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Town supervisor Jeremy Wilber proclaims it to be Film Festival Week, with Meira Blaustein. (photo by Laura Revercomb)
The 15th annual Woodstock Film Festival kicks off next Wednesday, October 15 with what promises to be a big blast of a star-studded party at the Woodstock Playhouse, complete with pre-event cocktail party, film screening of East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem, rousing music from Steve Earle and others, plus a full VIP offering for those part of the festival proper or willing to pay for the special privilege.
Between then and a similarly star-studded closing night ceremony at Kingston’s massive BSP theater, where Academy Award-winning actresses Natalie Portman and Jennifer Connelly will be on hand to honor their legendary director Darren Aronofsky with this year’s Maverick Award — and this year’s talented filmmakers find out who won major awards from their works in competition — WFF Executive Director and founder Meira Blaustein says there’ll be plenty to keep film, music, art and cultural buffs of all sorts happy.
“We’ve got parties every night, although only for participants, and many special panels, screenings, and events with tickets still available,” she added, fresh from a ceremony with town officials where the WFF’s impact was proclaimed and celebrated. “Even better, it’s all happening here, in Saugerties, in Kingston…we’ve become quite the original film festival in terms of geographic makeup. And I have the feeling it’s only going to grow.”
Asked about some highlights of top note as the big unspooling fast approaches, Blaustein — like many in and around Woodstock — noted the big coverage the town got in this month’s edition of Vogue, and how that might affect ticket sales this year. She pointed out several highlights of particular note for local audiences.
“The screenwriter Ron Nyswaner should be given a real hero’s welcome back,” she said of the former local resident who played such a role in the WFF’s early days, back when he was basking in the fame his Philadelphia screenplay brought him, and now producer and writer of the hit series Ray Donovan. “His panel discussion with US Weekly editor Bradley Jacobs will be major, plus he’s going to emcee the awards evening for us.”
Also big on the panels front, Blaustein added, was a writer’s event entitled “From Novel To Screen” that’s not only going to bring to town Beasts of the Southern Wild author Lucy Alibar, Tony Kushner of Angels In America, Munich, and Lincoln fame, and Hook creator Malia Scotch-Marmo, but is being presented by the Writers Guild of America.
Try these
As for films for which one should rush to get tickets, the WFF founder noted two special documentaries and two narrative works…as well as the special ‘Despair’ program of shorts, running at the Mountain View Studio on the afternoons of October 17 and 19, which Blaustein describes as “amazing, imaginative, and haunting works” including one piece she first saw while judging a film festival in the distant Faeroe Islands, who will be sending their leading filmmaker to attend the festival.
For documentaries, look out for Stray Dog from Oscar-nominated director and writer Debra Granik, who met its main focus character while shooting her epochal Winter Bone in rural Missouri; and Limited Partnership by Thomas G. Miller, the tale of America’s first legally wed same sex couple and their 40 years struggle to find acceptance…a work “that ended up getting a five minute ovation when first shown in L.A.” earlier this year, according to Blaustein.
In the feature narrative category, the film festival’s head honcho suggested getting tickets for I Believe In Unicorns, from Leah Meyerhoff (who we wrongly IDed as being originally from this area), which she said mixes up harsh realities and one’s need for imagination in a truly original way… a truly original work, in other words. As well as Sacrifice, by Michael Cohn, which Blaustein said could be breaking out like the eighties’ classic River’s Edge, with which it shares an “accident in the woods” plot basis and superb ensemble acting.
Woodstock proclamation
The town of Woodstock hereby declared that the week of October 13-October 19 shall be officially proclaimed “Woodstock Film Festival Week,” according to town supervisor Jeremy Wilber, who lauded the festival for having “brought world-wide honor and distinction to the Town of Woodstock.”
Blaustein reacted with a simple, elegant referencing of another accolade from former resident, actor, author and director Ethan Hawke.
“Among the finest of a dying breed,” she quoted Hawke. “A festival that isn’t trying to sell you anything, but simply and beautifully celebrating the art and craft of filmmaking.”
For more on all things Woodstock Film Festival, which runs Wednesday, October 15-Sunday, October 19, call 679-7165, see www.woodstockfilmfestival.com, or stop by their offices at 13 Rock City Road in the middle of Woodstock.