LET’S TALK FILM! Podcast
Dive into the world of indie film with the WFF Podcast! Join engaging discussions with Woodstock Film Festival alumni and festival friends as they share their passion for independent filmmaking and showcase their creative journeys. The podcast serves as a vibrant platform for filmmakers to explore their craft and celebrate the art of storytelling. In addition to exclusive filmmaker interviews, we feature a curated selection of the best panels from our annual festival plus three days of livestreams featuring behind-the-scenes stories. Are you an Alumni with a new film or project? We'd love to have you as a guest! Watch/Listen/Subscribe on Youtube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | + More | Episodes 1-14NON-FICTION HOTLIST + SPORTS BETTING DOCUMENTARY STATE OF GAMBLING W/ ADAM NEUHAUS AND KYLE THRASH
Episode 34| SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS
In Episode 34, filmmaker Kyle Thrash and producer Adam Neuhaus speak with host and WFF programmer Amanda Naseem, sharing insights into the inspiring journey of filmmakers coming together to support one another through Adam’s The Non-Fiction Hotlist, and how that experience contrasts with working under the influence of industry executives.
DEVELOPING A SHORT INTO A FEATURE WITH SUNDANCE AWARD WINNER RASHAD FRETT
In Episode 33, host and WFF shorts programmer Amanda Naseem speaks with director Rashad Frett about the making of his award-winning short film RICKY and how he is currently working on a feature length version. Rashad also discusses his journey in finding himself as an artist and filmmaker and learning from successful mentors and artists like Spike Lee and Cary Fukunaga.
ESTABLISHING TRUST WITH YOUR DOC SUBJECTS WITH OSCAR NOMINATED FILMMAKERS SMRITI MUNDHRA + MAYA GNYP
In Episode 32, we talk with Smriti Mundhra and Maya Gnyp, the Director and Producer of Oscar-nominated short documentary, I AM READY, WARDEN. Mundhra and Gnyp share the importance of establishing trust with the subjects of their documentary in creating an authentic representation of a death row prisoner seeking redemption.
2024 WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL PANEL HIGHLIGHTS
Missed the 2024 Woodstock Film Festival panels? You can now catch the inspiring discussions and insights on Apple Podcasts and Spotify—listen anytime, anywhere! WFF panels are renowned for their depth, creativity, and insight, consistently ranking among the best panels offered by film festivals worldwide. Featuring discussions with Amanda Seyfried, Aya Cash, Ramin Bahrani, Paul Schrader, and more!
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2024 SHORTS LINEUP WITH JOY BURAN, NOELLE MELODY + AMANDA NASEEM
In Episode 26, we talk with WFF shorts programmers Joy Buran, Noelle Melody and Amanda Naseem about the process of selecting films that align with their creative visions for the festival. The three speak on what it took to choose films through the record number of submissions they received, and the importance of seeking out unique and diverse stories. This episode also dives into some of this years selections, screening in 17 shorts blocks, including “This Is America”, “Hilarity”, and “Long Live your Resistance”. Along with that, several films are highlighted.
DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN + FEMALE DIRECTORS IN THE 80’S NYC INDIE FILM SCENE WITH SUSAN SEIDELMAN
In Episode 25, we talk to director and author Susan Seidelman about the process of crafting her memoir, Desperately Seeking Something, her experiences as a female filmmaker in the ‘80s, and the lasting legacy of her films, including the 1985 cult classic DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN, starring Madonna. A graduate of NYU Grad Film School, Susan Seidelman began her career in the 1980s when SMITHEREENS became the first American Independent film to be accepted into the Cannes Film Festival. Her film DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN, starring Madonna and Rosanna Arquette, was a critical and commercial success. She has directed dozens of other films starring actors such as Meryl Streep, Brooke Shields, and Sally Field.
DISSENT AND SURVEILLANCE WITH PHIL BERTELSEN & LISE YASUI
In episode 24, we chat with Director Phil Bertelsen and Producer Lise Yasui about their documentary THE PICTURE TAKER, which explores the complicated life of Civil Rights photographer and FBI informant Ernest Withers. The filmmakers discuss in detail the 15-year journey to make the film, Withers’ complicated legacy, and the importance of exposing government surveillance in times of dissent.
MAKING YOUR DREAM PROJECT + FILM FESTIVAL SUBMISSION TIPS WITH DJAKA SOUARÉ AND ANTHONY LALOR
In this episode, we talk with Actor/Producer Djaka Souaré and Actor Anthony Lalor about their new short film CUT ME IF YOU CAN, a satire about the racist and sexist tropes we see in horror films. Djaka and Anthony talk about creating black characters in non-stereotypical roles, meeting dream collaborators, and the festival circuit + Djaka recommends some lesser-known festivals to consider submitting your film to.
THE POWER OF SHORT FILMS & SUCCESSFUL FILM FESTIVAL RUNS WITH JULIE SHARBUTT & ANASTASIA RYKOVA
In this episode, we chat with two filmmakers Julie Sharbutt & Anastasia Rykova who had their shorts, SCAM and THE TALE OF TWO CRUEL RULERS featured at the 2023 WFF. The two filmmakers discuss their films, the journey of going on the film festival circuit, and the unique opportunities that The Woodstock Film Festival offers to independent filmmakers.
THE IMPACT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL/HEALTH MOVEMENT IN THE FILM FEEDING TOMORROW WITH OLIVER ENGLISH
In this episode, we chat with filmmaker and food advocate Oliver English about his recent film, FEEDING TOMORROW. Oliver talks about the impact of his solutions-oriented film, from regenerative farming, growing food on rooftops at Brooklyn Grange, the first farm built inside of a hospital that provides healthy food to patients, and much more!
Watch the film FEEDING TOMORROW. Connect with Oliver English on Instagram.
IMMIGRANT AND DISABILITY RIGHTS WITH SET HERNANDEZ & PEDRO OF THE FILM ‘UNSEEN’
In this episode, we chat with 2023 WFF filmmaker and 2021 lab resident Set Hernandez and their close friend, Pedro, the subject of Set's most recent film, UNSEEN. We discuss the social impact filmmakers can have on audiences, UNSEEN’s experimental cinematography and how it reimagines film accessibility through an audio-centric experience.
IMPROVISATION & THE MAKING OF THE INDIE FILM NO RIGHT WAY WITH CHELSEA BO & AVA ACRES
In this episode, writer/director Chelsea Bo and actor Ava Acres talk about making the narrative film NO RIGHT WAY by improvising the script, bringing a fresh and new kind of realism to an indie film about single motherhood. The film won the GRAY SCHWARTZ ULTRA INDIE AWARD at the 2023 Woodstock Film Festival. Chelsea Bo is a writer/director with a theater and improv background. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film & Television and was selected for both Film Independent’s Incubator Lab and Village Roadshow’s Emerging Talent Program. Chelsea co-founded the production company Paxeros with her husband/producing partner Sean Drummond, and together they have produced three feature films, including Joshua Leonard’s Fully Realized Humans (Tribeca, 2020) and Sarah Adina Smith’s The Drop (Tribeca, 2022). No Right Way is her feature directorial debut.
THE NIKKI GIOVANNI DOCUMENTARY, FILM FESTS VS COMMUNITY SCREENINGS WITH JOE BREWSTER AND MICHÈLE STEPHENSON
In this episode, we chat with Filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson about their latest award-winning films GOING TO MARS: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI PROJECT, the short film BLACK GIRLS PLAY: THE STORY OF HAND GAMES, and the importance of communal viewing and how film festivals contribute to that experience.
GENRE FILMS & HOW THEY CAN BE USED TO ADDRESS SOCIAL ISSUES WITH LARRY FESSENDEN
In this episode, we chat with Actor and Director Larry Fessenden about his independent horror films and how they showcase the impending doom of present societal issues. Fessenden is an actor, writer, director, and producer and the head of the NY-based independent production company Glass Eye Pix with the mission of supporting individual voices in the arts.
Fessenden’s most recent film Blackout premiered at WFF this year, selling out on opening night.
UNCOVERING UNTOLD AND IMPROPERLY TOLD STORIES WITH YORUBA RICHEN
In this episode, we chat with Director, Producer, and Screenwriter Yoruba Richen about her work on uncovering never-before-told, or otherwise improperly told, stories through her many films. Yoruba Richen is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker whose work has been featured on multiple outlets, including Netflix, MSNBC, FX/Hulu, HBO, and PBS. One of her most recent films THE REBELLIOUS LIFE OF MRS. ROSA PARKS premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and won a Peabody and Gracie Award. It is currently streaming on Peacock. Other recent films include THE COST OF INHERITANCE, HOW IT FEELS TO BE FREE (American Masters), and THE SIT-IN: HARRY BELAFONTE HOSTS THE TONIGHT SHOW (Peacock).
MAKING THE DOCUMENTARY ‘IN THE SHADOW OF BEIRUT’ WITH STEPHEN GERARD KELLY
In this episode, we chat with Director and Cinematographer Stephen Gerard Kelly about his latest film, Ireland's Selection for Oscars® 2024, IN THE SHADOW OF BEIRUT. Stephen Gerard Kelly is an Ireland-raised artist with a sensitivity around post-colonial power structures and a background in development and conflict research. He spent five years living in Beirut, listening, understanding, and filming issues facing vulnerable communities displaced by sectarianism, conflict, and a lack of economic opportunities, particularly in Sabra and Shatila. After directing and filming his debut feature-length documentary film In the Shadow of Beirut, he is continuing to develop impactful, compelling, cinematic documentaries while working with experienced teams on clever independent fictional films exploring social themes.
