22nd Annual Woodstock Film Festival
Photo by Anjali Bermain.
The Woodstock Film Festival is coming back in full force this fall at indoor venues across the Hudson Valley locales of Woodstock, Kingston and Saugerties! Enjoy a diverse lineup of in-person screenings, talks and other special events from today's hottest indie talents. There will also be an online program of shorts, feature-length films and live-streamed panels that can be watched from home.
The Woodstock Film Festival is committed to providing a healthy, safe and enjoyable environment for its audiences, filmmakers, staff and volunteers. Based on the current state of affairs, the festival requires proof of full vaccination in order to enter indoor venues. Additionally, face masks are required other than when eating or drinking. These protocols are all subject to change.
See you at the movies!
Patrons are required to bring proof of vaccination and wear face masks while inside our indoor venues. Click here to see the Woodstock Film Festival’s current COVID-19 protocols.
LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD Drive-In Screening with Filmmaker Q&A
Head over to Tech City in Kingston, New York on July 16th for a special drive-in screening of WFF alum Jeremy Workman's SXSW award-winning film LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD courtesy of Discovery Plus and presented in collaboration with BLUEprint. The documentary profiles YouTuber and viral sensation Lily Hevesh, a world-class domino toppler who is one of the only women in her field. The screening will be accompanied by a live Q&A with Jeremy about the making of the film.
Tickets are $15 per person, one car per order. Doors open 7:30pm, film starts at 9pm.
Come early and enjoy socially distanced dinner and beverages for purchase brought to you by Kingston Bread & Bar.
Tickets are $15 per person, one car per order. Doors open 7:30pm, film starts at 9pm.
2021 Summer Youth Film Lab
The Woodstock Film Festival's annual Summer Youth Film Lab is returning for its fourth season! Generously underwritten by an anonymous donor, this free three-week intensive filmmaking bootcamp provides Hudson Valley teens with the equipment and expertise to create their own original films.
The application deadline is Monday May 31st 2021. Interviews for the program will take place via Zoom the first week in June. Apply now while spots are still available!
SUMMER OF SOUL Free Sneak Peek Screening
Join us on June 24th for an advance sneak peek screening of Questlove's award-winning Sundance favorite SUMMER OF SOUL at Greenville Drive-In Outdoor Cinema in Greenville, New York courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. Food and beverages will be available for purchase on-site courtesy of the venue and Pippy's Food Truck. Doors open at 7:30pm. Come early to enjoy dinner and a drink at the bar with your fellow moviegoers while taking in a panoramic view of the Catskill Mountains.
SHIVA BABY Solar-Powered Screening + Q&A
Join us on June 17th @ 9pm at the Bearsville Centers's outdoor lawn in collaboration with Oscillation Transia for a special solar powered screening of the new award-winning film SHIVA BABY by WFF alum Emma Seligman courtesy of Utopia. The screening will be accompanied by an intro and Q&A with Seligman and the film's producers.
The rain date for this event is June 18th, 2021. Tickets are $15 per guest. Click here to buy tickets!
Elements of Narrative in Film & Television Writing with Oscar + Emmy Nominee Ron Nyswaner
Interested in honing your pen skills? Join us for a screenwriting masterclass with Oscar and Emmy nominee Ron Nyswaner. During the course Ron will cover everything from story development to creating something personal in a collaborative work setting. Whether you're an industry veteran or drafting your first screenplay, Ron's extensive experience will be an asset to writers of all levels. Register now while spots are still available.
Producing Masterclass with Award-Winning Producers Mollye Asher & Mynette Louie
Join us on May 20th from 3pm - 5pm EST for another installment of our Virtual Masterclass series with Academy Award-winning producer Mollye Asher and Spirit Award-winning producer Mynette Louie. Mollye and Mynette will discuss the myriad challenges of producing an independent film today and offer guidance on how to navigate them as you take your project from concept to audience.
Topics will include development, packaging, financing (equity, pre-sales, tax credits), production, post-production, theatrical vs. streaming, festivals + sales, publicity, and marketing.
Filmmakers Residency / Incubator with White Feather Farm
The Woodstock Film Festival is excited to announce our inaugural Filmmakers Residency / Incubator Program in collaboration with White Feather Farm Foundation. The residency will be held throughout the month of May 2021 at White Feather Farm’s new residential property in Woodstock, New York, minutes down the road from the organic farm’s operation. It will serve four filmmakers of diverse and underrepresented backgrounds who are in the midst of developing their respective full-length narrative and documentary films, each addressing social justice themes.
Free Virtual Q&A with MY OCTOPUS TEACHER Filmmakers
Join us on Thursday April 8th at 2pm EST for a free online talk with MY OCTOPUS TEACHER directors Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed moderated by Academy Award nominated filmmaker Rachel Grady. Currently available to watch on Netflix, the film recently won the PGA Award and is nominated for both the Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Documentary. Click here to register.
Documentary Production Workshop with Steven Bognar & Julia Reichert
Join us on March 25th for another installment of our virtual masterclass series. Veteran documentary filmmakers Julia Reichert & Steven Bognar present a 2 hour workshop on producing documentaries, using their Oscar-nominated film THE LAST TRUCK and their Oscar-winning film AMERICAN FACTORY as foundations for discussion.
MISS REPRESENTATION Free Virtual Screening
Join us in collaboration with Women’s History Month Kingston for a special free screening of Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s MISS REPRESENTATION. The film will be available to stream for a 24 hour period starting March 18th at 9am EST. Once you begin, you’ll have another 24 hours to finish watching.
FAR FROM HOME Free Virtual Screening + Q&A
Join us on March 9th for a free screening of the short film FAR FROM HOME by Felicia Taylor. Following the show there will be a live Q&A session with Felicia Taylor, moderated by WFF Executive Director Meira Blaustein and producer Sarah Johnson.
This film becomes available March 9th at 5PM EST, with a Q&A immediately following it at 5:30PM EST.
Virtual Masterclass: "Ask the Entertainment Attorney"
Veteran entertainment attorney and producer Jonathan Gray will address the various legal issues that filmmakers have to deal with throughout the pre-production, production, post production and acquisition processes of their films and television shows. Students and filmmakers of all levels will find much to learn from this seasoned, highly sought after and generous attorney's deep well of experience and knowledge. Questions for Jonathan can be sent in ahead of time by emailing info@woodstockfilmfestival.org. Masterclass participants will also be able to field questions after the presentation.
Attendance will be limited. Early registration recommended.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
Jonathan Gray is highly regarded in the independent film community as an attorney, producer, and advisor to filmmakers, producers, financiers, and distributors. He has acted as production counsel on a multitude of documentary films including AMERICAN FACTORY (2020 Academy Award for Best Documentary); ONE CHILD NATION (2019 Sundance Documentary Grand Jury Prize); and LIFE, ANIMATED (2017 Academy Award Nomination for Best Documentary Feature); as well as seminal independent narrative films such as THE STATION AGENT, BLACK SWAN, and PRECIOUS, providing filmmakers with legal and creative consultation from acquisition of rights through delivery to the distributors.
His producing credits include BLUE CAPRICE (2013 Sundance); WORDS WITH GODS (2014 Venice International Film Festival); NIGHTINGALE (HBO – 2015 Primetime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Television Movie); and DARK NIGHT (2016 Sundance). An adjunct professor at Columbia University School of the Arts, Gray earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.
BODY BROKERS Free Sneak Peek Virtual Screening + Q&A
Join us on February 17th at 7pm EST for a free special sneak peek screening of director John Swab’s brand new film BODY BROKERS, courtesy of Vertical Entertainment and sponsored by Roxwell Films. Following the show there will be a live Q&A session with Swab and producer Jeremy Rosen, moderated by Woodstock Film Festival Executive & Artistic Director Meira Blaustein.
The film becomes available February 17th at 7PM EST, with a Q&A immediately following it at 9PM EST. You will have 24 hours from the time the film is available to start watching. Once you begin, you'll have 4 hours to finish watching the film and Q&A.
ABOUT THE FILM:
Utah (Jack Kilmer) and Opal (Alice Englert) are junkies living on the streets of rural Ohio until a seemingly chance encounter with the enigmatic Wood (Michael Kenneth Williams) brings them to Los Angeles for drug treatment. Utah appears to find sobriety with the help of treatment center shrink, Dr. White (Melissa Leo), and tech turned love interest, May (Jessica Rothe). They soon learn that drug treatment is but a cover for a predatory business, enlisting addicts to recruit other addicts. Utah is no exception. Wood and his drug treatment mogul partner, Vin (Frank Grillo), take Utah under their wing, introducing him to the good life, though Utah's addiction remains his biggest obstacle.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Tulsa native John Swab ran away from home at the age of fifteen. He lived on the streets amongst criminals and became addicted to crack and heroin. John is now 5 years sober and lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with his wife and two dogs. John’s films are based upon themes in his life, including addiction, abuse, crime and redemption.
ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
Film producer, entertainment attorney, talent manager, former ski racer and instructor, vegan and founder of Roxwell Films, Jeremy M. Rosen, is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College and Brooklyn Law School, splitting time between his beloved Vermont and Los Angeles.
Short Films, Big Stories
The Woodstock Film Festival is excited to announce the launch of SHORT FILMS, BIG STORIES, an online short film showcase featuring new works by up-and-coming filmmakers and visual storytellers whose videos, pilots, web series, and films express unique voices, deliver compelling stories, and employ fresh and engaging styles. SHORT FILMS, BIG STORIES is designed to shine a light on emerging talents whose bold artistry is yet to be discovered. Selected films will be streamed this winter and will include Q&As with the participating filmmakers, hosted by industry insiders.
SHORT FILMS / BIG STORIES will be available to stream online from
February 15th, 2021 until February 21st, 2021.
JURORS
Farihah Zaman is a queer Bangladeshi-American filmmaker, critic, and curator. Her first feature was the award-winning documentary REMOTE AREA MEDICAL, followed by THIS TIME NEXT YEAR (premiered 2014 Tribeca Film Festival) and the doc-fiction hybrid FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY (premiered BAMcinemafest 2018), as well as several shorts (KOMBIT, NOBODY LOVES ME, AMERICAN CARNAGE, and TO BE QUEEN, which is part of the Emmy-nominated New York Times Op-Doc series FROM HERE TO HOME). She produced the Sundance-award winning Netflix Original, GHOSTS OF SUGAR LAND, which was shortlisted for 2020 Academy Award nomination. Zaman has written for Reverse Shot, Film Comment, Elle, Huffington Post, Filmmaker Magazine, and AV Club, among others, and her diverse background in the film industry includes roles at independent distributor Magnolia Pictures, IFP, The Flaherty Seminar, and serving as the Production Manager for Field of Vision (founded by Laura Poitras and Charlotte Cook), where she worked with artists like Marshall Curry, Garrett Bradley, Lyric Cabral, Josh Begley, and Ramell Ross on films eventually published at The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Buzzfeed, Vice, Wired and more. She was the Documentarian in Residence at Bard College 2018-2019, has been named a Top 40 under 40 filmmaker by Doc NYC and Topic Studios, and is a member of the documentary branch of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
Award-winning Mexican director Rodrigo Reyes has received the support of The Mexican Film Institute (IMCINE), Sundance and Tribeca Institutes, and many others. His films have been on America ReFramed and Netflix, and he is a recipient of the prestigious Guggenheim and Creative Capital Awards as well as the SF Indie Fest Non-Fiction Vanguard Award. In 2020, his latest film entitled 499, won Best Cinematography at Tribeca Film Festival, as well as the Special Jury Award at Hot Docs.
Iyabo Boyd is a writer, director, and producer that strives to tell stories from under-explored perspectives, and to reflect the dynamic humanity of women and people of color. Her short ME TIME, a black feminist comedy about self care and masturbation, played over 20 festivals including Blackstar, Rooftop Films, and Miami Shorts Fest, and won 9 awards including Best Director at the Atlanta Comedy Film Festival. Her feature screenplay, KAYLA & EDDIE EN FRANÇAIS, a collaboration with her dad, is about an estranged Black father and daughter reconnecting in Paris. For this project, Iyabo was a fellow in the Sundance Film Festival’s Talent Forum, the Sundance Film Institute’s Screenwriting Intensive, IFP’s No Borders Project Forum, and was awarded a SFFILM Rainin Screenwriting Grant. Iyabo is also the founder of Brown Girls Doc Mafia, a collective for women filmmakers of color, which has 4,000 members globally. Iyabo was a Ford Foundation JustFilms Fellow, and is a recipient of DocNYC’s New Leader award. She graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for film, and currently resides in the Bronx, NY.
HOW IT FEELS TO BE FREE: Virtual Conversation with Director Yoruba Richen & Executive Producer Lacey Schwartz Delgado
Join us on Tuesday February 9th at 6pm EST in collaboration with Radio Kingston and Black History Month Kingston for a special free virtual conversation with AMERICAN MASTERS: HOW IT FEELS TO BE FREE director Yoruba Richen and executive producer Lacey Schwartz Delgado, moderated by Jessieca McNabb.
AMERICAN MASTERS: HOW IT FEELS TO BE FREE is now streaming for free screening on PBS. Visit pbs.org for more information on how to watch.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Director Yoruba Richen is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has been featured on PBS, New York Times Op Doc, Frontline Digital, New York Magazine’s website -The Cut, The Atlantic and Field of Vision. Her film, How it Feels To Be Free, premiered on PBS’s American Masters in January of 2021. Her recent films, The New York Times Presents: The Killing of Breonna Taylor premiered on FX and Hulu and The Sit In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show premiered on MSNBC and is streaming on Peacock. Her previous film, The Green Book: Guide to Freedom was broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel and was nominated for an EMMY. Her films, The New Black and Promised Land won multiple festival awards before airing on PBS's Independent Lens and P.O.V. Yoruba won the Creative Promise Award at Tribeca All Access and was a Sundance Producers Fellow. She is the 2016 recipient of the Chicken & Egg Breakthrough Filmmaker Award and a Guggenheim Fellow. Yoruba is the founding director of the Documentary Program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.
ABOUT THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
Executive Producer Lacey Schwartz Delgado is an award winning writer, director, producer, storyteller, and outreach strategist who uses the power of narratives to build community and impact change on personal, familial, institutional, and societal levels. Lacey’s work stems from the belief that storytelling is the one of the most powerful tools we can use to reclaim our sense of self, and bridge societal divides. Her mission is to give voice to difficult truths that are widespread but rarely talked about to change the normative narrative. Lacey is best known for writing, directing and producing her nationally and internationally recognized personal documentary Little White Lie.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR:
Moderator Jessieca McNabb started performing stand up in the early ’90s and hasn’t stopped making people laugh since. Aside from splitting sides each week as co-host on No One Like You, she is a regular emcee of various comedy events all over the Hudson Valley. She’s been involved in community activism with Harambee Kingston and now co-hosts Harambee Radio, a weekly show on Radio Kingston.
MLK/FBI Free Virtual Screening + Q&A
Join us next week on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in collaboration with Radio Kingston and Black History Month Kingston for a special free screening of MLK/FBI, the award-winning documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Sam Pollard, courtesy of IFC Films. A pre-recorded Q&A with Pollard moderated by film and television producer Shelby Stone will be available to stream with the film.
*Space is limited, so be sure to reserve tickets now. Once you begin watching the film on 1/18, you'll have 48 hours to finish.
ABOUT THE FILM:
MLK/FBI is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI's surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, utilizing a trove of documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and unsealed by the National Archives, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government's history of targeting Black activists, and the contested meaning behind some of our most cherished ideals. Featuring interviews with key cultural figures, including former FBI Director James Comey, MLK/FBI tells this astonishing and tragic story with searing relevance to our current moment.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Sam Pollard is an Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated director and producer. His films for HBO, PBS, and the Discovery Channel include the documentaries FOUR LITTLE GIRLS, WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS, SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME, SAMMY DAVIS, JR.: I GOTTA BE ME, ACORN AND THE FIRESTORM, WHY WE HATE, and ATLANTA'S MISSING AND MURDERED: THE LOST CHILDREN. Pollard also directed two episodes of the groundbreaking series EYES ON THE PRIZE II. Since 1994 Pollard has served on the faculty of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and lives in New York City.
Filmmakers on Filmmaking: From Idea to Screen
Prolific filmmaking duo John Swab (writer / director) and Jeremy Rosen (producer / lawyer / casting director / music supervisor) will present a masterclass that will take the attendees through their whole filmmaking process, from the initial idea, through screenwriting, the procuring of funds, packaging of the project, shooting, editing, and finally, marketing strategy, up to acquisition and release.
Following the presentation by the filmmakers, attendees will get the chance to ask questions on camera, conversing directly with the filmmakers.
This masterclass will be unique and highly informative, based on the filmmakers own experiences.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS:
Tulsa native John Swab ran away from home at the age of fifteen. He lived on the streets amongst criminals and became addicted to crack and heroin. John is now 5 years sober and lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with his wife and two dogs. John’s films are based upon themes in his life, including addiction, abuse, crime and redemption.
Film producer, entertainment attorney, talent manager, former ski racer and instructor, vegan and founder of Roxwell Films, Jeremy M. Rosen, is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College and Brooklyn Law School, splitting time between his beloved Vermont and Los Angeles.