press release
Contact Information:
Deborah Medenbach, Press Director, Woodstock Film Festival,
(845) 679-4265, wffpress@gmail.com, woodstockfilmfestival.com
17TH ANNUAL WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL
ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL 2016 LINEUP
FEATURING MORE THAN 130 FILMS, PANELS & EVENTS Thursday, October 13 – Sunday, October 16
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD 2016 WFF PRE-FEST PROGRAM
THE 2016 WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL WILL SHOWCASE
5 WORLD PREMIERES, 6 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERES,
3 US PREMIERES, 11 EAST COAST PREMIERES, AND 14 NEW YORK PREMIERES
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
OPENING NIGHT FILM: The World Premiere of BLIND, directed by Michael Mailer, starring Alec Baldwin and Demi Moore
CENTERPIECE FILM: LOVING, directed by Jeff Nichols, starring Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton
TRAILBLAZER AWARD, to be presented by a four-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker and close colleague to honoree David Linde, CEO of Participant Media
FIERCELY INDEPENDENT AWARD, to be presented by actor Ben Foster to honoree Oren Moverman
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, to be presented by Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple to honoree Leon Gast
Select attendees include Alec Baldwin, Karen Allen, Amber Tamblyn, Mary Stuart Masterson, Alia Shawkat, Lori Singer, Chris Noth, Josh Charles, Melissa Leo, Catherine Hardwicke, Bette Gordon, Roger Ross Williams, Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg, Todd and Jedd Wider, Sam Pollard, John Sloss, William Horberg, Richard Abramowitz, Boston Marathon bombing survivors Celeste and Sydney Corcoran, Combatants for Peace activists Mohammed Owedah and Assaf Yacobovitz, and many others.
WORLD CINEMA with Special Focus on Dutch Cinema, featuring 32 international films, including NERUDA, directed by Pablo Larraín, starring Gael García Bernal and Luis Gnecco.
SPOTLIGHT ON WOMEN will feature 44 female directors who will present their work (a third of the festival’s offerings!) including the North American Premiere of Bette Gordon's THE DROWNING, starring Josh Charles, Julia Stiles and Avan Jogia.
The Tangerine Juice Award will be presented for best first, or second-time female director.FOCUS ON MUSIC will spotlight films featuring music of diverse genres, including the New York Premiere of AMERICAN EPIC, executive produced by Robert Redford, T Bone Burnett, Jack White, and featuring Nas, Elton John, Alabama Shakes, Steve Martin, Taj Mahal, Ana Gabriel, Ashley Monroe, Willie Nelson, and Merle Haggard.
Woodstock, NY (September 12, 2016) - The fiercely independent 17th Annual Woodstock Film Festival presents an outstanding lineup of films to be shown in Woodstock, NY, as well as Rhinebeck, Rosendale, Saugerties, and Kingston.
The festival opens on Oct. 13 with the World Premiere of BLIND, a romantic narrative feature written by John Buffalo Mailer and starring Alec Baldwin (who will attend the screening with director Michael Mailer) and Demi Moore. The Opening Night Film screens at 6 p.m. Oct.13 at the Woodstock Playhouse.
Since its inception in 2000, the Woodstock Film Festival firmly established itself as one of the foremost regional independent film festivals, breaking new ground for the influx of festivals, offering a unique platform for talented emerging and established filmmakers and quickly being named among the top 50 film festivals worldwide.
"It's a great festival,” said past participant, actor Paul Rudd. “It's what a film festival should be, which is really independent films showcasing the work of filmmakers you might not know about... I can't think of another place that seems better suited to have an independent film festival than Woodstock."
"I couldn’t be more pleased with this year’s lineup. There are defining moments in American and international life that have been captured by the filmmakers, some of whom have risked their lives to bring these images and ideas to audiences," said Woodstock Film Festival’s co-founder and executive director Meira Blaustein. “Fierce independence is found in every category, but with it there is also tender insight into the human heart.”
This year the festival presents a curated offering of the best films selected from more than 2,000 entries from around the globe.
Countries represented in this year’s films are Chile, China, The Faroe Islands, France, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Palestine, South Africa, Spain, Sweden,Trinidad, Tobago, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the USA. Over 90% of the films in the lineup will be screened with the filmmakers and cast/subjects in attendance.
ONLINE SALES AND PHONE SALES GO LIVE on September 21
The WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL BOX OFFICE (13 Rock City Road, Woodstock, NY) will be open:
Sept. 21 through Oct. 9 • Wednesday through Sunday, from Noon-6PM (Closed Mondays and Tuesdays)
Oct. 10-15• Daily from 9AM to 7PM
Tickets for the Maverick Awards Ceremony, and program updates are available online at woodstockfilmfestival.com.
2016 Narrative Features hail from all corners of the world. This year the festival offers romance, mystery, comedy and horror narratives to stretch our emotions and world view. With a pallet of returning soldiers, blind lovers, halfway house residents, poets and mad inventors, the full range of human experience is found in this year’s offerings.
Click here to view and download PRE-FESTIVAL PROGRAM
11:55, directed by Ari Issler and Ben Snyder
Bad Vegan and The Teleportation Machine, directed by Anton Goenechea
Blind, directed by Michael Mailer
Burn Country, directed by Ian Olds
Chronically Metropolitan, directed by Xavier Manrique,
Clean Hands (Schone Handen), directed by Tjebbo Penning
The Drowning, directed by Bette Gordon
The Fury (De Helleveeg), directed by Andre van Duren
Girl Flu., directed by Dorie Barton
Green /is/ Gold, directed by Ryon Baxter
Halfway, directed by Ben Caird
Halfway to Zen, directed by John Adams and Toby Poser
Junction 48, directed by Udi Aloni
Liner Notes, directed by Gregg Bray
Little Boxes, directed by Rob Meyer
Loving, directed by Jeff Nichols
My Feral Heart, directed by Jane Gull
My First Kiss And The People Involved, directed by Luigi Campi
Neruda, directed by Pablo Larrain
Operator, directed by Logan Kibens
Paint It Black, directed by Amber Tamblyn
Play the Devil, directed by Maria Govan
Sensitivity Training, directed by Melissa Finell
Shepherds and Butchers, directed by Oliver Schmitz
Stray Bullets, directed by Jack Fessenden
The Surprise (De Surprise), directed by Mike van Diem
Thirsty, directed by Margo Pelletier
The Ticket, directed by Ido Fluk
To Keep The Light, directed by Erica Fae
Year by the Sea, directed by Alexander Janko
2016 DOCUMENTARY FEATURES represent diverse voices of culture and span a wide range of topics and issues, from the history of recorded American music to civil rights, whaling, mental health and black market adoption. Prepare to have your world view challenged and expanded through these thought-provoking documentaries.
Click here to view and download PRE-FESTIVAL PROGRAM
American Epic: The Big Bang, directed by Bernard MacMahon
American Epic: Out Of The Many, The One, directed by Bernard MacMahon
The American Epic Sessions, directed by Bernard MacMahon
Circus Kid, directed by Lorenzo Pisoni
The Confession, directed by Ashish Ghadiali
Disturbing the Peace, directed by Stephen Apkon and Andrew Young
Freedom Runners, directed by David Wachsmann
Get in the Way: The Journey of John Lewis, directed by Kathleen Dowdey
Gimme Danger, directed by Jim Jarmusch
God Knows Where I Am, directed by Todd Wider and Jedd Wider
The Islands and the Whales, directed by Mike Day
Kivalina, directed by Gina Abatemarco
The Last Dalai Lama?, directed by Mickey Lemle
Magnificent Burden, directed by Rob Nelson
MARATHON: The Patriots Day Bombing, directed by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg
Monster in the Mind, directed by Jean Carper
The Promised Band, directed by Jen Heck
Real Boy, directed by Shaleece Haas
Rebel Citizen, directed by Pamela Yates
Stronger than Bullets, directed by Matthew Millan
They Played for Their Lives, directed by Nurit Jugend and Aaron I. Butler
Two Trains Runnin', directed by Sam Pollard
Women of Maidan, directed by Olha Onyshko
Woodstock Film Festival screens some of the most exciting films of the shorts genre, packing big messages in small spaces. This year’s shorts are bundled into topic categories that include Animation with Joy + Noelle; Carbon; Instinct; Jests; Outsiders; Passion; Short Docs; Whispers and Youth Films.
Click here to view and download PRE-FESTIVAL PROGRAM
A Nearly Perfect Blue Sky, directed by Quarxx; The ABC of Travel, directed by Signe Baumane; Adam directed by Evelyn Jane Ross; Afuera, directed by Steven Liang; Baby Teeth directed by Stephanie Ellis; Behind the Schoolbag, directed by Nic Ho Chun Yu; Black Canaries, directed by Jesse Kreitzer ; Bone Guitar, directed by Payton Curtis; Borrowed Time, directed by Lou Hamou-Lhadj and Andrew Coats; Cacophony, directed by Melody Aihsuan Shih; The Chop, directed by Lewis Rose; Club Policy, directed by New Media Ltd; Cookies, directed by Leah Shore; Cop Dog, directed by Bill Plympton; Cracked, directed by Benny Rendell; Cuddle Party, directed by Matthew Irving Epstein; Day By Day, directed by Nihal Dantluri; Domar: To Tame, directed by Benjamin Ades; Ed, directed by Taha Neyestani; Filthy but Fine, directed by Arthur Metcalf; For Your Own Safety, directed by Florian Heinzen-Ziob; Graffiti, directed by Lluis Quilez; He, She, directed by Maia Liebeskind ; How You Look at It, directed by Wendy Seyb; La Laguna, directed by Aaron Schock; The Last Night of the World, directed by Harrison O'Clair; Leonarda, directed by Luca Brinciotti; Listen, directed by Benny Rendell; Look-See, directed by Daniel Savage; Madhab, directed by Samay Bhattacharya; Makeshift Satellite, directed by Cody Walzel; Marquis, directed by Maya Suchak; Nasty, directed by Prano Bailey-Bond; New York Nocturne, directed by Richard Edson; Nuts, directed by Theo Sena; One Day on Carver St., directed by Azure Allen; Opus 40, directed by Glenn Schuster and Jason Schuler; Patti Smith Blank on Blank, directed by Patrick Smith; Perched, directed by Liam Harris; Perfect Houseguest, directed by Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter; Pickle, directed by Amy Nicholson; Porgies & Bass, directed by Thomas Barnes; Potatoes For Pado, directed by Joy Buran and Noelle Melody; The Quantified Self, directed by Gleb Osatinski; The Rain Collector, directed by Isabella Wing-Davey; Rated, directed by John Fortson; The Sea is Blue, directed by Vincent Peone; Serendipity: The Genius Behind Electric Lady, directed by Alyssa DeRosa, Catherine Kaczor, Alec Cafaro, and Meagan Sullivan; Shame, directed by Paul Hunter; Sisters, directed by David Chontos; Slow Wave, directed by Andy Kennedy; Spiral, directed by Tatum Lenberg; The Dynamic Double Standard, directed by Luke Patton; The Story, directed by Carolyn Pender and Cameron Dingwall; Striking a Chord: Instruments of Healing, directed by Susan Rockefeller; Suffering is the Easy Part, directed by Jaime Ekkens; There’s Too Many of These Crows, directed by Morgan Miller; Wake O Wake, directed by Hilary Brougher; Water!, directed by Yi Zhong.
PREMIERES AT WOODSTOCK
The Woodstock Film Festival proudly offers its audiences a first look at some of the finest emerging films in the world. Here are the films making their premieres at Woodstock:
5 World Premieres include the feature films Blind; Halfway to Zen; Magnificent Burden; They Played for Their Lives; Women of Maidan
6 North American Premieres, include the feature films Clean Hands; The Drowning; Freedom Runners; The Fury; Stray Bullets; Monster in the Mind
3 US Premieres include the feature films The Confession, Stronger than Bullets; Shepherds and Butchers
11 East Coast Premieres include the feature films Circus Kid; Girl Flu.; Green /is/ Gold; Kivalina; The Last Dalai Lama?; My Feral Heart; My First Kiss and the People Involved; Operator; Paint It Black; Sensitivity Training; The Surprise
14 New York Premieres include the feature films 11:55; American Epic: The Big Bang; American Epic: Out of the Many, The One; The American Epic Sessions; Chronically Metropolitan; Halfway; Get in the Way: The Journey of John Lewis; The Islands and the Whales; Play the Devil; The Promised Band; Real Boy; To Keep the Light; Two Trains Runnin’; Year by the Sea
2016 PANELS LINEUP INCLUDES INFORMATIVE CONVERSATIONS WITH TOP MEMBERS OF THE INDUSTRY
PANELS INCLUDE:
Producers on Producing • Moderated by Richard Abramowitz with William Horberg, John Sloss, Lucy Barzun Donnelly, Lawrence Inglee, and Wendy Ettinger
Master Class with Catherine Hardwicke: Fix it in Prep
Music For Film • Moderated by BMI’s Charlie Feldman with Jedd Wider, Todd Wider, Lori Singer, and Paul Cantelon
Women in Film and Media • Moderated by Thelma Adams with Bette Gordon, Mary Stuart Masterson, Catherine Hardwicke, and Amber Tamblyn
Chat with Trailblazer David Linde • A conversation between Logan Hill and Trailblazer Honoree David Linde
Actors Dialogue • Moderated by Martha Frankel with Karen Allen and Alia Shawkat
Telling Their Stories • Moderated by Nancy Abraham with Roger Ross Williams, Sam Pollard, Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg, and Olha Onyshko
Insiders and Outsiders: Feminism in the Middle East • Moderated by Dr. Holly Shaw with Martina Radwan, Olga M. Davidson, Lina Qadri, Viki Ausender, and Jen Heck
MAVERICK AWARDS CEREMONY
7-11 p.m. Oct. 15
Backstage Studio Productions, 323 Wall St., Kingston, NY
The annual Maverick Awards Ceremony has become one of the most talked-about events attracting more than 500 filmmakers, industry professionals and community leaders and guests. The event is open to the public. Individual and full-table tickets are available at the Woodstock Film Festival Box Office or online.
The 2016 Maverick Awards Ceremony will present several honors including:
TRAILBLAZER AWARD, to be presented by a four-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker and close colleague to honoree David Linde, CEO of Participant Media
FIERCELY INDEPENDENT AWARD, to be presented by actor Ben Foster to honoree Oren Moverman
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, to be presented by Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple to honoree Leon Gast
Best Feature Narrative, Best Feature Documentary, Best Short Narrative, Best Short Documentary, Best Animated Short, the James Lyons Editing Award (Documentary and Narrative), the Haskell Wexler Award for Best Cinematography, the Tangerine Entertainment Award for Best Female Director, the Ultra Indie Award, the Carpe Diem Andretta Award and the World Cinema Award.
Audience awards are announced to the media on Sunday.
2016 SPONSORS
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