OLIVER’S DEAL, directed by Barney Elliott (pictured above) won the Maverick Award for Best Feature Narrative, and INCORRUPTIBLE, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi won the Maverick Award for Best Feature Documentary at the 2015 Woodstock Film Festival which ran Wednesday, September 30, through Sunday, October 4, 2015.
The
Awards Ceremony was held Saturday night, with Academy Award® winning actress Melissa Leo on hand to help celebrate the talent at this year’s festival, including honorary award recipients Atom Egoyan and Guy Maddin, two of Canada’s most celebrated filmmakers. Guy Maddin presented Atom Egoyan with the Honorary Maverick Award, and Atom Egoyan then presented Guy Maddin with the second annual Fiercely Independent Award.
This year’s ceremony also featured the introduction of two inaugural awards, the Carpe Diem Andretta Award, presented to Waffle Street, and the World Cinema Competition, presented to Meet Me In Venice.
2015 Woodstock Film Festival Maverick Awards
The Maverick Award for BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE was presented by jurors Themla Adams, Stephen Lang, and Joana Vincente to:
OLIVER’S DEAL, directed by Barney Elliott
Honorable Mention was presented to: IT HAD TO BE YOU, directed by Sasha Gordon
The Maverick Award for BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY was presented by jurors Simon Kilmurry, Alan Berliner, and Sara Bernstein to:
INCORRUPTIBLE, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
“This remarkable film traces a journey from idealism to corruption in one of Africa’s oldest democracies, asking the question – is power an inherently corrupting influence? What the leaders of the country do not count on is that — in the end — it is the people of Senegal who turn out to be incorruptible. Through unprecedented access to all the players, filmmaker Chai Vasarhelyi weaves a complex and thrilling picture of a country at the precipice.” – 2015 Woodstock Film Festival Jury
Honorable Mention was presented to THE BABUSHKAS OF CHERNOBYL, directed by Holly Morris, Co-directed by Anne Bogart
“A lyrical, poetic portrait of an unknown group of women in a forgotten land. The Babushkas of Chernobyl live mostly alone, in the shadow of the world’s largest nuclear meltdown, surrounded by huge amounts of invisible radiation contamination. Strong and independent, their indelible ties to their homes trumps any health risk to which they might be exposed. A beautifully crafted documentary, this film does what documentaries do best – transport us to an unknown world and introduce us to extraordinary people we might never meet.” – 2015 Woodstock Film Festival Jury
The Maverick Award for BEST ANIMATION was presented by jurors Signe Baumane and Linda Beck to:
THE FIVE MINUTE MUSUEM, directed by Paul Bush
Honorable Mention was presented to RELIGATIO, directed by Jaime Giraldo
The Markertek Award for BEST SHORT NARRATIVE was presented by Benjamin Scott, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Nancy Collet to:
STANHOPE, directed by Solvan “Slick” Naim
Honorable Mention was presented to WELCOME (BIENVENIDOS), directed by Javier Fesser
The Markertek Award for BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM was presented by jurors David F. Schwartz, Isil Bagdadi, and Marjoe Aquilling to:
AGAINST NIGHT, directed by Stefan Kubicki
The Markertek Award for BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY was presented by jurors Hugo Perez, Cynthia Kane, and Jedd Wider to:
ALL ABOUT AMY, directed by Samuel Centore
Honorable Mention was presented to NANEEK, directed by Neal Steeno
The Haskell Wexler Award for BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY was presented with a special introduction by Haskell Wexler to:
BOB AND THE TREES, directed by Diego Ongaro, with cinematography by Chris Teague and Danny Vecchione
James Lyons Award for BEST EDITING of a FEATURE NARRATIVE was presented by jurors Meg Reticker and Sabine Hoffman to:
OLIVER’S DEAL, directed by Barney Elliott and edited by J.L. Romeu & Roberto Benavides
Honorable Mention was presented to TOUCHED WITH FIRE, directed by Paul Dalio and edited by Paul Dalio & Lee Percy
James Lyons Award for BEST EDITING of a FEATURE DOCUMENTARY was presented by jurors Sabine Hoffman, Katherine Barnier, and Michael Berenbaum to:
THE BABUSHKAS OF CHERNOBYL, directed by Holly Morris and edited by Michael Taylor, Richard Howard, and Mary Manhardt
Honorable Mention was presented to I WILL NOT BE SILENCED, directed by Judy Rymer and edited by Paul Hamilton
ULTRA INDIE AWARD was presented by jurors Lori Singer and Leah Meyerhoff to:
LAMB, directed by Ross Partridge
Honorable Mention was presented to BOB AND THE TREES, directed by Diego Ongaro
TANGERINE ENTERTAINMENT JUICE AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE FEATURE DIRECTOR was presented by jurors Amy Hobby and Anne Hubbell to:
Linda-Maria Birbeck, director of THERE SHOULD BE RULES
CARPE DIEM AWARD ANDRETTA AWARD FOR BEST FILM was presented by Lauri and Jim Andretta to: WAFFLE STREET, directed by Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms
WORLD CINEMA AWARD was presented by jurors Claude Dal Farra and Lucy Barzun Donnelly to: MEET ME IN VENICE, directed by Eddy Terstall
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE was presented to Roberta Petzoldt (Meet Me in Venice)
FIERCELY INDEPENDENT AWARD was presented by Atom Egoyan to: GUY MADDIN
HONORARY MAVERICK AWARD was presented by Guy Maddin to: ATOM EGOYAN
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The Woodstock Film Festival announced its New for 2015 World Cinema Competition, including a special Focus on Dutch Cinema in partnership with the Netherlands Consulate General in New York. The Woodstock Film Festival has programmed three Dutch narratives to showcase the vast range Dutch cinema has to offer: RENDEZ-VOUS, MEET ME IN VENICE, and SUMMER. All Dutch filmmakers will be in attendance.
Sparked by this joint venture with the Netherlands Consulate and the superb selection of other international films at the festival, the 
Recounted by Lisa through a video she makes for her son, this Dutch father-daughter story of reconciliation unfolds between a woman and the father she first meets in adulthood. When the absentee Mauro invites Lisa to join him in Venice, she decides to go. But the journey doesn’t stop there, and the father-daughter road trip takes them from Italy to Istanbul along the Orient Express route, with breathtaking imagery of the Balkans and heartwarming musical interludes. In getting to know her father, Lisa gets to know herself.
SUMMER (ZOMER), DIRECTED BY COLETTE BOTHOF
NEW YORK PREMIERE
“Zomer” (“Summer”) is sweltering in a Dutch village where everyday life is dominated by the continually droning power plant. Anne, a quiet girl who longs to escape the confines of her small town, often feels like an outsider — until she meets Lena, a new girl in town who rides a motorbike, wears leather and is different from everybody else. With the awkward tenderness of youth and innocence, the two girls quickly form a bond and the audience gets to watch as young love unfolds. Authentic performances and cinematography that captures the languor and heat of summertime create a beautiful story of sexual awakening and a girl daring to be different. For those who have traveled beyond the teenage years, it is a reminder of the possibilities life holds.
MOSCOW NEVER SLEEPS, DIRECTED BY JOHNNY O’REILLY
RUSSIA – US PREMIERE
Moscow Never Sleeps is a multi-narrative drama about the hidden bonds that connects us all. The film dives headlong into the volatile intersections of contemporary Moscow and the intimate lives of five people.
O’Reilly’s short The Terms screened at the 2001 Woodstock Film Fest, winning for Best Short Film.
THERE SHOULD BE RULES, DIRECTED BY LINDA-MARIE BIRBECK
SWEDEN – EAST COAST PREMIERE
Mia and Mirjam, two passionate, free-spirited 14-year-olds, along with Karl, who is inventive and wise beyond his years, are a close knit threesome in a small town in Sweden where nothing ever happens. Mia wishes there were no rules and tempts life again and again. Mirjam, seeking love, finds her road to adulthood in a steamy romance with an older man who claims he loves her. Karl, supporting Mia’s sense of loss as her best friend is pulled away by new love, helps concoct ways to bring Mirjam back to them. While friendship and family bonds are tested and facades eventually crumble, the teens declare, “we are never becoming ordinary.”