WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR 23RD ANNUAL FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 2
Showcasing 48 inspiring feature films directed by distinguished and emerging directors including 8 World Premieres, 7 US Premieres, 4 East Coast Premieres, and 15 New York Premieres
Opening & Closing Night Films: MENDING THE LINE (starring Brian Cox, Perry Mattfeld, and Wes Studi; directed by Joshua Caldwell) & EMPIRE OF LIGHT (starring Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, and Colin Firth; directed by Sam Mendes)
Spotlight Films: MY POLICEMAN (starring Harry Styles and Emma Corrin; directed by Michael Grandage), TRIANGLE OF SADNESS (starring Charlbi Dean, Harris Dickinson, and Woody Harrelson; directed by Ruben Östlund), RAYMOND & RAY (starring Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor; directed by Rodrigo García)
Special guests include: ETHAN HAWKE (Maverick Award), AWKWAFINA (Transcendent Talent Award), ARIANNA BOCCO (Trailblazer Award), DEBRA GRANIK (Fiercely Independent Award), plus AMANDA SEYFRIED, VERA FARMIGA,KAREN ALLEN, DAVID STRATHAIRN, MARY STUART MASTERSON, SCOTT AVETT (The Avett Brothers), MARINA ZENOVICH, RAMIN BAHRANI, RODRIGO GARCIA, JOE BERLINGER, ROGER ROSS WILLIAMS, ONDI TIMONER, BARBARA KOPPLE, and others.
For complete ticket and program information, visit www.woodstockfilmfestival.org.
FEATURE NARRATIVES
Still from MENDING THE LINE. Dir. Joshua Caldwell.
WORLD PREMIERES
CONFESSION | Danya Hanson | World Premiere
In this disquieting story, a woman accuses three men of sexual assault. But is she an unreliable narrator? Is there something more sinister at work here? When her case is dismissed for lack of evidence, an up-and-coming attorney fights to uncover the truth, with an explosive ending guaranteed to stun.
MAN | Tzvi Friedman | World Premiere
A subtle allegory about isolated, hidden people, mankind’s search for emotion and empathy in an increasingly cold, apathetic world, and perhaps a glimmer of hope that no matter how low we’ve sunk, there is always a chance at redemption. Exquisitely stylized cinematography, an atmospheric score, very little dialog, and an intensity that is visceral.
MENDING THE LINE | Joshua Caldwell | World Premiere
A young wounded Marine receiving trauma care forms a bond with a man twice his age, who sees the mysteries of fly-fishing as holding the true healing power. While ostensibly a film about PTSD, Mending the Line is really a story about finding something to make living worthwhile.
SIXTY MILES NORTH | Edward Crawford, Jack Mulcahy | Filmed in the Hudson Valley | World Premiere
When a bitter and frustrated actor loses the gig of a lifetime, he is forced to move back into his childhood home. He then has to choose between continuing to pursue his dream or working a job he doesn’t want. He is empowered when he meets Wild Fall, an agoraphobic now living in his old bedroom.
US PREMIERES
AMERIKATSI | Michael Goorjian |
US PREMIERES
AMERIKATSI | Michael Goorjian | US Premiere
Michael Goorjian plays an Armenian ex-patriot who returns home after World War II, only to be incarcerated under Stalin’s regime. When he discovers a window high in his cell through which he can peer into an Armenian couple’s apartment, he comes to be saved by living vicariously, at times magically, through their complicated, spirited life.
ROOST | Amy Redford | US Premiere
Amy Redford’s masterfully directed tale begins with a high school girl’s growing online connection with a charming older man. A cautious romance steadily unravels into a deepening mystery as Anna’s heart is caught with a stranger’s, and her family must reckon with secrets from the past that bring mother and daughter into perilous territory.
EAST COAST PREMIERES
REMEMBER THIS | Jeff Hutchens, Derek Goldman | East Coast Premiere
Alone on the screen, David Strathairn’s gripping 90-minute performance tells the moving story of Jan Karski, a Polish Holocaust witness and hero who, despite mental anguish and physical torture, endured to tell the story so that we will forever “remember this.”
THE LOST KING | Stephen Frears | East Coast Premiere
Sally Hawkins stars as a lonely introvert whose fascination with Richard III becomes a passionate quest to redeem his character and restore his rightful legacy. Co-starring Steve Coogan as her estranged husband, and sensitively directed by Stephen Frears, this historical treasure hunt is a brilliant character study in obsession and perseverance.
NEW YORK PREMIERES
CINE-SYMPHONY PLANET EARTH | Jed Parker | New York Premiere | Focus on Music
This emotional, yet uplifting film was created to sync with an existing symphony. Hence, the contemporary-classical score is a star, along with a Gaia character. The story, told without dialogue, tracks our planet’s history from creation to when humans came around and messed it up. Luckily, Gaia saves the day.
EMPIRE OF LIGHT | Sam Mendes | New York Premiere
Empire of Light, directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes and starring Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward and Colin Firth, is a love story set in a seaside town on the south coast of England in the early 1980s, that revolves around an old cinema.
FOLLOW HER | Sylvia Caminer | Filmed in the Hudson Valley | New York Premiere
Balanced between the worlds of kinky social media stardom and the real-life pressures on a struggling actress, this psychological thriller cleverly pulls us into the dangers versus rewards Jess faces to help an all-too-charming screenwriter find just the right ending for the female lead of his movie, leaving us to contemplate where fiction becomes real.
JUNIPER | Matthew J. Saville | New York Premiere
Charlotte Rampling plays an ailing matriarch who unexpectedly returns to her family in New Zealand. Centered around her teenage grandson, who must care for her while grieving the recent loss of his mother, Juniper explores the unlikely connection between these two troubled souls who discover how much they need each other.
LINOLEUM | Colin West | Filmed in the Hudson Valley | New York Premiere
Linoleum tells the tale of Cameron (Jim Gaffigan), the host of a failing children’s science show, who experiences a series of strange, scientifically inexplicable events that lead him to question his day-to-day reality, as well as his life’s history, past and future, as both a father and a son.
RAYMOND & RAY | Rodrigo Garcia | New York Premiere
Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke star as half-brothers who have been estranged from each other and their abusive father, whose last wish is they attend his funeral and dig his grave. At the gravesite gathering, they uncover a man they never knew, and discover opportunities for self-reflection and healing.
STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT | Kristen Abate, Steven Tanenbaum | New York Premiere
Kristen Abate, who also directed, gives a brave raw performance as a young woman with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a rare inflammatory disease that has left her permanently bent over, a question-mark on the streets of New York, a maybe poet and sometimes dog walker who leads a powerful and spirited life.
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN | Martin McDonagh | New York Premiere
Two lifelong friends (Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson) find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
BROKER | Kore-Eda Hirokazu
A two-man team of self-described “benevolent” brokers sells babies on the black market. When a young mother who has abandoned her infant has a change of heart, she joins them on a road trip in search of a buyer, forming a compassionate improvised family, each touched in a different way by the specter of abandonment.
DEAD FOR A DOLLAR | Walter Hill
A famed bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) runs into his sworn enemy, a professional gambler and outlaw (Willem Dafoe) that he had sent to prison years before, while on a mission to find and return the wife of a successful businessman who is being held hostage in Mexico (Rachel Brosnahan).
GOD’S CREATURES | Saela Davis, Anna Rose Holmer
Set in a hardscrabble Irish fishing village, and anchored by the intense performances of Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves) and Paul Mescal (Normal People), God’s Creatures traverses the dangerous and intimate territory of family ties that run so deep as to threaten the ordinary boundaries of right and wrong.
HANNAH HA HA | Jordan Tetewsky, Josh Pikovsky
Meet Hannah, one of the most likable protagonists in recent memory. A kind-hearted person living a content life with her aging father in small town Massachusetts, Hannah Lee Thompson, who plays the titular Hannah, breathes life into this deeply human character as she wrestles against the influences of the world.
MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH MARRIAGE | Signe Baumane
This animated film is the personal story of Zelma, taught from an early age she must conform to societal expectations in order to find love. In Baumane’s enchanting, signature style of hand-drawn animation over papier-mâché backgrounds, we follow Zelma on this semi-autobiographical and educational journey towards self acceptance.
MY POLICEMAN | Michael Grandage
Harry Styles (Dunkirk) and Emma Corrin (The Crown) bring both heat and heart-breaking restraint to this story of a tragic love triangle, set in 1950s England, with David Dawson (The Last Kingdom) at the tipping point of all the unrequited desire and impossible temptations – impossible because, at the time, homosexuality itself was a criminal offense.
STAY AWAKE | Jamie Sisley | Filmed in the Hudson Valley
Two brothers side track their futures to help their drug-addicted single mother, who must choose between losing her sons or going to rehab. Superbly acted and based on the filmmaker’s adolescence, Stay Awake is a personal exploration of the roller coaster families ride while trying to help their loved ones battle opioid addiction.
World Premieres
CONFESSION | Danya Hanson | World Premiere
In this disquieting story, a woman accuses three men of sexual assault. But is she an unreliable narrator? Is there something more sinister at work here? When her case is dismissed for lack of evidence, an up-and-coming attorney fights to uncover the truth, with an explosive ending guaranteed to stun.
MAN | Tzvi Friedman | World Premiere
A subtle allegory about isolated, hidden people, mankind’s search for emotion and empathy in an increasingly cold, apathetic world, and perhaps a glimmer of hope that no matter how low we’ve sunk, there is always a chance at redemption. Exquisitely stylized cinematography, an atmospheric score, very little dialog, and an intensity that is visceral.
MENDING THE LINE | Joshua Caldwell | World Premiere
A young wounded Marine receiving trauma care forms a bond with a man twice his age, who sees the mysteries of fly-fishing as holding the true healing power. While ostensibly a film about PTSD, Mending the Line is really a story about finding something to make living worthwhile.
SIXTY MILES NORTH | Edward Crawford, Jack Mulcahy | Filmed in the Hudson Valley | World Premiere
When a bitter and frustrated actor loses the gig of a lifetime, he is forced to move back into his childhood home. He then has to choose between continuing to pursue his dream or working a job he doesn’t want. He is empowered when he meets Wild Fall, an agoraphobic now living in his old bedroom.
U.S Premieres
AMERIKATSI | Michael Goorjian | US Premiere
Michael Goorjian plays an Armenian ex-patriot who returns home after World War II, only to be incarcerated under Stalin’s regime. When he discovers a window high in his cell through which he can peer into an Armenian couple’s apartment, he comes to be saved by living vicariously, at times magically, through their complicated, spirited life.
ROOST | Amy Redford | US Premiere
Amy Redford’s masterfully directed tale begins with a high school girl’s growing online connection with a charming older man. A cautious romance steadily unravels into a deepening mystery as Anna’s heart is caught with a stranger’s, and her family must reckon with secrets from the past that bring mother and daughter into perilous territory.
EAST COAST PREMIERES
REMEMBER THIS | Jeff Hutchens, Derek Goldman | East Coast Premiere
Alone on the screen, David Strathairn’s gripping 90-minute performance tells the moving story of Jan Karski, a Polish Holocaust witness and hero who, despite mental anguish and physical torture, endured to tell the story so that we will forever “remember this.”
THE LOST KING | Stephen Frears | East Coast Premiere
Sally Hawkins stars as a lonely introvert whose fascination with Richard III becomes a passionate quest to redeem his character and restore his rightful legacy. Co-starring Steve Coogan as her estranged husband, and sensitively directed by Stephen Frears, this historical treasure hunt is a brilliant character study in obsession and perseverance.
NEW YORK PREMIERES
CINE-SYMPHONY PLANET EARTH | Jed Parker | New York Premiere | Focus on Music
This emotional, yet uplifting film was created to sync with an existing symphony. Hence, the contemporary-classical score is a star, along with a Gaia character. The story, told without dialogue, tracks our planet’s history from creation to when humans came around and messed it up. Luckily, Gaia saves the day.
EMPIRE OF LIGHT | Sam Mendes | New York Premiere
Empire of Light, directed by Oscar-winner Sam Mendes and starring Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward and Colin Firth, is a love story set in a seaside town on the south coast of England in the early 1980s, that revolves around an old cinema.
FOLLOW HER | Sylvia Caminer | Filmed in the Hudson Valley | New York Premiere
Balanced between the worlds of kinky social media stardom and the real-life pressures on a struggling actress, this psychological thriller cleverly pulls us into the dangers versus rewards Jess faces to help an all-too-charming screenwriter find just the right ending for the female lead of his movie, leaving us to contemplate where fiction becomes real.
JUNIPER | Matthew J. Saville | New York Premiere
Charlotte Rampling plays an ailing matriarch who unexpectedly returns to her family in New Zealand. Centered around her teenage grandson, who must care for her while grieving the recent loss of his mother, Juniper explores the unlikely connection between these two troubled souls who discover how much they need each other.
LINOLEUM | Colin West | Filmed in the Hudson Valley | New York Premiere
Linoleum tells the tale of Cameron (Jim Gaffigan), the host of a failing children’s science show, who experiences a series of strange, scientifically inexplicable events that lead him to question his day-to-day reality, as well as his life’s history, past and future, as both a father and a son.
RAYMOND & RAY | Rodrigo Garcia | New York Premiere
Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke star as half-brothers who have been estranged from each other and their abusive father, whose last wish is they attend his funeral and dig his grave. At the gravesite gathering, they uncover a man they never knew, and discover opportunities for self-reflection and healing.
STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT | Kristen Abate, Steven Tanenbaum | New York Premiere
Kristen Abate, who also directed, gives a brave raw performance as a young woman with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a rare inflammatory disease that has left her permanently bent over, a question-mark on the streets of New York, a maybe poet and sometimes dog walker who leads a powerful and spirited life.
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN | Martin McDonagh | New York Premiere
Two lifelong friends (Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson) find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
BROKER | Kore-Eda Hirokazu
A two-man team of self-described “benevolent” brokers sells babies on the black market. When a young mother who has abandoned her infant has a change of heart, she joins them on a road trip in search of a buyer, forming a compassionate improvised family, each touched in a different way by the specter of abandonment.
DEAD FOR A DOLLAR | Walter Hill
A famed bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) runs into his sworn enemy, a professional gambler and outlaw (Willem Dafoe) that he had sent to prison years before, while on a mission to find and return the wife of a successful businessman who is being held hostage in Mexico (Rachel Brosnahan).
GOD’S CREATURES | Saela Davis, Anna Rose Holmer
Set in a hardscrabble Irish fishing village, and anchored by the intense performances of Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves) and Paul Mescal (Normal People), God’s Creatures traverses the dangerous and intimate territory of family ties that run so deep as to threaten the ordinary boundaries of right and wrong.
HANNAH HA HA | Jordan Tetewsky, Josh Pikovsky
Meet Hannah, one of the most likable protagonists in recent memory. A kind-hearted person living a content life with her aging father in small town Massachusetts, Hannah Lee Thompson, who plays the titular Hannah, breathes life into this deeply human character as she wrestles against the influences of the world.
MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH MARRIAGE | Signe Baumane
This animated film is the personal story of Zelma, taught from an early age she must conform to societal expectations in order to find love. In Baumane’s enchanting, signature style of hand-drawn animation over papier-mâché backgrounds, we follow Zelma on this semi-autobiographical and educational journey towards self acceptance.
MY POLICEMAN | Michael Grandage
Harry Styles (Dunkirk) and Emma Corrin (The Crown) bring both heat and heart-breaking restraint to this story of a tragic love triangle, set in 1950s England, with David Dawson (The Last Kingdom) at the tipping point of all the unrequited desire and impossible temptations – impossible because, at the time, homosexuality itself was a criminal offense.
STAY AWAKE | Jamie Sisley | Filmed in the Hudson Valley
Two brothers side track their futures to help their drug-addicted single mother, who must choose between losing her sons or going to rehab. Superbly acted and based on the filmmaker’s adolescence, Stay Awake is a personal exploration of the roller coaster families ride while trying to help their loved ones battle opioid addiction.
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS | Ruben Östlund
Models Carl and Yaya are invited for a luxury cruise with a rogues’ gallery of super-rich passengers. At first, all appears Instagrammable, but the cruise ends catastrophically and the group find themselves marooned on a desert island.
FEATURE DOCUMENTARIES
Still from LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S BLACK & BLUES. Dir. Sacha Jenkins.
WORLD PREMIERES
IMMEDIATE FAMILY | Denny Tedesco | World Premiere | Focus on Music
This new documentary from Denny Tedesco (The Wrecking Crew) chronicles the rise and tenure of four legendary studio musicians as they tore through the singer-songwriter scene of the 1970s.
MY SO-CALLED HIGH SCHOOL RANK | Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg | World Premiere
Through the lens of a high-school musical inspired by its own students’ experiences, and with a remarkable intimacy, My So-Called High School Rank explores the overwhelming anxiety so many high school students face in their pressured journey through the college admissions process and, ultimately the resilience and triumph of these students, in art and in life.
THE PICTURE TAKER | Phil Bertelsen | World Premiere
Photographer Ernest Withers was a renowned chronicler of the African American experience during Jim Crow, and became an icon of the Civil Rights Movement. But he was also, secretly, an FBI informant. The Picture Taker keenly explores this disturbing contradiction that straddles the borderline between art and the emotion-laden politics of race.
*A special Ernest Withers photo gallery opening will be held Saturday, Sept. 3 at the Aaron Rezny Gallery in Kingston, NY.
THE BALLAD OF CLEM SNIDE | John Burkett | World Premiere | Focus on Music
Documenting the tour and promotion of Clem’s Snide’s album Forever Just Beyond, the filmchronicles the pursuit of an artistic life; and all the trials, the tribulations, the ups and downs, the luck and serendipity, the disappointments and frustrations that come along with it. Released in March 2020, the record’s unveiling occurred at the precise moment of the first COVID-19 outbreak across the country. Forever Just Beyond was produced by Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers, who is featured in the film.
*A special musical performance by Clem Snide with Scott Avett of The Avett Brothers will follow the screening at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY on Thursday, September 29th.
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
THE GOOD SOLDIER | Silvina Landsmann | North American Premiere
This film provides a candid look into Breaking the Silence, an organization run by former Israeli soldiers who speak out about their witnessed abuses of Palestinians, sometimes at their own hand, raising questions about Israel’s dynamic mainstream and the challenges of confronting it.
U.S. PREMIERES
AFGHAN DREAMERS | David Greenwald | US Premiere
This film presents the heart-wrenching testimony to the strength of will of the Afghan Girls Robotics team who narrate their own story, starting in 2017 when Afghan girls could still dream of careers in science and technology – a dream that is thwarted when the Taliban returns to power.
HUNTING IN PACKS | Chloe Sosa-Sims | US Premiere
Delving into the high-stakes and absurd institutions of western politics, this film follows politicians Michelle Rempel Garner (Canada), Jess Philips (UK), and Pramila Jayapal (USA) through elections, leadership campaigns and their efforts to enact bold new policies.
MAMA IRENE, HEALER OF THE ANDES | Elisabeth Möhlmann, Bettina Ehrhardt | US Premiere
In a film that is both a story about women’s empowerment and a testament to living harmoniously with Mother Earth, 84-year-old Peruvian shaman and healer Mama Irene compassionately treats both the emotional and physical wounds of the women and children who come to her for guidance.
THE FIRE THAT TOOK HER | Patricia Gillespie | US Premiere
This film tells the true story of Judy Malinowski’s terrifying encounter with domestic violence — she was set aflame by her boyfriend — and with grace and sober optimism, navigates to a startling, unprecedented event: a woman testifying at the landmark trial of her own murder.
EAST COAST PREMIERES
LAST FLIGHT HOME | Ondi Timoner | East Coast Premiere
Award-winning documentarian Ondi Timoner turns the camera on herself and her family, chronicling the final weeks with her father as he prepares for assisted suicide.
LIVING IN DELUSIONVILLE | Constant van Hoeven | Filmed in the Hudson Valley | East Coast Premiere
Now more than ever, radical artists are needed to fight against oppressive governments and corporate greed. This wide-ranging documentary uncovers the portrait of Ron English, a man dedicated to getting people to rethink the images and ideas that they have been indoctrinated with since birth.
THE RETURN OF TANYA TUCKER | Kathlyn Horan | East Coast Premiere | Focus on Music
Tanya Tucker is brought out of retirement by Brandi Carlisle to make an album, and we are lucky to be in the room where this happens. A powerful film, adding rare archival footage to the mix, weaving together the past and the present. A beautiful story, full of music and heart.
NEW YORK PREMIERES
BONNIE BLUE: JAMES COTTON’S LIFE IN THE BLUES | Bestor Cram | New York Premiere | Focus on Music
This film tells the story of Chicago legend James Cotton, blues harmonica player extraordinaire. With Cotton as its focus, the film traces the larger story of the American blues genre and, due to the wealth of great archival footage, we have the man himself to tell it.
LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S BLACK & BLUES | Sacha Jenkins | New York Premiere | Focus on Music
This film draws on a treasure trove of rich archival footage, giving us the best possible narrator to walk us through the life of the musical legend Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong: the man himself.
RELATIVE | Tracey Arcabasso Smith | New York Premiere
Using a remarkable collection of home movies, family interviews, and personal therapy sessions, Relative is the shocking story of physical abuse over generations of women in one family.
SKATE DREAMS | Jessica Edwards | New York Premiere
The first feature-length documentary about the often overlooked revolutionary subculture of female skateboarding. This story is filled with heart, grit, and determination, and makes us all want to skate like a girl.
WONDERFULLY MADE – LGBTQ+R(ELIGION) | Yuval David | New York Premiere
An extraordinarily moving feature-length documentary that strikes at the root of anti-LGBTQ attitudes by exploring the challenges and aspirations of LGBTQ+ Catholics. The film focuses on the Catholic Church because it is one of the largest religious organizations in the world, and because its anti-LGBTQ+ stance is well known and growing more hardline around the world. The film criticizes Church teaching, but it is respectful of those of faith.
THE QUIET EPIDEMIC | Lindsay Keys, Winslow Crane-Murdoch | New York Premiere
A girl from Brooklyn and a Duke University scientist are diagnosed with Chronic Lyme disease, a condition said not to exist. Their quest for answers leads to a paper trail of suppressed scientific research and buried documents that reveal why tick borne diseases have been allowed to quietly spread around the globe.
A STAGE OF TWILIGHT | Sarah T. Schwab| New York Premiere
Barry (William Sadler) and Cora (Karen Allen) struggle with his impending death in the final chapter of their marriage in a touching story that ultimately speaks to the question: whose right is it to make life’s inevitable impossible decisions when the impact will be felt by the people we love most?
SPECIAL SCREENING
BROTHER’S KEEPER | Bruce Sinofsky, Joe Berlinger | 30th Anniversary
30 years ago, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky made this brilliant documentary about a small-town murder case using what was, at the time, a revolutionary approach: shoot a true-life story, unfolding in real time, and allow it to tell its own tale – an approach that became the touchstone for decades of true-crime podcasts and series to come.
2ND CHANCE | Ramin Bahrani
Richard Davis, inventor of the bullet proof vest, is ego driven and fearless. He shoots himself through his vest hundreds of times and films these horrific moments for everyone to see. This rags to riches story leaves us to wonder why Davis finds joy in shooting and exploding everything and everyone around him.
BATTLEGROUND | Cynthia Lowen
This June, the Supreme Court overturned Roe versus Wade, ending 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion in the United States. How have we arrived here, when 7 in 10 Americans support access to legal abortion? ‘Battleground’ follows three women who lead formidable anti-abortion organizations in their single-minded quest to overturn Roe v. Wade, as they face down forces equally determined to safeguard women’s access to safe and legal abortions.
EXPOSURE | Holly Morris
Why do we crave high-risk adventure? A European-Arabian team of 13 women spent two years preparing for a skiing trek to the north pole, the first all-female team to do so.
FREE RENTY: LANIER V. HARVARD | David Grubin
This film tells the fascinating story of Tamara Lanier’s determined effort to force Harvard University to cede ownership of a set of invaluable daguerrotypes that are known to be the earliest photographic depictions of American slaves – and of one slave in particular, Renty, who was Lanier’s great-great-great-grandfather.
SHORT DOCUMENTARIES
DISLOCATION – Well-crafted, authentic documentaries which share stories of those who are displaced, in limbo, or are motivated against the odds to help their families thrive.
• NEVER AGAIN PARA NADIE, by Anna Feder, Dan Frank, Justin Reifert | New York Premiere
•THE GIRL WITH THE ACCENT, by Nadia Durry
•ANGEL OF GAZA, by Ahmed Mansour | New York Premiere
•THE FLAGMAKERS, by Cynthia Wade, Sharon Liese | New York Premiere
ONE’S OWN POWER – Powerful documentaries that celebrate the full identities of characters with disabilities.
• DOWN HOME, by Liz Moskowitz, Riley Engemoen | World Premiere
•IN THE WAKE OF MOURNING, by Adetoro Makinde | World Premiere
•AS FAR AS THEY CAN RUN, by Tanaz Eshaghian | World Premiere
•LYDIA EMILY’S LAST MURAL, by Christoph Greene
•IRON SHARPENS IRON, by John Gallen | East Coast Premiere
•HELLO TO JULIA, by Jenna A. Bush | New York Premiere
FAMILY MATTERS – Artful documentaries that share intimate portraits of diverse generational families in moments of honor and remembrance.
• ANSHAN DIARIES, by Charles Xiuzhi Dong | New York Premiere
•ᎤᏕᏲᏅ (WHAT THEY’VE BEEN TAUGHT), by Brit Hensel
•JUNGLE X, by Jose Fernando Rodriguez
•PILI KA MOʻO, by Justyn Ah Chong
•PONY BOYS, by Eric Stange
SOCIAL DIALOGUES – The personal is political in these short documentaries that address historical and local challenges to how it goes.
•AMERICAN JUSTICE ON TRIAL: PEOPLE V. NEWTON, by Andrew Abrahams, Herb Ferrette | New York Premiere
•BLUE ROOM, by Merete Mueller
•HERE TO STAY, by Jared Peraglia | World Premiere
•BEHIND THESE WALLS, produced by Allison Chernow, Karin Young Shiel, and Susan Margolin
SHORT NARRATIVES
SH*TS & GIGGLES – Original and hilarious bite-sized films.
• THE F-WORD, by Alex Cannon, Paul Cannon | New York Premiere
•F^¢K ‘€M R!GHT B@¢K, by Harris Doran
•ANNIVERSARY, by Lain Kienzle | East Coast Premiere
•IN THE FLESH, by Daphne Gardner | East Coast Premiere
•THE SYED FAMILY XMAS EVE GAME NIGHT, by Fawzia Mirza
•CAROL & JANET, by Andrea Rosen | World Premiere
•HARDBOILED, by Peter Sluszka
FIGHT OR FLIGHT – Shriek-inducing thrillers, some that may hit too close to home.
• THE DEEP END, by Jack Fessenden | World Premiere
•BATON TOUCH, by Jung Se-eum
•SKIN & BONE, by Eli Powers
•MY SUMMER VACATION, by Kelly O’Sullivan
•TRIGGERED, by Tara Westwood
•MOSHARI, by Nuhash Humayun | New York Premiere
THE UNCONSCIOUS CONSCIOUS – Off-beat narrative stories of self-examination and admitting our truths.
• MIRRA, by Sam Evoy | World Premiere
•WEDNESDAYS AT 5, by Elizabeth Taufield | World Premiere
•INTIMACY WORKSHOP, by Eddie Prunoske | World Premiere
•FRACTAL, by Kiarra Goldberg
•HI, IT’S ME, by Dana Turken | World Premiere
•THE CURRENT, by Megan Chumbley | US Premiere
•MICHELLE REMEMBERS, by Alex Lill | World Premiere
•LEAD/FOLLOW, by Colby Day | East Coast Premiere
SHORTS, MIX DOCUMENTARY / NARRATIVE
KEEP SHOWING UP – Innovative narrative and documentary shorts that showcase a diverse group of musicians and artists as they challenge systems, build power and reflect on an artistic life as we age
• TUNING RENÉ MARIE, by Rachel Kessler | US Premiere
•THE VOICE ACTRESS, by Anna J. Takayama
•MADELYNN VON RITZ IS ALMOST FAMOUS, by Naz Riahi, Silas Howard | East Coast Premiere
•ANGOLA DO YOU HEAR US? Voices From A Plantation Prison, by Cinque Northern
•SWERVE, by Lynne A. Sachs
•DON’T YOU GO NOWHERE, by Bryan Poyser
•SHUT UP AND PAINT, by Chloe Gbai, Alex Mallis
WE OUT HERE – A collection of bold, transformative narrative and documentary shorts from across the LGBTQIA+ community.
• PORTAL, by Rodney Evans
•WHEN WE ARRIVE AS FLOWERS, by Susan O’Brien | New York Premiere
•SO WE MOVED: A PORTRAIT OF JACK HALBERSTAM, by Adam Pendleton | New York Premiere
•TANK FAIRY, by Erich Rettstadt
•NORTH STAR, by P.J. Palmer
•LOVE, BARBARA, by Brydie O’Connor
FILM SCHOOL SHORTS – Finely-crafted narrative and documentary student shorts that exemplify daring and distinctive storytelling.
• WUSS, by Rubing Zhang | East Coast Premiere
•CALL ME ANYTIME, I’M NOT LEAVING THE HOUSE, by Sanjna Selva | World Premiere
•EL CARRITO, by Zahida Pirani
•AN ISLAND DRIFTS, by Vivian Ip | East Coast Premiere
•I WAS ALWAYS COMING BACK, by Christian Jones
•THESE MEMORIES ARE NOT MY OWN, by Kim Su Labby | World Premiere
•VALENTINE, by Sinead Keirans | East Coast Premiere
ANIMATION – A carefully curated selection of outstanding shorts by some of today’s most intriguing animators.
• POUR GAMES, by Patrick Smith
•LITTLE HURTS, by Debra Solomon | New York Premiere
•POSTED NO HUNTING, by Alisa Stern
•BETWEEN LINES, by Sarah Beth Morgan
•THE SAUSAGE RUN, by Thomas Stellmach
•BUZZKILL, by Peter Ahern
•THERE’S A BISON ON THE PRAIRIE, by Morgan Miller | World Premiere
•ALICE, by Liz Van Verth
•THE GRAVE OF ST. ORAN, by Jim Batt
•DON’T BE SCARED, by Richard O’Connor
•MORE THAN I WANT TO REMEMBER, by Amy Bench
•HAPTIC MEMORY, by Mike Enright
•FIVE CENTS, by Aaron Hughes
•LIPSTICK OF THE BRAVE, by Bill Plympton
HUDSY SHOWCASE – Films from and inspired by the Hudson Valley community.
- MoveMe: Livia Vanaver, by Jesse Brown | World Premiere
- TRANSition, by Angel Gates Fonseca | World Premiere
- This Organic Life: Gopal Farm, by Joey Carey | World Premiere.
TEEN SHORTS – From an eclectic group of high school student filmmakers whose maturity will surprise you.
• PHO, by Ethan Chu
•HUNTER, by Michelle Tang | World Premiere
•THE AUDITION, by Eli Berliner | World Premiere
•AFTER AUGUST, by Olivia Siegel | New York Premiere
•BENTO LOVE, by Elisa Taylor
•FUEL FOR THE FEEDING END, by Sam Baumslag and Milo Barrett | World Premiere
•ART SAVES THE SOUL: BOWL, by Madeleine Birnbaum | World Premiere
•PAPERBACK, by Ollie Weidemann & Grace Woodcock | World Premiere
•HUNGER IN THE HUDSON, by Wallace Wallace | World Premiere
MUSIC VIDEOS WORLDWIDE – Innovative and stylish, this music video lineup showcases a scope of global music, dance, and dreams.
• FROZEN HEART, by Nina Guseva | East Coast Premiere
•TWIN ROCK – ZERO TO ELEVEN, by Antony Flackett | World Premiere
•YOU AGAIN, by Mercedes Arturo | East Coast Premiere
•VACANT SPACES, by Joe Baughman | East Coast Premiere
•SOFA, by Chen Lu | North American Premiere
•EVERY STEP IS A PRAYER, by Cara Stricker
•SONHO, by Douglas Ratzlaff Bernardt
•THE SKY BELONGS TO NO ONE, by Manuel Del Valle | New York Premiere
•DRAMAS BLOODBATH, by Rupert Höller | East Coast Premiere
•KOJAQUE – TOWN’S DEAD, by Sam McGrath, Kojaque
•DOLLAR 2 THE RICH, by Lewis T Powell | New York Premiere
•BANG BUS, by BEASTS AND NATIVES ALIKE | New York Premiere
TICKETS
Advance single admission tickets will be available for purchase online starting September 1 at www.woodstockfilmfestival.org, by calling (845)-810-0131, or at the Festival box office, located at 13 Rock City Road in Woodstock. A limited number of Full Festival Passes are available for purchase online or at the box office. Reserve early as shows tend to sell out quickly. Tickets are available at the box office until four hours prior to the event. For sold-out shows, there will be a standby line at the screening venue.
*Please note that all events are subject to change. Check our website to confirm venues and times and for updated information about screenings, events, and panels.