WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL 25TH ANNUAL

The 25th anniversary of the Woodstock Film Festival (WFF), taking place October 15-20, will feature 35 feature narrative and 30 documentary films as well as 128 short films at partner venues across the Hudson Valley: Woodstock Playhouse (Woodstock), Bearsville Theater (Bearsville), Tinker Street Cinema (Woodstock), Rosendale Theatre (Rosendale), Upstate Films Orpheum Theatre (Saugerties), the Woodstock Community Center (Woodstock), Kleinert James Art Center (Woodstock), The Colony (Woodstock), Fuller Building (Kingston) and Hudson Valley LGBTQ+ Community Center (Kingston), and the Broken Wing Barn at White Feather Farm (Saugerties). The 25th WFF will showcase a diverse collection of thought-provoking films, highlighting emerging talent and featuring innovative storytelling. This year’s program continues the festival’s tradition of celebrating independent cinema in a vibrant and artistic setting. WFF is an Oscar®-qualifying festival in the short film categories: Live Action Short Film, Animated Short Film, and Documentary Short Film. The centerpiece selection is Blitz directed by Steve McQueen, and Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain is the closing night film. This year’s 25th Annual Festival features films across 38 countries, with 21 directors making their feature film debuts. The WFF is celebrating films from festivals worldwide, and 44 world, eight

North American, and eight U.S. premieres. Films from festivals worldwide include Cannes award-winning films such as Sean Baker’s Anora, All We Imagine As Light directed by Payal Kapadia, Armand directed by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, Emilia Pérez directed by Jacques Audiard, The Seed Of The Sacred Fig directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, and The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent directed by Nebojsa Slijepcevic.

This year’s Honorary Maverick Award will be presented to acclaimed filmmaker Paul Schrader. The Maverick Award is presented to a leader and a visionary in the film and media arts who exhibits fierce and independent spirit, strong artistic vision, and the pursuit of positive change.

This year’s Honorary Trailblazer Award will be awarded to renowned producer and distributor Ira Deutchman. The Trailblazer Award is presented to a leader in the film and media arts industry who has carved innovative paths for all to follow, establishing independent vision, and creating strong and widespread appreciation to quality, substantive filmmaking. Filmmakers and activists Pamela Yates and Paco de Onís will receive the inaugural Art of Activism Award.

In keeping with its long-time support of many of today’s most talented and promising women working in the film indus- try, the WFF in this year’s lineup will include 40% of the films that feature outstanding works directed by women filmmakers who elevate our program across the board.

The WFF is proud to participate once again in a cultural collaboration with the Leiden International Film Festival in the Netherlands. The program entails a reciprocal exchange of films, enhancing cultural awareness and international exposure for both Dutch and American independent cinema. This year the festival brings us Jippie No More by Margien Rogaar, Hardcore Never Dies by Jim Taihuttu, and Torch Song by Jeroen Houben, which is in association with KLM Airlines.

The festival will feature stimulating panels with distinguished filmmakers and industry mavericks including “State of the Industry and How to Break Into It,” co-presented by Chronogram, “The Future of Documentary” sponsored by Netflix, “The Women in the Driver Seat” co-presented by NYWIFT, “AI and the Creative Process,” and “Actors Dialogue: A Conversation with Amanda Seyfried and Jennifer Carpenter.”

As the Woodstock Film Festival commemorates 25 years of Fierce Independence, we are marking our next generation by celebrating the link between today’s trailblazing filmmakers and the pioneers whose passion, ingenuity, and pure love of filmmaking inspired them. “Independents Days” is a unique series of talks woven throughout the festival, shining a light on the process of creating brave, distinctive art. The series pairs a new generation of filmmakers with their predecessors with in-depth conversations between those filmmakers including conversations with Roger Ross Williams and Carla Gutiérrez (sponsored by Amazon MGM Studios), Honoree Paul Schrader and Ramin Bahrani, and Sheila Nevins and Smriti Mundhra.

True to Woodstock’s rich musical tradition, the Woodstock Film Festival is once again highlighting music in film with three exceptional live performances. Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene will be joining for a special acoustic performance following the screening of the documentary It’s All Gonna Break. After the world premiere screening of A Life in Rhythm: The Ray Conniff Story, sponsored by BMI, local orchestral musicians will perform a short set of Ray Conniff’s classic arrangements, directed and conducted by composer David Kitay. Rising indie star musicians Flower Face and Al Olender will be performing following the screening of the music shorts block, a collection of films and music videos highlighting the love of music.

The lineup this year also features 93 outstanding short liveaction films and 35 animated films. The Woodstock Film Festival is an Academy Awards® qualifying festival in the categories of Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, and Documentary Short Film.

The short film Steve Makes Stuff directed by John Huba is about local Hudson Valley artist Steve Heller, whose work is characterized by its whimsical and imaginative nature, often incorporating elements such as vintage car parts and natural wood with distinctive grains and patterns. The film captures Heller’s creative process and his passion for transforming discarded items into functional art, reflecting his philosophy that anything can be made into something extraordinary. One of the animated short films not to be missed is Japanese director and animator Daisuke Nishio’s Magic Candies. Nishio is known for his broad spectrum and stellar filmography and for being one of the best directors for martial arts scenes and action genre films.

Established in 2000, the WFF is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that nurtures and supports emerging and established filmmakers, sharing their creative voices through an annual festival and year-round programming to promote culture, diversity, community, educational opportunities and economic growth.

The Woodstock Film Festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Secure your seats with festival passes. For more information and to purchase tickets and passes, visit WoodstockFilmFestival.org.