August 19, 2012
Film, Foliage, and Fame at 13th Annual Woodstock Film Festival
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 3 MIN.
WOODSTOCK, NY - Fierce film. Fabulous foliage. Famous faces. This year, the Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) celebrates emerging and established voices in independent film October 10-14 with an expanded roster of special screenings, events, concerts and parties just two hours north of NYC.
Now in its 13th year, this premier event was named as one of the top 50 film fests in the world by Indiewire. And while the festival reflects the fiercely independent spirit of the historic arts colony in Woodstock, the festivities are held across the region, including Kingston, Rhinebeck, Rosendale, and Saugerties- the picturesque site for Chelsea Clinton's wedding.
Merchants, restaurants and watering holes in each town will welcome festival-goers with an expanded array of special discounts, offers and activities. The lower Hudson Valley is known for majestic mountains dotted by shops, galleries and restaurants featuring fresh local produce, home cooking and gourmet cuisine courtesy of graduates from the nearby Culinary Institute of America.
Also new this year, a limited number of special WFF lodging packages with priority access for booking tickets will be available at some of the region's finest lodging such as The 1850 House Inn & Tavern, newly re-opened in Rosendale, recently remodeled with the amenities of a boutique hotel, the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, a Victorian stone castle resort set on spectacular cliffs with commanding views of the foliage and The Looking Glass Bed & Breakfast quaintly si tuated near the center of Rhinebeck with included wine tasting courtesty of Old Mill Wine & Spirits.
Availabilty is limited, so attendees should consider booking before August 1. More information will be found at www.woodstockfilmfestival.com including links to a wide spectrum of lodging from luxury to rustic.
This year WFF's roster of more than 150 events will include an Actor's Choice curated program where some of the many accomplished actors with ties to the Hudson Valley will spotlight a film and filmmaker that will include a screening and panel with fellow actors and filmmakers.
"WFF is always a pleasure to attend," said award winning actor and filmmaker Steve Buscemi (HBO's Boardwalk Empire) "the talent that is showcased always amazes me."Academy Award Winner Melissa Leo, Keanu Reeves, Ellen Barkin, Mark Ruffalo, Adrian Grenier and Edie Falco are among the accomplished actors, directors and filmmakers with ties to the Hudson Valley who have also recently attended.
Tickets go on sale in September, and the full schedule will be announced just weeks before. The venues are intimate and many events sell out quickly, particularly those with celebrity participants.
Tickets can be purchased at box offices in Woodstock and Rhinebeck or online at woodstockfilmfestival.com, where you can also register for email updates and don't forget to Like WFF on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/woodstockfilmfestival) for up-to-the-minute details on year-round special events and other news.
Hailed by Indiewire as "A true American Maverick Among Fests" and praised by actor Ethan Hawke as "among the finest of a dying breed: a festival that isn't trying to sell you anything, but simply and beautifully celebrating the art & craft of filmmaking", the Woodstock Film Festival premiers exceptional films, hosts the most talented emerging and established professionals in the movie industry; presents A-list concerts, panels and parties, and creates stimulating, innovative programming year-round.
The Woodstock Film Festival is a non-profit, 501c3 with a mission to present an annual program and year-round schedule of film, music and art-related activities that promote artists, culture, inspired learning and diversity. The organization is based in THE FILM CENTER in Woodstock, NY.
The Woodstock Film Festival will celebrate its 13th Annual Festival October 10-14, 2012, with an extraordinary line-up of fiercely independent films, panels, concerts and special events in Woodstock and the neighboring towns of Rhinebeck, Saugerties, Boiceville, Kingston and Rosendale.
INFO:
P.O Box 1406, Woodstock, NY 12498 - (845) 679-4265
[email protected]
www.woodstockfilmfestival.com
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A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.
