heineman’s THE FIRST WAVE spotlights the everyday heroes at the epicenter of COVID-19 as they come together to fight one of the greatest threats the world has ever encountered. Leaving a devastating trail of death and despair, this once-in-a-century pandemic changed the very fabric of our daily lives and exposed long-standing inequities in our society. Employing his signature approach of character-driven cinema vérité, Heineman embeds with a group of doctors, nurses and patients on the frontlines as they all desperately try to navigate the crisis. With each distinct storyline serving as a microcosm through which we can view the emotional and societal impacts of the pandemic, THE FIRST WAVE is a testament to the strength of the human spirit.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Matthew Heineman is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker. The Sundance Film Festival called Heineman "one of the most talented and exciting documentary filmmakers working today", while Anne Thompson of Indiewire wrote that Heineman is a "respected and gifted filmmaker who combines gonzo fearlessness with empathetic sensitivity." Some of his notable credits include THE BOY FROM MEDELLIN, CARTEL LAND, A PRIVATE WAR, THE TRADE, CITY OF GHOSTS, and more. Heineman is the recipient of the 2018 Woodstock Film Festival Filmmaker of Distinction award.