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HONORARY MAVERICK AWARD RECIPIENT
BRUCE BERESFORD

BRUCE BERESFORD, the two-time Academy Award nominated writer/director will be presented with the 2010 Honorary Maverick Award by the Woodstock Film Festival, during its Gala Award Ceremony, Saturday evening, October 2, at BackStage Productions in Kingston, NY.

"We are thrilled to be presenting our Honorary Maverick Award to Bruce Beresford this year," said WFF Co-Founder and Executive Director Meira Blaustein. "Throughout his extensive body of work, Beresford has exhibited unique talent, drawing award winning performances from his actors while subtly creating stories filled with humanity, nuances and discontent. His ability to masterfully bring heart, soul, and social critique to all of his work distinguishes him as a true maverick."

"As a kid growing up in outback Australia I always wanted to be a film director," Beresford reminisced. "Now, at age 70 (!) I am so lucky to have made films all over the world, including a number in America - where I have been welcomed and made so many friends. To be honored at Woodstock is a great thrill for me, the recognition (but not the finale, I hope) of my 50 years in the film industry."

Insightful, politically conscious dramas, Beresford's intelligent works of art depict real-life characters locked in life and death struggles with dark elements of their societies. In his films, characters have lived in a collection of vastly different environments from the Irish courts of the 1950s, to the pre-civil rights south; from the harsh world of seventeenth century Canada to a British military camp during the Boer War; yet in every struggle, Beresford's characters always valiantly fight for compassion, truth and justice.

Woodstock's dedication to the same values his characters espouse could be what brought him to Woodstock for his upcoming project Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding starring Jane Fonda., Catherine Keener and Chase Crawford

A native of Australia, Beresford graduated Sydney University in 1962, afterwards traveling to England seeking film work. After spending two years in Nigeria editing films, he returned to Australia, where he made his directorial debut in 1972. His international reputation blossomed as part of the Australian new wave, when the astonishing courtroom drama Breaker Morant (1980) won major awards and the screenplay, which Beresford co-wrote, was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1983, Beresford helmed Tender Mercies which was nominated for five Academy Awards. The extraordinarily successful Driving Miss Daisy (1989) was nominated for nine Academy Awards, won four including best picture, best actress (Jessica Tandy), and best screenplay (Alfred Uhry).

An extremely talented director of actors, Beresford has directed six stars in Academy Award nominated performances (Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Tess Harper, Morgan Freeman, Tandy, and Dan Aykroyd) as well as being nominated for two Academy Awards himself both for directing (Tender Mercies) and writing (Breaker Morant).

Beresford's work includes: Breaker Morant (1980); Tender Mercies (1983); Driving Miss Daisy (1989); Black Robe (1991); Double Jeopardy (1999); Evelyn (2002) and Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding (2010)

The Honorary Maverick Award is given each year to an individual whose life and work is based on creativity, independent vision and social activism. Previous recipients include Richard Linklater, Kevin Smith, Christine Vachon, Barbara Kopple, Tim Robbins, Les Blank, D.A. Pennebaker & Chris Hegedus, Woody Harrelson, Mira Nair and Steve Buscemi.

HONORARY TRAILBLAZER AWARD RECIPIENT
BOB BERNEY

The Woodstock Film Festival is thrilled to announce that long time film distribution guru BOB BERNEYwill be honored as the 2010 Woodstock Film Festival Trailblazer Award recipient.

Berney has been a preeminent force in the international film world for more than two decades operating four of the most successful independent film distribution and marketing companies: Apparition, Picturehouse, Newmarket Films and IFC Films. Berney's sharp eye for performances and material has brought a multitude of smart, challenging and entertaining films to the screen.

"We are honored to present our Trailblazer Award to Bob Berney," said Meira Blaustein, co-founder and director of WFF. "His innovative approach to film marketing and distribution has been admired by many in our industry and his independent and uncompromising spirit make him the epitome of a Trailblazer."

"I'm glad to be thought of as a 'trailblazer' instead of an 'industry vet,' for a change, it's very nice.  I respect the spirit of the Woodstock Film Festival; it's adventuresome programming, not only in film but in music and many other art forms. The sense of community there reminds me of my days in the movie theatre business and the pure joy of experiencing something new through film in a shared environment," said Berney. "One of my favorite memories is being in Levon Helm's 'barn' after a great film and extending that creative excitement through his music. I'm very honored to be part of this year's event and glad to hang out in Woodstock for a while."

"How do you know Bob Berney is the essence of true independence?" asks James Schamus, CEO of Focus Features and a previous Trailblazer Award Recipient, "You can use the names of both Todd Solondz and Mel Gibson in the same sentence when celebrating him. How awesome is that?"

Beginning his career in exhibition, managing and owning successful movie theaters in Texas, Berney has film credits that speak for themselves. As founder and operator of Apparition, Picturehouse, Newmarket Films and IFC Films, Berney has overseen the releases of Academy Award nominated and winning films There Will Be Blood, Monster, La Vie En Rose, The Passion of the Christ, Whale Rider, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Y Tu Mama Tambien, A Prairie Home Companion, Pan's Labyrinth, Mongol and many more. In addition to critical successes, Berney has a proven track record for acquiring material that audiences want to see, including box office smashes like The Passion of the Christ ($370 million) and My Big Fat Greek Wedding ($240 million).

As an independent distribution and marketing consultant, Berney was responsible for the release of Christopher Nolan's Memento for Newmarket Capital Group and Todd Solondz's critically acclaimed Happiness for Good Machine International (now Focus Features).

EXCELLENCE IN ACTING AWARD for performances in Hollywood and Independent Film

In addition to his film roles, Reeves has also performed in theater. His performance in the title role in a Manitoba Theatre Centre production of Hamlet was praised by Roger Lewis, the Sunday Times, who called Reeves “...one of the top three Hamlets I have seen, for a simple reason: he is Hamlet.”

Reeves also has musical interests and played bass guitar in the grunge band Dogstar.