DON'T LET ME DROWN (Cruz Angeles, USA) Filmmakers, industry mavens, film critics and local film buffs gathered last evening at the historic Backstage Productions Arts and Entertainment Complex in Kingston, NY for the awards ceremonies of the 10th edition of the Woodstock Film Festival. The film event closes today, celebrating 10 years of exceptional independent film, panels, concerts, events and parties, with the best of the best in the indie film world. Emceed by actor/dire...

  Uma Thurman in MOTHERHOOD At the Woodstock Film Festival, which today concludes its five-day marathon of film premieres, industry seminars, music concerts and groovy parties, film directors generally get all the attention. However, after my own personal marathon screenings, it is the performances of several standout actors that has made the biggest impression. Of course, for an independent filmmaker, casting is a critical part of the process.  Luckily, it has been par...

  CHILDREN OF INVENTION    With a festival which prides itself as being “fiercely independent”, the Woodstock Film Festival, which concludes today, is committed to the discovery of new talents, both behind and in front of the screen. With budgets that are tight in the extreme, more often that not, the actors used are new to the screen and unknown to the public (I included myself in this). However, when a performance of great depth or realism is given by someone you do not know, my tende...

  Woodstock is synonymous with music, so it makes perfect sense that one of the highlights of the Woodstock Film Festival is a series of highly anticipated music films. The films range from folk to rock to punk and everything in between, and are often accompanied with live music performances (another Woodstock staple). Festivities kick off Friday evening with a live music event featuring the “father of Ukulele hip hop”, rapper/songwriter Jon Braman, Jim & Liz Beloff, and...

Award-winning producer Ted Hope, one of the most respected independent producers in the film industry, will be honored with the honorary Trailblazer Award at the 10th Anniversary edition of the Woodstock Film Festival, which opened today. Hope is a true indie pioneer who has shepherded dozens of American indie films over the past three decades. He will be honored at the WFF Gala Awards Ceremony on Saturday night, October 3rd. Hope enjoys a reputation as an unparalleled spotter o...

  The Woodstock Film Festival, which opens this evening with a pre-Festival screening of Oscar winning documentarian Barbara Kopple's WOODSTOCK: NOW AND THEN, is celebrating its 10th anniversary as one of the independent film festival's most intriguing and enjoyable events. The Festival, which runs through Sunday, is set in the idyllic town of Woodstock, New York, about 3 hours north of Manhattan. While many might associate the town with the legendary 1969 rock concert (and cultur...

Tuesday, October 2--------For those who actually attended the famous Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in 1969 (or just claim to) or have visited it in their dreams, the word "Woodstock" evokes a fabled time of flower power, sexual revolution, drug-fueled ectasy and a time when youth culture subsumed the status quo. It is becoming increasingly harder to find that spirit of the Sixties in contemporary America (where we have our own Vietnam, but nary a student protest), but that freewhee...

Tuesday, October 2--------For those who actually attended the famous Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in 1969 (or just claim to) or have visited it in their dreams, the word "Woodstock" evokes a fabled time of flower power, sexual revolution, drug-fueled ectasy and a time when youth culture subsumed the status quo. It is becoming increasingly harder to find that spirit of the Sixties in contemporary America (where we have our own Vietnam, but nary a student protest), but that freewhee...

Wednesday, October 18----The 7th Woodstock Film Festival, which wrapped this past Sunday, has announced its Audience Award winners for this year. Two virtual ties for the 2006 Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary saw the awards go to four films instead of two this year. The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature was shared by AFTER THE WEDDING, a Danish film that was the Festival's Centerpiece Film and FORGIVENESS, an Israeli film by Udi Aloni. AFTER THE WEDDI...

Best Documentary Winner BEYOND ERUV Sunday, October 15---The "fiercely independent" Woodstock Film Festival announced the winners of its Maverick Awards at a special ceremony on Saturday evening at the Colony Cafe. Eleven awards were given out to films in competition, as well as special tribute awards to distinguished honorees. The Maverick Award for Best Feature Film was awarded to director Julia Loktev, for her provocative DAY NIGHT DAY NIGHT. The film tells the story of a 19-year old girl, ...

Friday, October 13----With the fall foliage in full regalia, the town of Woodstock, nestled in the Catskill Mountains region of New York State, is in full flower (of reds, oranges and greens). The Woodstock Film Festival, which opened last evening, adds even more color as it unspools a group of provocative films. Friday highlights have included the North American Premiere of the Canadian drama STEEL TOES, a provocative legal drama starring Academy Award nominee David Straithairn, who plays a ...

Meira Blaustein Thurday, October 12----As the 7th annual Woodstock Film Festival kicks into gear this evening with the avant premiere of Douglas McGrath’s INFAMOUS, Festivals Editor Sandy Mandelberger sat down with Festival Director Meira Blaustein to get her thoughts on this year’s edition. Sandy Mandelberger (SM): What is new this year that you might be experimenting with? Meira Blaustein: Most of the new elements are more of the inner structure and perhaps not so visible. In terms of ...

Saturday, October 7----The Woodstock Film Festival, which opens this coming Thursday, has announced that its Centerpiece Film will be the latest work from acclaimed Danish director Susanne Bier. AFTER THE WEDDING will be screened as a US Premiere on Saturday evening, October 14 at the Tinker Street Cinema. The film will be released later this year by arthouse distributor IFC Films. The film tells the story of Jacob Petersen, a man who has dedicated his life to helping street children in Ind...

The Hippie Ethos In Woodstock, New York Thursday, October 5---The town of Woodstock, New York, set in the majestic Catskill Mountain region of New York's Hudson Valley, is often confused with the famous rock concert that defined the 1960s. The actual Woodstock Music and Arts Festival happened 30 miles away in Bethel, NY. However, the modern Woodstock is a place where millionaires, artists, bohemians and left-over hippies rub shoulders in an eclectic atmosphere of individualism, personal express...