#LIKE Virtual Theatrical Screening and Q&A with Director and Star Marc Menchaca Moderated by Denis O’Hare
#LIKE, which screened at the 2019 Woodstock film festival and was shot right here in the Hudson Valley, is available to stream online from December 17th until January 8th! The screening also includes a pre-recorded Q&A with director Sarah Pirozek and #LIKE cast members Marc Menchaca (Ozark & The Outsider), and Sarah Rich (Orange is the New Black) moderated by actor Denis O'Hare (THIS IS US, TRUE BLOOD, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, AHS).
Once you begin streaming, you’ll have 48 hours to finish.
ABOUT THE FILM:
On the first anniversary of her younger sister’s death, Woodstock teen, Rosie, discovers the mysterious man who sexploited and bullied her sister to commit suicide, is back online trolling for new victims. After the authorities refuse to get involved she finds a darker side she never knew she had, as she takes justice into her own hands.
Project Mask Up
The Woodstock Film Festival is calling all filmmakers to submit an up to 30 second video PSA demonstrating the needs and benefits of wearing a mask and keeping a social distance. The videos can be animated or live action, including music videos, documentaries, narratives, or any other genre and style.
A few select videos will be shared with the office of the Ulster County Executive who will share them on its social media platforms and more as part of its ongoing efforts to keep the safety and wellbeing of all Ulster County residents.
Submissions close on December 28th, 2020 at 11:59pm EST
2020 Festival Replay
Couldn't attend the 2020 Woodstock Film Festival? Missed a film or panel you wish you'd caught? Want to gift the experience to your family and friends? Have no fear! A collection of online talks and movies from our 21st outing are now available to stream online for a limited time from 9am EST on December 10th until 11:59pm EST on December 13th. Once you start watching, you'll have 48 hours to finish. For those of you looking for quarantine-friendly entertainment, this is the perfect opportunity to experience this year's indie gems from the comfort of home.
A limited number of tickets are available for all of our events, so make sure to purchase tickets for your favorites now!
Recorded Panels - $10*
Festival Films - $10*
All Access Pass (Panels & Films) - $75*
*Gift option available
76 DAYS Virtual Screening
Join us online for a special virtual screening of the award-winning documentary 76 DAYS, directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, & Anonymous. Set during the January 2020 lockdown in Wuhan, China, this eye-opening documentary follows healthcare workers and ordinary citizens as they cope with the beginnings of a world-altering pandemic. The film will be available to stream online from December 4th - January 4th. Once you begin, you’ll have 48 hours to finish watching. A recorded Q&A with director/producer Hao Wu, hosted by New York’s Film Forum will be available beginning December 9th.
ABOUT THE FILM:
On January 23rd, 2020, China locked down Wuhan, a city of 11 million, to combat the emerging COVID-19 outbreak. Set deep inside the frontlines of the crisis, 76 DAYS tells indelible human stories at the center of this pandemic—from a woman begging in vain to bid a final farewell to her father, a grandpa with dementia searching for his way home, a couple anxious to meet their newborn, to a nurse determined to return personal items to families of the deceased. These raw and intimate stories bear witness to the death and rebirth of a city under a 76-day lockdown, and to the human resilience that persists in times of profound tragedy.
WFF Holiday Merch Sale
This holiday season, support a good cause by buying a gift for your family cinephile with several new items from our online merch store including "Fiercely Indiependent" tote bags, mugs, t-shirts and face masks!
Festival hats, notebooks, prints of our 21st anniversary poster, archival t-shirts, and our commemorative poster book from 2019 are also available for purchase.
Make sure to buy a week before the holiday of your choice while supplies last so your order arrives on-time.
"Mastering On-Camera Audition Technique" Virtual Masterclass with Casting Director Amy Gossels
No matter what level of actor you are, master your audition technique and elevate your career with the help of Amy Gossels, head casting director and owner of Amy Gossels Casting, in this transformative seminar presented by the Woodstock Film Festival.
When: Saturday, November 21, 2020 from 3pm-5pm
Where: Zoom (A personalized link will be emailed to you the week of the event)
Registration Fee: $25
Open to all levels of actors and aspiring actors. Reserve now as space is limited.
This masterclass will touch on the critical things actors can do to vastly improve their on-camera auditions. It will consist of an in-depth talk by Casting Director Amy Gossels followed by on-camera work with a few of the actors in attendance and finish up with a Q&A. Amy will coach and adjust several actors who volunteer through their auditions (using copy provided at the session), demonstrating how her innovative approach and technique will quickly and markedly elevate ALL of your on-camera auditions. She will also share key industry insight into the casting process to help actors increase their work opportunities.
Amy's teaching style is highly specific, transformative, results-oriented and perfectly tailored for both seasoned and aspiring actors.
21st Annual Woodstock Film Festival
The Woodstock Film Festival is still on for 2020! Join us from September 30th - October 4th for an exciting slate of films, shorts, panels, and special events screening online and at area drive-ins. You can view our full lineup on our website here.
THE GLORIAS: Special Drive-In Screening
Join us at Greenville Drive-In Outdoor Cinema on September 22nd for a special pre-release screening of Julie Taymor's THE GLORIAS starring Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Janelle Monáe and Bette Midler. Tickets are $15 per person with one car limit per order. Advance purchase is highly recommended. Doors open at 6:00pm and movie starts at 7:30pm.
Sarah Johnson, one of the film’s executive producers, will be joining us for a live pre-show Q&A!
Courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
ABOUT THE FILM:
Journalist, fighter, and feminist Gloria Steinem is an indelible icon known for her world-shaping activism, her guidance of the revolutionary women’s movement, and her writing that has impacted generations. In this nontraditional biopic, against the backdrop of a lonely bus on an open highway, five Glorias trace Steinem’s influential journey to prominence—from her time in India as a young woman, to the founding of Ms. magazine in New York, to her role in the rise of the women’s rights movement in the 1960s and beyond.
In her hotly anticipated new film, Julie Taymor (Frida, Across the Universe) brings her signature inventiveness and audacity to craft a complex tapestry of one of the most iconic and legendary figures of modern history, based on Steinem’s own memoir My Life on the Road. Remarkable performances by Julianne Moore and Alicia Vikander steer an engaging cast with strong supporting turns from Janelle Monáe and Bette Midler. Taymor makes her own rules in this dazzling ode to self-reflection, exploring the importance of forging your own path and embracing the challenge of the open road.
-Sundance Film Festival
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Renowned across stage and screen, Julie Taymor's films include the Emmy-winner OEDIPUS REX, starring Jessye Norman; TITUS, starring Anthony Hopkins; Academy Award-winner FRIDA, starring Salma Hayek; ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (Golden Globe and Academy Award nominated); THE TEMPEST, starring Helen Mirren; and A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT DREAM. Taymor's theatrical repertoire includes her record-breaking adaptation of THE LION KING; M. BUTTERFLY, starring Clive Owen; and GROUNDED, starring Anne Hathaway. She is a recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and was the Woodstock Film Festival's 2018 Honorary Maverick Award recipient.
TESLA: Special Drive-In Screening
Join us September 2nd at 6:30pm at Greenville Drive-In Outdoor Cinema for a special pre-release screening of Michael Almereyda's TESLA, starring Ethan Hawke, Eve Hewson, Jim Gaffigan, Hannah Gross & Kyle MacLachlan. The film screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival where it received the Alfred P. Sloan Award.
If you're planning on attending the event in a Tesla, please notify us ahead of time by emailing info@woodstockfilmfestival.org.
Courtesy of IFC Films.
Doors open at 6:30pm. Movie starts at 8:00pm. Come early and enjoy socially distanced dinner and cocktails outdoors from the menu of food and beverages available for purchase.
ABOUT THE FILM:
Brilliant, visionary Nikola Tesla (Ethan Hawke) fights an uphill battle to bring his revolutionary electrical system to fruition, then faces thornier challenges with his new system for worldwide wireless energy. The film tracks Tesla’s uneasy interactions with his fellow inventor Thomas Edison (Kyle MacLachlan) and his patron George Westinghouse (Jim Gaffigan). Another thread traces Tesla’s sidewinding courtship of financial titan J.P. Morgan (Donnie Keshawarz), whose daughter Anne (Eve Hewson) takes a more than casual interest in the inventor. Anne analyzes and presents the story as it unfolds, offering a distinctly modern voice to this scientific period drama which, like its subject, defies convention.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Michael Almereyda is a multiple award-winning filmmaker whose work premiered at some of the world’s most prestigious films festivals including Venice and Sundance. His films MARJORIE PRIME and TESLA were both awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize. His film EXPERIMENTER premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. TESLA marks the third time Almereyda has worked with Ethan Hawke, the other two being his 2014 Shakespeare adaptation CYMBELINE, and his 2000 modern adaptation of HAMLET.
HOLLYWOODLAND: Special Drive-In Screening with Director Q&A
Join us in collaboration with Radio Woodstock on August 18th at Greenville Drive-In Outdoor Cinema for a special summer screening of the Golden Globe-nominated 2006 neo-noir HOLLYWOODLAND, starring Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Ben Affleck, and Bob Hoskins.
Doors open at 7:30pm. Movie starts at 9pm. Come early and enjoy socially distanced dinner and cocktails outdoors from the expansive menu of food and beverages available for purchase. The onsite live conversation with HOLLYWOODLAND's director Allen Coulter, hosted by filmmaker Katherine Dieckmann, will precede the screening.
Courtesy of Universal Pictures
ABOUT THE FILM:
An exploration of fame and identity, inspired by one of Hollywood's most infamous real-life mysteries. June 16, 1959. The glamour of Tinseltown permanently fades for actor George Reeves, the heroic Man of Steel on TV's Adventures of Superman, as the actor dies in his Hollywood Hills home. Felled by a single gunshot wound, Reeves leaves behind a fiancée - aspiring starlet Leonore Lemmon - and millions of fans who are shocked by his death. But it is his grieving mother, Helen Bessolo, who will not let the questionable circumstances surrounding his demise go unaddressed. Helen seeks justice, or at least answers. The Los Angeles Police Department closes the case, but Helen hires - for $50 a day - private detective Louis Simo. Simo soon ascertains that the torrid affair Reeves had with Toni Mannix, the wife of MGM studio executive Eddie Mannix, might hold the key to the truth. But truth and justice are not so easily found in Hollywood. Simo pursues dangerous and elusive leads in both high and low places and, in trying to turn up the heat, risks getting burned. The detective also uncovers unexpected connections to his own life as the case turns more personal and he learns more about Reeves himself. Behind the icon was a complex man who gave his life to Hollywood in more ways than one. Boasting stellar cast, exquisite cinematography and evocative score, HOLLYWOODLAND will sweep you into an era in Los Angeles long gone, but never forgotten.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
One of television's most celebrated directors, Allen Coulter is best known for his work on the groundbreaking series THE SOPRANOS, BOARDWALK EMPIRE, and SEX & THE CITY. He has launched a significant number of iconic shows, directing the pilot episodes of NURSE JACKIE, DAMAGES, SONS OF ANARCHY, and RAY DONAVAN, among others. His feature films include the Golden Globe-nominated HOLLYWOODLAND and REMEMBER ME starring Robert Pattinson. Coulter has been nominated for seven Emmys, five DGA awards, as well as numerous other prizes including the Venice Film Festival Golden Lion.
Virtual Films & Conversations #16: Summer Youth Film Lab Student Q&A
Last Friday marked the end of our 3rd annual Summer Youth Film Lab. For the past 3 weeks, our students have been hard at work on their individual projects under the tutelage of film industry professionals.
Now the students' completed short films can be watched online! Once you've seen them all, join us this Thursday, July 30th at 6:30pm EST for an online Q&A session with the young filmmakers, instructors, and mentors. Don't forget to listen to this interview between Jimmy Buff of Radio Kingston and all 10 Film Lab students to hear more about their experience in the program and their projects.
Thank you to everyone involved, and congratulations to this year's class of budding filmmakers!
2020 SUMMER YOUTH FILM LAB
STUDENT FILMS
Virtual Films & Conversations #15: WELCOME TO CHECHNYA
Join us on July 28th at 7pm EST in collaboration with the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Center for another installment of our Virtual Films & Conversations series with Academy-Award nominated filmmaker David France about his new documentary WELCOME TO CHECHNYA. The conversation will be moderated by Simon Kilmurry, Executive Director of the International Documentary Association.
The film is now available to stream on HBO.
This online event, originally slated for a live in person screening and Q&A back in the spring, was generously underwritten by Mulberry & Astor.
ABOUT THE FILM:
Since 2017, Chechnya’s tyrannical leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has waged a depraved operation to “cleanse the blood” of LGBTQ Chechens, overseeing a government-directed campaign to detain, torture and execute them. With no help from the Kremlin and only faint global condemnation, activists take matters into their own hands. In his new documentary, David France uses a remarkable approach to anonymity to expose this atrocity and to tell the story of an extraordinary group of people confronting evil.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
David France is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker, New York Times best-selling author, and award-winning investigative journalist. His critically-acclaimed new documentary, WELCOME TO CHECHNYA, premiered at Sundance 2020 and is now streaming on HBO.
His directorial debut HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE is hailed as an innovative and influential piece of storytelling that is credited with renewing a conversation about AIDS in the United States. It is regularly screened in university classrooms, and by community groups and AIDS service organizations. Appearing on over 20 “Best of the Year” lists, including Time and Entertainment Weekly, the documentary earned a GLAAD Award and top honors from the Gotham Awards, the International Documentary Association, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Boston Society of Film Critics, and the Provincetown Film Festival, among many others. After a theatrical run reaching over 30 cities, HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE was aired on PBS’s Independent Lens series, reaching an audience of millions and garnering Academy and Emmy nominations and a Peabody Award.
In addition, France has seen his journalistic work inspire several films, including the Peabody-winning Showtime film SOLDIER’S GIRL, based on his New York Times Magazine story of the trans girlfriend of a soldier killed in an anti-gay attack. His latest book, also called How to Survive a Plague made numerous Best-Of- 2016 lists, including The New Yorker, The Guardian, San Francisco Chronicle, and The New York Times.
DIGGERS: Special Drive-In Screening with Director Q&A
Join the Woodstock Film Festival for a special summer drive-in screening of Katherine Dieckmann's 2006 film DIGGERS preceded by an in-depth Q&A session with the filmmaker.
Themed dinner, snacks, cocktails, and dessert catering provided for purchase by Greenville Drive-In Outdoor Cinema, Nancy's Artisanal Creamery and Pippy's Food Truck.
Thursday, July 16th. Doors open at 7:30pm. Screening starts at 9pm with Q&A beforehand.
The event will take place at The Greenville Drive-In located at 10700 NY-32, Greenville, NY 12083.
Tickets are $15 per person with a one car limit per order.
ABOUT THE FILM:
This bittersweet slice-of-life period piece boasts the knock-out ensemble cast of Paul Rudd, Sarah Paulson, Maura Tierney, Ron Eldard, Josh Hamilton, Lauren Ambrose and Ken Marino, who also wrote the script. Set in a working-class community of clamdiggers on Long Island during the election year of 1976, director Katherine Dieckmann's DIGGERS is a heartfelt blend of comedy and drama, focusing on a tightly-knit cluster of friends forced to embrace sudden changes to their small-town way of life.
Recalling character-driven period staples like THE LAST PICTURE SHOW, DINER and BREAKING AWAY, the film’s mood of post-Vietnam and Watergate skepticism relates to the present-day temperament of our country, leavened with a healthy dose of lyricism, tenderness and humor.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Writer-director Katherine Dieckmann has made four feature films: STRANGE WEATHER, MOTHERHOOD, DIGGERS, A GOOD BABY. She began her career as a journalist before going on to direct music videos for bands including R.E.M., Sharon Van Etten, Wilco and Aimee Mann. Dieckmann is a Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University’s School of the Arts Film Program, where she teaches screenwriting.
3rd Annual Summer Youth Film Lab
Generously underwritten by an anonymous donor, the Woodstock Film Festival Summer Youth Film Lab is a free-of-charge educational program that teaches Mid-Hudson Valley teens selected through a competitive application process how to conceptualize and produce their own short films under the tutelage of industry professionals. The Lab will run July 6th - 24th.
In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and in accordance with social distancing guidelines, the 2020 Lab will employ an innovative online curriculum centered on teaching students how to create their own short films using iPads loaded with state of the art filmmaking software. Each participant will learn every stage of the production process and be tasked with creating an original narrative or documentary film that explores one of the following themes: “Together & Apart”, “The Best Day Ever”, “Climate Change”, and “Racism”.
“The obstacles presented to us due to the COVID-19 pandemic pushed us to think outside the box and develop this great opportunity for our students,” said Meira Blaustein, Woodstock Film Festival Co-Founder and Executive Director and the Youth Film Lab’s creator. “I can’t wait to see what will surely be imaginative and moving films created by this year’s class of promising young filmmakers.”
"Any filmmaker will tell you that you don’t need a fancy camera or a million dollar budget to tell a story,” stated the Lab’s Program Director and SUNY New Paltz digital media professor Megan Sperry. “What you really need is a good story and the motivation to share it with an audience."
The Lab will be taught by three full-time instructors, overseen by Sperry and her assistant as well as an administrator who will coordinate the program as a whole. Film Lab students will also be guided by accomplished film industry professionals and guest mentors from all corners of moviemaking. This year’s Lab mentors include: actor Kelsey Grammar (CHEERS, FRASIER, HANK, BOSS), director Debra Granik (DOWN TO THE BONE, WINTER’S BONE, LEAVE NO TRACE), music supervisor Tracy McKnight (THE HUNGER GAMES, A WRINKLE IN TIME, FREE SOLO, SPACESHIP EARTH), editor Kate Sanford (THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL, BOARDWALK EMPIRE, THE WIRE), producer Peter Saraf (THE FAREWELL, A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE), screenwriter Ron Nyswaner (PHILADELPHIA, RAY DONOVAN, HOMELAND), as well as animators Joy Buran and Noelle Melody (HUMAN KIND OF, PECAN SANDIE, POTATOES FOR PADO).
Spring 2020 Screenwriting Seminar with Alex Smith: INDUCING THE ATHENA
The Woodstock Festival is excited to present our second annual screenwriting seminar taught by Byrdcliffe Artist Colony resident and veteran screenwriter, filmmaker and educator Alex Smith (WALKING OUT, WINTER IN THE BLOOD, THE SLAUGHTER RULE). The class will be divided into five 3 hour online Zoom sessions hosted every Tuesday from 6:00-9:00pm starting June 9th through June 23rd. Tuition is $250.
SOLD OUT.
ABOUT THE COURSE:
History shows us that troubled times inculcate inspired writing. When our actual reality feels like a dystopian novel, or an elevated genre movie, creative ideas blossom. This intensive writing workshop will help you move the nascent story idea in your mind--onto the page (be it a film, tv series, novel, short story, etc.) In eight distinct workshops / craft lecture, our class will induce from your mind, Athena-like, a full-blown version of your concept– morphing it from a tantalizing but foggy glimmer of an idea into a fully-developed, finely-structured NARRATIVE.
In our highly collaborative online class, each student will receive specific insight on their work from the instructor, as well as feedback and comments from other students.
By seminar’s end, you will have generated a multi-dimensional map (pitch doc + treatment + outline) of that new idea currently percolating in your brain. You will have already done the heavy-lifting-- of world and character building + story structuring, and be primed and ready to write-- having already worked out the idea, in detail, from start-to-finish-- thereby avoiding the normal detours and dead-ends of writing cold.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Alex Smith is a screenwriter, filmmaker, fiction writer & educator. He and his twin brother Andrew, premiered their latest feature film, WALKING OUT at the Sundance Film Festival. WALKING OUT stars Golden Globe winner Matt Bomer, Josh Wiggins, Bill Pullman & Lily Gladstone. The film was distributed by IFC Films.
The Smith's also wrote, directed & produced WINTER IN THE BLOOD, a feature film based on the landmark First Nations novel. The film won numerous awards and was screened at the Woodstock Film Festival. They also wrote/directed Sundance darling THE SLAUGHTER RULE, starring Ryan Gosling, David Morse, and Amy Adams.
Alex has, with his brother, written over 15 professional feature film scripts and television pilots for HBO, Warner Brothers, Disney, Sony, FX and more. They adapted the graphic novel, SON OF THE GUN by cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky for Fox Searchlight. They also adapted a Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel for filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia. Alex has worked with Lars Von Trier, Jodie Foster, Robert Redford, Brian De Palma, David O. Russell and adapted Chekhov’s THE DUEL for Terrence Malick.
Alex taught Screenwriting & Filmmaking at Columbia University, NYU/Tisch, the University of Tulsa and the University of Texas, Austin, where he was the Creative Director of the UT Film Institute. He is a current mentor for the Sundance Co//ab online program. Alex is a Michener, Sundance, and Rauschenberg Fellow and is a published writer of fiction. Multiple Nicholl Fellowship/Black List screenwriters count as his students. A resident at the Byrdcliffe Artist Colony, Alex is based in Woodstock, NY.
Virtual Films & Conversations #14: MARRIED LIFE
On May 28th at 7pm EST we will be hosting an online conversation with director Ira Sachs, screenwriter Oren Moverman, and producer Bill Horberg about their 2007 film MARRIED LIFE starring Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson, and Rachel McAdams.
Click the button below to register ahead of time on Zoom or tune in on Facebook Live.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Ira Sachs is a filmmaker whose work includes the features FRANKIE (2019), LITTLE MEN (2016), LOVE IS STRANGE (2014), KEEP THE LIGHTS ON (2012), MARRIED LIFE (2007) and FORTY SHADES OF BLUE (2005). He is also the Founding Director of Queer/Art, a non-profit arts organization created to support LGBTQ artists across disciplines and generations.
ABOUT THE SCREENWRITER:
Academy Award-nominated writer, director, and Emmy Award-nominated producer Oren Moverman is a co-founder of Sight Unseen Pictures, alongside Julia Lebedev and Eddie Vaisman. Moverman most recently wrote and directed THE DINNER, starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Chloe Sevigny and Rebecca Hall, which was an official selection at the Berlin Film Festival.
Moverman has written screenplays for films such as Bill Pohlad’s Brian Wilson biopic LOVE & MERCY, Ira Sachs’ MARRIED LIFE, and Todd Haynes’ Bob Dylan biopic I’M NOT THERE, which earned an Oscar nomination for Cate Blanchett. Moverman made his directorial feature debut with THE MESSENGER in 2009, co-written with Alessandro Camon, which was nominated for two Academy Awards - Moverman and Camon were nominated for Best Screenplay, and Woody Harrelson was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Following, Moverman directed RAMPART, which he co-wrote with novelist James Ellroy, starring Woody Harrelson, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, and Brie Larson, and TIME OUT OF MIND, starring Richard Gere, Ben Vereen, Steve Buscemi and Jena Malone, which won The International Critics Award at the Toronto Film Festival.
Moverman has also produced such films as Jennifer Fox’s THE TALE (HBO) starring Laura Dern, Common, and Ellen Burstyn, which earned two Emmy nominations in 2018, including Best TV Movie and a leading actress nod for Dern, Joseph Cedar’s NORMAN (Sony Pictures Classics), Ido Fluk’s THE TICKET (Shout! Factory), Kent Jones’ narrative feature debut, DIANE (IFC), which was executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Guy Nattiv’s SKIN (A24), Paul Dano’s directorial debut, and WILDLIFE (IFC), based on the Richard Ford story, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan.
Moverman most recently produced Cory Finley’s BAD EDUCATION (HBO) starring Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney. He also served as Executive Producer on JUNCTION 48 (The Orchard), LOVE AND MERCY (IFC), Anja Marquardt’s directorial debut, SHE’S LOST CONTROL (Monument), and the Sight Unseen film from breakout director Reinaldo Marcus Green, MONSTERS AND MEN (NEON).
Upcoming, Moverman will executive produce Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut, PASSING, starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
Bill Horberg is a veteran producer and friend of the Woodstock Film Festival whose work spans many genres. His credits include the recently released THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY starring rock legend Mick Jagger, the upcoming Netflix series THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT, the upcoming film FLAG DAY directed by Sean Penn, as well as seminal films like DEATH AT A FUNERAL, MILK, THE KITE RUNNER, COLD MOUNTAIN, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, and many more.
Virtual Films & Conversations #13: FISHER STEVENS
Join us on May 21st at 7pm EST for a virtual talk with acclaimed actor/producer/director Fisher Stevens (SUCCESSION, TIGER KING: MURDER, MAYHEM AND MADNESS, CRAZY LOVE, THE COVE). Fisher will speak at length about his distinguished career as a creative multi-hyphenate working behind and in front of the camera.
Click the button below to register ahead of time on Zoom or tune in on Facebook Live.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Fisher Stevens has been in the entertainment business for almost 40 years. His versatility in the industry is evident from his wide range of credits, from acting to producing to directing and from feature film to television to theater. In 2010, he won the Academy Award for the documentary THE COVE. Political and environmental activism has been a main focus of his work.
Stevens' recent credits include directing AND WE GO GREEN, a documentary about the electric car racing series Formula E which premiered on Hulu this May, and executive-producing Netflix sensation TIGER KING: MURDER, MAYHEM AND MADNESS. He is also currently a regular acting on the Golden Globe-Winning HBO series SUCCESSION and has just finished directing a feature film starring Justin Timberlake called PALMER, which is in post-production.
Other recent directorial credits include “The Confidence Man,” the last installment of the Netflix original series DIRTY MONEY, executive produced by Oscar®-winning documentarian Alex Gibney, National Geographic’s BEFORE THE FLOOD with Leonardo DiCaprio, and the two time Emmy-nominated HBO documentary BRIGHT LIGHTS: STARRING CARRIE FISHER AND DEBBIE REYNOLDS, which he co-directed. Before 2016, Stevens directed the Emmy-nominated Netflix original MISSION BLUE and co-directed the 2008 Independent Spirit Award-Winning Best Documentary CRAZY LOVE. He produced Louie Psihoyos’ RACING EXTINCTION for Discovery and Netflix’s SKY LADDER: THE ART OF CAI GUO-QIANG. Stevens also directed STAND UP GUYS for Lionsgate starring Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin as well as “John Leguizamo’s Ghetto Klown” on Broadway and HBO.
As an actor Stevens has been seen in numerous Broadway shows, television series and movies including THE BLACKLIST, THE GOOD FIGHT, LOST, FRIENDS, MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN, The Coen Brothers’ HAIL, CAESER! and Wes Anderson's GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, ISLE OF DOGS and upcoming film THE FRENCH DISPATCH.
Virtual Films & Conversations #12: THE HALF OF IT
Join us on May 19th at 7pm EST in collaboration with Radio Woodstock and New York Women in Film & Television for a conversation with THE HALF OF IT's Director Alice Wu and Producer Blair Breard moderated by WFF's Executive Director Meira Blaustein. The film won the "Best Feature Narrative" award at this year's Tribeca Film Festival and is now available to stream on Netflix. You can read the full IndieWire review here.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Alice Wu is a Chinese-American film director and screenwriter. After earning a master’s degree in computer science at Stanford University, she designed software at Microsoft before becoming a full- time filmmaker. Alice’s debut feature, SAVING FACE -- starring Michelle Krusiec and Joan Chen and produced by Will Smith – made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival where it was acquired for theatrical distribution by Sony Pictures Classics. The critically acclaimed film garnered several festival accolades, as well as a GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding Film-Limited Release and a Breakthrough Director Award nomination for Alice at the Gotham Independent Film Awards. Alice wrote and directed her next film, THE HALF OF IT, which she also produced with Anthony Bregman and M. Blair Breard for Netflix. The script was a 2018 selection for the prestigious Black List, an annual survey of Hollywood executives’ favorite un-produced screenplays.
THE HALF OF IT stars Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, and Alexxis Lemire and is a modern-day “Cyrano” story about a shy straight-A student who helps a clueless high school football player woo the girl they both secretly love.
ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
Blair Breard is a New York based producer. She started her career in film on John Sayles' PASSION FISH and has worked on a number of films with a variety of directors since then, including I SHOT ANDY WARHOL, Indie cult favorite POOTIE TANG, the critically acclaimed MARGARET, and MARGOT AT THE WEDDING. Breard executive produced THE DROP, BASKETS, BETTER THINGS, STRANGERS and the award-winning comedy series LOUIE, for FX. Her company Bossy Boots has a first look deal with FX, recently sold a pilot to Showtime and has several other projects in development.
Her most recent project is Alice Wu's THE HALF OF IT, produced with Anthony Bregman and Wu, premiering on Netflix May 1st.
Virtual Films & Conversations #11: Women in Film & Media
Join us in collaboration with Women’s History Month Kingston and New York Women in Film & Television on May 14th at 7pm EST for our next Virtual Films and Conversations installment titled: “Today’s Women in Film & Media”, moderated by Woodstock Film Festival Executive Director Meira Blaustein.
The speakers, all accomplished filmmakers and industry members, will focus on their career trajectories and opportunities, and will explore some of the challenges and accomplishments of today’s working women in the industry, covering different areas and disciplines. Expect a candid, dynamic and empowering conversation.
SPEAKERS (Left to Right):
Carol Dysinger - Academy Award-winning filmmaker (LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL), CAMP VICTORY AFGHANISTAN)
Elissa Federoff - President of Distribution at NEON (COLOSSAL, I, TONYA, THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS, PARASITE)
Debra Granik - Academy Award-nominated filmmaker (DOWN TO THE BONE, WINTER’S BONE, LEAVE NO TRACE)
Jamie Zelermyer - Producer (HALF LIFE, THE NIGHT LISTENER, THE THING ABOUT MY FOLKS), President of New York Women in Film & Television
Ellen Chenoweth - Casting Director (O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THE BOURNE LEGACY, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT)
Virtual Films & Conversations #10: UNORTHODOX
Join us on May 12th at 3pm EST in collaboration with Radio Woodstock and The Golden Notebook Bookstore for an online talk with Maria Schrader, director of the critically acclaimed Netflix series UNORTHODOX. Inspired by Deborah Feldman's bestselling memoir, the show follows a young Hasidic woman who chooses to flee her tight knit community in New York City for a new life in Berlin. The conversation will be moderated by WFF’s Executive Director Meira Blaustein.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
One of Germany's most acclaimed stage and screen actresses, Maria Schrader is a two-time winner of the German Film award and two-time winner of the Bavarian Film award. She worked with directors such as Margarethe von Trotta, Doris Dörrie (NOBODY LOVES ME), Hans W. Geissendörfer, Peter Greenaway, Rajko Grilic and Agnieszka Holland (IN DARKNESS). In 1999, at the Berlinale, she received the Silver Bear for Best Actress in AIMÉE & JAGUAR, a big hit in the United States and around the world, directed by Max Färberböck. UNORTHODOX, the four-part limited series inspired by The New York Times best-selling book, is Maria’s first directing project with Netflix.
Virtual Films & Conversations #9: Ted Hope
Our Virtual Films & Conversations program continues with an intimate talk with Ted Hope, Co-Head of Movies at Amazon Studios and the 2009 Woodstock Film Festival Honorary Trailblazer Award recipient. The online Q&A will be moderated by WFF’s Executive Director Meira Blaustein and held on May 7th at 7pm EST.
Click the button below to register on Zoom ahead of time or join us on Facebook Live.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Ted Hope launched Amazon’s foray into feature film production in January 2015. He oversees day-to-day of Amazon Studios’ prestige team and the prestige movies produced, developed and acquired by the company.
Notable titles include critically acclaimed Oscar-winning films such as MANCHESTER BY THE SEA and THE SALESMAN, as well as the Oscar-nominated THE BIG SICK, 2018 Oscar-nominated & Cannes Best Director-winner COLD WAR and recently the 2020 Oscar-nominated LES MISERABLES.
Ted Hope’s thirty-five year career in the film business is defined by an innovative and inclusive approach, always operating from a deep love of cinema, it’s history, and recognition of its potential. Whether it’s helping to launch Amazon Studios and their commitment to theatrical releasing, their recent foray into worldwide streaming titles, or introducing new voices and new approaches to new audiences from his independent film producing days, Hope champions bold voices from the world over.
Since Hope joined, Amazon Studios has distributed over 40 movies, including the for mentioned Oscar-nominated films and the work of Lynne Ramsay, Spike Lee, Gus Van Sant, Lauren Greenfield, Mike Leigh, Luca Guadagnino, among others. In 2018, Hope was made the Co-Head of Movies, with his partners Matt Newman and Julie Rapaport. In 2019, under their direction they had a robust slate of potential awards films including Scott Z. Burns’ THE REPORT (starring Adam Driver and Annette Bening), Tom Harper’s THE AERONAUTS (starring Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne), Alma Har’el’s HONEY BOY (written by and starring Shia LaBeouf, Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges), Nanfu Wang & Jialing Zhang’s documentary ONE CHILD NATION, and both the French and Brazilian official selections LES MISERABLES and INVISIBLE LIFE respectively.
Prior to joining Amazon, Hope produced over 70 films, as well as co-founding and co-running the production companies Good Machine, This is That, and Double Hope Films. Hope’s eye for directorial talent has helped launch the feature film careers of Ang Lee, Hal Hartley, Michel Gondry, Nicole Holofcener and many others. His films have received numerous Academy Award nominations and a record three of them have won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. Hope’s book, Hope for Film, was published in Fall 2014 to critical acclaim.
Hope was the 2009 recipient of the Woodstock Film Festival's Honorary Trailblazer Award.
Virtual Films & Conversations #8: Tim Blake Nelson
Join us online in collaboration with our friends at Rough Draft Bar & Books on April 30th at 7pm for another installment of our Virtual Films & Conversations series with actor/writer/director Tim Blake Nelson, moderated by WFF’s Executive Director Meira Blaustein.
Tim will lead a candid conversation, talking about his storied career as an actor, as well as his work as a writer and director. Anecdotes from his extensive work with the Coen Brothers, as well as other directors, will be included. Tips and “secrets" of the trade will be shared. A not to be missed evening for emerging and established actors, writers and filmmakers alike, as well as for the general public.
Click the button below to register ahead of time on Zoom or join us on Facebook Live.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Tim Blake Nelson is a prolific actor, writer, director, and producer who has appeared in a wide variety of films such as LINCOLN, HOLES, THE INCREDIBLE HULK, MEET THE FOCKERS, MINORITY REPORT, O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?, and THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS. His playwriting credits include THE GREY ZONE and EYE OF GOD, both of which Nelson adapted and directed for the screen. Other directing credits include O, LEAVES OF GRASS, and ANESTHESIA. Most recently, Nelson’s play SOCRATES premiered at The Public Theater in the spring of 2019, and he starred in HBO’s WATCHMEN, which premiered this past fall.
WELCOME TO CHECHNYA Special FREE Screening (POSTPONED)
Still from WELCOME TO CHECHNYA
In response to the CDC's new guidelines, the Woodstock Film Festival will be postponing this event to a later date, TBD.
Join us Tuesday, April 28th, at 7 pm at UPAC in Kingston, NY in collaboration with the Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center and support from Radio Kingston for a free screening of the upcoming documentary WELCOME TO CHECHNYA courtesy of HBO.
WELCOME TO CHECHNYA, directed by acclaimed writer and Oscar® nominated director David France, shadows a group of brave activists risking their lives to confront the ongoing anti-LGBTQ campaign in the Russian republic of Chechnya. With unfettered access and a commitment to protecting anonymity, this documentary exposes these underreported atrocities, while highlighting an extraordinary group of people confronting deadly brutality.
The Q&A with Academy Award-nominated filmmaker David France will be hosted by Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Roger Ross Williams.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Award-winning writer and Oscar® nominated director David France (HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE, THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON) continues to bring important LGBTQ issues to the fore in WELCOME TO CHECHNYA, his searing documentary about an ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Russian republic of Chechnya.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR:
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams is the first African American director to win an Academy Award with his short film MUSIC BY PRUDENCE. Williams has directed a wide variety of acclaimed films, including GOD LOVES UGANDA, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award, and LIFE, ANIMATED, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2017. His recent film THE APOLLO opened the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival to great acclaim.
Virtual Films & Conversations #7: State of the Movie Industry Today & Tomorrow
Our Virtual Films & Conversations program continues with an in depth chat with IFC Films' Executive Vice President Arianna Bocco, Magnolia Pictures' Executive Vice President Dori Begley, and Eugene Hernandez, Director of the New York Film Festival and Publisher of Film Comment by Film at Lincoln Center where he serves as Deputy Executive Director. The talk, moderated by WFF's Executive Director Meira Blaustein, will be held on April 23rd at 7pm EST. The conversation will explore the current and future state of the movie industry, as seen through the eyes of experts from film distribution companies and top film festivals.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
Arianna Bocco has spent over a decade overseeing acquisitions and productions for IFC Films, Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight, three multi-platform film distribution labels owned and operated by AMC Networks, Inc.
Since joining the company in 2006, Bocco has spearheaded all acquisitions at the company, acquiring the rights to some of the most critically acclaimed independent films from around the world. Under her leadership, the company has acquired over 400 films including Richard Linklater's BOYHOOD, a Golden Globe® winner for Best Motion Picture (Drama), an Oscar® nominee for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing and winner for Best Supporting Actress; Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or winner 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS; Gus Van Sant's PARANOID PARK; Armando Iannuci’s Oscar® nominated IN THE LOOP; Lars Von Trier’s ANTICHRIST, and many more.
Bocco is revered for her vast experience in acquisitions, production and development, having held a variety of high-level posts throughout her career. In 2010, she was named to Crain’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2009 Rising Stars and to Moves’ Top 20 Power Women of 2010. Prior to joining the company, Bocco served as head of the independent feature packaging division of the Gersh Agency in New York City, and previously, she worked at Miramax Films as Senior Vice President of Acquisitions. While at Miramax Films, she was involved in acquiring such notable films as Zach Braff's GARDEN STATE and Tom McCarthy's THE STATION AGENT.
Bocco earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College. She currently resides in New York City, with her dog Henry.
Dori Begley currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Magnolia Pictures. Joining the company as Director of Acquisitions in 2007, she has overseen more than a decade of buys for Magnolia Pictures, Magnet Releasing, Magnolia Home Entertainment and Magnolia International Sales.
Begley's current role was expanded to include the management of strategic partnerships and oversight of theatrical marketing and distribution strategies. Notable recent releases include the Oscar-nominated documentary RBG; Oscar-nominated and Palme d'Or winning SHOPLIFTERS; and Oscar-nominated documentary I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO. Upcoming releases include Dawn Porter's JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE and Elyse Steinberg, Josh Kriegman, and Eli Despres’ ACLU documentary THE FIGHT.
Begley began her career in 2000 with Sony Pictures Classics working on an eclectic slate of award-winning titles from renowned filmmakers around the globe. She is an Executive Branch member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Vassar College graduate and resident of Ft. Greene, Brooklyn.
Eugene Hernandez is Director of the New York Film Festival and Publisher of Film Comment by Film at Lincoln Center where he serves as Deputy Executive Director. His duties include strategic leadership, programming special events, and managing emerging artist, industry, and education initiatives. He joined Film at Lincoln Center in 2010 as Director of Digital Strategy to develop digital platforms and content. In 1996, Hernandez co-founded IndieWire, which he built over 15 years as it became the leading editorial publication for independent and international films, filmmakers, industry, and audiences.
He was named on Out magazine’s OUT100 list in 2015 and has served as a juror at Sundance, SXSW, and the Film Independent Spirit Awards. He has also worked extensively as a consultant for several nonprofits, including the Creative Capital Foundation; written for major print and online publications; serves on the board of advisors for SXSW, SeriesFest, and Art House Convergence; and is a programming consultant for the Key West Film Festival.
Virtual Films & Conversations #6: SWALLOW
Our next Virtual Films & Conversations entry is the exciting new thriller SWALLOW by WFF alum Carlo Mirabella-Davis. The film screened at the 2019 Woodstock Film Festival where it won the Maverick Award for “Best Narrative Feature”. Watch the trailer here for a sneak peek.
After a theatrical release that was cut short by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, SWALLOW is currently available to rent and digitally stream on several platforms including: YouTube (from $6.99), Google Play (from $6.99), Vudu (from $6.99), and Amazon Prime (from $6.99).
After you've finished watching, join us online on Thursday April 16th at 7pm EST for an in-depth Q&A session with director Carlo Mirabella-Davis accompanied by the film's producer Mollye Asher and director of photography Katelin Arizmendi, moderated by WFF's Executive Director Meira Blaustein. Click the button below to register ahead of time on Zoom.
We look forward to staying connected and seeing you online. Until we can see you in person, stay well and healthy!
ABOUT THE FILM:
Hunter is a songbird in a gilded cage. Her capitalist husband provides the finest that money can buy. There is even a baby on the way. But Hunter’s personal freedom is at odds with the many suffocating rules of her upper class life. In response, Hunter begins to swallow everyday household items and inedible objects — a medical condition known as pica. When her secret is discovered, Hunter becomes pitted against her husband and in-laws in a struggle over her sanity and very survival.
-Jay Blotcher
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Carlo Mirabella-Davis, born and raised in NYC, got his M.F.A. and B.F.A. from NYU’s Tisch film program. His short, KNIFE POINT, was filmed in the Hudson Valley and screened at the 2009 Woodstock Film Festival. His feature documentary, THE SWELL SEASON, premiered at Tribeca. Mirabella-Davis is also an alumnus of the Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs. SWALLOW is inspired by his grandmother, Edith and screened at the 2019 Woodstock Film Festival where it won the Maverick Award for "Best Narrative Feature".
ABOUT THE PRODUCER:
Mollye Asher is a Gotham Award-winning producer and the recipient of the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Producers Award. Most recently, she produced Carlo Mirabella-Davis’ SWALLOW (Tribeca 2019) and Chloé Zhao’s THE RIDER (Sony Pictures Classics). THE RIDER premiered in the 2017 Cannes Directors Fortnight and won its top prize. The film went on to be nominated for four Film Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Picture. It was selected as the 2018 Best Picture by the National Society of Film Critics and won Best Feature at the 2018 Gotham Awards.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY:
Katelin Arizmendi is a director of photography whose work has appeared in numerous commercials, music videos, and award-winning feature length films. Notable musical artists and corporate clientele that have worked with her include GAP, Dick's Sporting Goods, H&M, Rolex, Halsey, Camila Cabello and Lil Dicky. Among her most recent work is Denis Villeneuve's upcoming 2020 adaptation of Frank Herbert's sci-fi epic DUNE.
THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY Special Screening SOLD OUT
Join us at Upstate Films Woodstock on Saturday, February 29 at 1:30pm for a special screening of Giuseppe Capotondi's upcoming thriller THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. An in-depth Q&A with the film’s producer, Bill Horberg, will follow the screening.
Charming and ambitious art critic, James Figueras (Claes Bang), has fallen from grace. He spends his days in Milan lecturing witless tourists about art history. His only glimmer of hope is a new-found love interest, the enigmatic American, Berenice Hollis (Elizabeth Debicki). An opportunity strikes when he is contacted by wealthy art dealer Joseph Cassidy (Mick Jagger) who summons James to his villa on Lake Como and asks him to steal a painting from the legendary reclusive artist, Jerome Debney (Donald Sutherland). Soon, James’ greed and ambition get the better of him, and he finds himself caught in a web of his own making.
Horberg’s producing credits include the upcoming Netflix series THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT, the upcoming film FLAG DAY directed by Sean Penn, as well as the films DEATH AT A FUNERAL, MILK, THE KITE RUNNER, COLD MOUNTAIN, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, and many more.