The Woodstock Film Festival announced the official lineup of more than 100 short and feature-length films for its 21st edition, taking place September 30th – October 4th, 2020.
This year’s festival will be a combination of in-person screenings at the Greenville Drive-In in Greenville, NY, Overlook Drive-In in Poughkeepsie, NY, and a pop up drive-in at Andy Lee Field in Woodstock, NY. For the first time ever, the Festival will also be hosting an online program of feature length and short films through a virtual event platform.
Opening Night Film is The Father by award-winning director, novelist playwright Florian Zeller starring Academy Award-winners Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman as a father-daughter duo grappling with the creeping shadow of dementia. The film is an adaptation of one of Zeller’s plays of the same name.
Special Presentation is Francis Lee’s Ammonite, starring Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet and Academy Award-nominee Saoirse Ronan in a 19th century romantic drama inspired by the life of British paleontologist Mary Anning and her relationship with Charlotte Murchison.
Kicking off the festival is the World Premiere of Los Hermanos/The Brothers by Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider, about Ilmar and Aldo López-Galiván, two Cuban virtuoso brothers who after years of separation, finally come together to perform in the U.S. for the first time. The screening includes a live musical performance by Ilmar López-Galiván.
“In a year mired by a global pandemic, civil unrest and political upheavals, it gives me a special pleasure to welcome the 2020 filmmakers and audiences to the Woodstock Film Festival,” stated the festival’s Co-Founder & Executive Director Meira Blaustein. “With a nod to the nostalgic past via the use of the drive-ins, and with an embrace of contemporary technology via virtual programming, this year’s Woodstock Film Festival is set to steadily straddle both worlds as it brings to audiences some of today’s most compelling independent cinema.”
Film highlights include the World Premieres of What Breaks the Ice, directed by Rebecca Eskries, a story about two teenage girls whose lives take an unexpected turn when they become involved in a fatal crime, and The Drummer, directed by Eric Werthman, in which the interwoven stories of three veterans reveal the traumatic effects of war. Additional World Premieres include Matt Smukler’s Wildflower and Hal Rifkin’s Behind the Strings.
Of particular importance to WFF’s documentary lineup are films that speak to current political affairs, at a time when politics is at the front of everyone’s minds. Hannah Rosenzweig and Wendy Sachs’s Surge, an East Coast Premiere, examines the rising phenomenon of women candidates running for Congress, while Kevin Ford’s The Pushback, appearing as a U.S. Premiere, provides an in-depth look at the political landscape in Texas, a state that plays a crucial role on a national scale
21st WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL LINEUP
NARRATIVE FEATURES
A CALL TO SPY, by Lydia Dean Pilcher (New York Premiere)
AMMONITE, by Francis Lee (Special Presentation)
BITTER FEAST, by Joe Maggio (Glass Eye Pix)
EPIC, by Chris Wedge
THE FATHER, by Florian Zeller (Opening Night)
FREELAND, by Mario Furloni and Kate McLean (New York Premiere)
FULLY REALIZED HUMANS, by Joshua Leonard
HORSE LATITUDES, by Noah Gilbert (North American Premiere)
I CARRY YOU WITH ME, by Heidi Ewing
LORELEI, by Sabrina Doyle (U.S. Premiere)
MATERNA, by David Gutnik
MILKWATER, by Morgan Ingari
MODEL, by Ran Jing (New York Premiere)
PAPER SPIDERS, by Inon Shampanier (New York Premiere)
ROTTEN EARS, by Piotr Dylewski
SAVE YOURSELVES!, by Alex H. Fischer & Eleanor Wilson
STAKE LAND, by Jim Mickle (Glass Eye Pix)
THE DRUMMER, by Eric Werthman (World Premiere)
THE OUTSIDE STORY, by Casmir Nozkowski
WENDIGO, by Larry Fessenden (Glass Eye Pix)
WHAT BREAKS THE ICE, by Rebecca Eskreis (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
BEHIND THE STRINGS, by Hal Rifkin (World Premiere)
CODED BIAS, by Shalini Kantayya
COMING CLEAN, by Ondi Timoner (New York Premiere)
DEAR MR. BRODY, by Keith Maitland (New York Premiere)
THE DILEMMA OF DESIRE, by Maria Finitzo
THE HUMAN FACTOR, by Dror Moreh (East Coast Premiere)
JACINTA, by Jessica Earnshaw (New York Premiere)
KENNY SCHARF: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, by Malia Scharf & Max Basch (East Coast Premiere)
LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS, by Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider (World Premiere Kickoff Event)
THE PUSHBACK, by Kevin Ford (U.S. Premiere)
THE SIT IN: HARRY BELAFONTE HOSTS THE TONIGHT SHOW, by Yoruba Richen (New York Premiere)
SURGE, by Hannah Rosenzweig & Wendy Sachs (East Coast Premiere)
TRUTH TO POWER: BARBARA LEE SPEAKS FOR ME, by Abby Ginzberg (East Coast Premiere)
WILDFLOWER, by Matt Smukler (World Premiere)
WOODSTOCK TUVAN STYLE, by Ilona Vinogradova (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
PORTRAITS
ONE WEEK by Danny Gold, FLOWER PUNK by Alison Klayman, A MONTH OF SINGLE FRAMES by Lynne Sachs, THE HEART STILL HUMS by Savanah Leaf & Taylor Russell
DISLOCATION
CALL CENTER BLUES by Geeta Gandbhir, YAI NIN by Champ Ensminger, DAFA METTI (DIFFICULT) by Tal Amiran, A YOUTH by Giorgio Bosisio
NARRATIVE SHORTS
CRYING WITH LAUGHTER EMOJI 😂
COFFEE SHOP NAMES by Deepak Sethi, EAGLE by Jose Acevedo, T.I.O.L.I. REVOLT: WE’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT (OR LEAVE IT) by Andrew Cromartie & Janet Forest, SOFA SO GOOD by Noa Osheroff, A STORYBOOK ENDING by Lanre Olabisi, WALLY WENDA by Diane Russo, MIGHTY by Lola Glaudini
UNSETTLED
BROOKLYN PARK by Nikola Duravcevic, ROSA by Suha Araj, SKUMJAS by Yassin Koptan, OUTSIDERS by Gleb Osatinski, THE SHEPHERDS OF CAT ISLAND by Attila Rostas
LABORING
STILL WYLDE by Ingrid Haas, ANNA by Dekel Berenson, MARGO & PERRY by Becca Roth, MOTIVATED SELLER by Chris Cascarano, STAND STILL by Isabella Wing-Davey, THE RAIN PONCHO by Andrea Rosen
QUALMS
CAGNOLINO by Hugo Diego Garcia, CAKE DAY by Phillip Thomas, ONDINE by Tomasz Śliwiński
INTERNATIONAL MUSIC VIDEOS
WANNABE by Rupert Höller, THE BUTTON by Sebastián Radic, Felipe Reutter, I’LL HAVE WHAT SHE’S HAVING by Nuri Jeong, GO BACK by MeltMirror, I’M HERE by Kateryna Tiurina, WASTELAND by Sinéad McDevitt, DON’T DIE by Greg Doble, DONE WITH THOSE DAYS by Marcin Biegunajtys, Nick Urata,
AN INNOCENT MAN by Jess Cope
STUDENT SHORTS
ARTEMIS by Jack Warren, AGAINST THE CURRENT by Daunnette Moniz-Reyome, THE OTHER SIDE OF NIGHT by Jaclyn Noel, TRUMPET by Kevin Haefelin, CUÍDATE (TAKE CARE) by Christian Nuñez, MERCURY AFROGRADE by Blanche Akonchong
ANIMATED SHORTS
GRAND ADVENTURE RAILROAD by Hsiao-Shan Huang, SUM OF ITS PARTS by Alisa Stern, THE THIN BLUE VARIETY SHOW by Gretta Wils, JAMIE AND YOKO by Michelle Verdugo, THE BUTTERFLY AFFECT by Stephanie Blakey, MIRACLE ON CENTRAL PARK WEST by Candy Kugel, I WANT by Anne Isensee, WINDUP by Yibing Jiang, KAPAEMAHU by Kanaka Pakipika, IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU by Will McCormack & Michael Govier, BHAY – FEAR by Lolita Bhaduri, BEYOND NOH by Patrick Smith, SOURDOUGH CONSPIRACY by Doug Fitch, SOUVENIR by Beck Underwood, ODD DUCK by Bill Plympton
TEEN SHORTS
SWIMMING IN LIGHT by Eli Berliner, HURLY BURLY by Benny Rendell, INFECTION by Caroline Bridges, DIAMOND GAME by Nolan Trifunovic, AFTERMATH by Daniel Gonzalez, ABSENCE by Youning Jiang
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
A Tribute to Glass Eye Pix
In celebration of acclaimed indie studio Glass Eye Pix’s 35th anniversary, the Festival will present a special tribute at the drive-in, featuring three horror movies from their extensive back catalogue, all shot in the Hudson Valley. Glass Eye Pix founder Larry Fessenden notes, “These thrillers will unspool at a drive-in theater surrounded by the very woods where their stories take place, drenched in country darkness.” (Film titles are below)
- Bitter Feast by Joe Maggio
- Wendigo by Larry Fessenden
- Stake Land by Jim Mickle
Telling Our Stories Guest Curated Program
Telling Our Stories is an exciting program of seven short films by filmmakers of color that grapple with the current moment. In a time of anti-racist protest and global social upheaval in the midst of a surging pandemic, these films center on characters of color and ask the question: How do isolation, reflection, collective struggle and chosen families impact the road that lies ahead? Curated by award-winning filmmakers Rodney Evans, Lacey Schwartz Delgado, and Yoruba Richen. (Film titles are below)
- Guisado on Sunset by Terence Nance
- Liberty by Faren Humes
- Home by Adewale Olukayode
- The Changing Same by Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster
- Wild Boar, Running on the Highway by Rubing Zhang
- Buckby Elegance Bratton & Jovan James
- Mizuko by Kira Dane & Katelyn Rebelo
TALKS & PANELS
A range of panels and conversations will take place online and include:
- A Conversation with Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, showrunners of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, moderated by Michael Ausiello
- A Conversation with veteran indie producer Ted Hope moderated by Michelle Byrd
- A Panel on Music in Film with composer Danny Elfman, and animator Chris Wedge, moderated by Doreen Ringer Ross
- A Panel on Women in Film with Julie Taymor, Jehane Noujaim, Amy Ziering, and Rebecca Miller moderated by Sarah Johnson
- A Panel on the State of Film Distribution with Ira Deutchman, Wendy Lidell, Steve Leiber, Connie White, moderated by Eugene Hernandez
- A Conversation with William Horberg and Scott Frank, executive producer and writer/director of Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit