The Woodstock Film Festival announced a lineup of more than 100 feature films, documentaries, and shorts to be presented at its second annual gathering Thursday Sept. 20 through Sunday Sept. 23 in Woodstock, NY.
The fiercely independent festival will open with the New York Premiere of “Novocaine,” directed by David Atkins, starring Steve Martin, followed with a Friday screening of the U.S. Premiere of Chelsea Walls, the feature directorial debut of Ethan Hawke. Other films to be highlighted include Dirk Benedict’s Cahoots, starring Keith Carradine, Acts of Worship directed by Rosemary Rodriguez, The American Astronaut by The Billy Nayer Show’s Cory McAbee and the North American Premiere of Down and Out with the Dolls directed by Kurt Voss.
“As we get ready for the convergence of some of the most talented independent filmmakers in the world, I can see that our 2001 line up reflects the fabric of our times – diverse, creative, strong on content and style, and always challenging”, said Festival Director Meira Blaustein at the kick-off announcement at The Knitting Factory in NYC. “This festival is created by filmmakers for filmmakers. We celebrate the brave new voices who are re-inventing the world map of independent film.”
The annual 2001 Honorary Maverick Award will be presented to legendary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker and his partner Chris Hegedus, for their lifetime commitment to documentary filmmaking. Cinematic groundbreaker Albert Maysles will present the award on the closing night of the festival. Another legend of independent film, Jonas Mekas, will present a special three day program on the history of American Avant-Garde Cinema.
There are three new awards this year: The Elmer Bernstein Award for Best Musical Score, judged and presented by Mr. Bernstein, and the Haskell Wexler Award for Best Cinematography, judged and presented by Mr. Wexler. Both maestro’s will participate in special workshops during the weekend. Also new this year, the Best Animation Award, judged and presented by animation wizard Bill Plympton.
Other festival participants include Ethan Hawke, Keith Carradine, Stanley Tucci, Karyn Kusama, Lisa Krueger, Mary Harron, Fisher Stevens, and Tim Blake Nelson.
From the Aquarian Age to the Digital Age, the four day festival offers a stimulating line-up of workshops, seminars and special programs featuring key film professionals including · Women in Film · Actor’s Dialogue · Digital Filmmaking · The Music Documentary · Distributing Your Film-The True Story · Animation · Interactive Media Forum · Films of Social Responsibility · 35mm Production · Sound & Vision · The Children’s Media Project and more.
Music is synonymous with Woodstock and music is always an important part of the Woodstock Film Festival. Several films have musical tie-in’s including Down From the Mountain, Femmes de Jazz, The American Astronaut, Seeking Heat, Existo, Los Amigos Invisibles: The Making of Arepa 3000 and Inside Out in the Open. Also featured is a program on Cinematic Music Videos featuring works by Guy Ritchie, Spike Jonze and Hal Hartley.
Musicians scheduled to perform at festival events include Chris Thomas King (O’Brother, Where Art Thou), The Billy Nayer Show (The American Astronaut), Marshall Crenshaw, Uncle Funk, Kate Pierson (of the B-52’s) with Sarah Lee and Gail Dorsey, and others. Just two hours from NYC, with a century-old tradition as the “Colony of the Arts,” the town of Woodstock is the cornerstone of the re-emergence of the Hudson Valley Catskills as a center for the arts and culture. With last years’ festival a virtual sell-out, visitors planning to attend in 2001 are advised to book early to secure accommodations and festival tickets.
For a complete listing of festival events and screening info, call 845-679-4265 or get more info from the official Woodstock Film Festival web site.
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