CALL FOR ENTRIES:   The Woodstock Film Festival is celebrating its 15th Anniversary October 15-19, 2014. We NOW ARE ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS of independent films of all genres and lengths and in all categories. Early deadline April 11 Regular Deadline May 16 Late deadline June 13.   Withoutabox extended deadlines June 27 for features. Entry fees range from $5 - $50.    Hailed by Indiewire as "A true American Maverick Among Fests," WFF i...

  The 12th edition of the Woodstock Film Festival, an event that takes seriously its reputation for being “fiercely independent” is in full flower (power) this weekend in the center of Woodstock, New York and neighboring towns through Sunday, September 25. For this year’s edition, the Festival is presenting nearly 150 films, along with a series of professional panels, music performances and special events. Among the highlights taking place this weekend are a repeat screening of the...

  STRANGER THINGS (Eleanor Burke and Ron Eyal, US/UK)    The Woodstock Film Festival, hailed as the most fiercely independent of regional events, wrapped its 11th edition this weekend with the Maverick Awards Ceremony that honored films and filmmakers in competition, as well as bestowing achievement awards to a diverse group of film luminaries. The sparkling event was held on Saturday evening at the historic Backstage Studio Productions Arts & Entertainment Co...

  As you walk along the Main Street of Woodstock, New York, it is often hard to tell which decade you are in. Peace signs, hippie clothing and psychedelic posters dominate the storefronts and the streets are filled with women with impossibly frizzy hair and men still wearing plaid shirts and bellbottom jeans. The music that spills out of the street is more 1960s rock than current urban hip hop…..in short, the spirit of dissidence, individuality and questioning of the institution...

    Woodstock, New York, nestled in the majestic Catskill Mountains about 100 miles of New York, has a unique perspective on “a New York state of mind”. Close enough to New York City to its south to be influenced by its multi-culturalism and razor-sharp analysis of everything from fashion to publishing to politics to Wall Street, it has also been a haven for ex-pat New Yorkers who burned out from the impossibly fast pace of the city and found an inspiring solace in the bucolic ...

  You maybe have heard of Woodstock.....the pastoral country town, not just the famed music festival. For those in the know, the two should not be confused, since the seminal 1969 music concert happened nearly 50 miles away. But the spirit of those times lives on in Woodstock, New York, where films fill the screen, music rocks the clubs and, oh yes, pot smoke (still) is in the air. Tie-dye still reigns in this Catskills bohemia, and each year the hippies (now entering menopause) joi...

  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...