The Woodstock Film Festival today proudly announces its full line-up of 150  ‘fiercely independent’ films, panels, concerts, parties and special events, as it prepares to celebrate its eighth year, Wednesday, October 10th through Sunday, October 14th. The arts colony festival has grown at a staggering pace, receiving more than 2000 submissions this year, setting a new record. Screenings include 8 world premieres, 7 U.S. premieres, 15 New York premieres, 9 East Coast premieres and 2 North American premieres.

The Honorary Maverick Award, given each year to an individual whose life and work is based on creativity, independent vision and social activism, will be presented to pioneering producer CHRISTINE VACHON of Killer Films, known for courageous films which challenge, provoke and hold true to the independent spirit.

The Honorary Trailblazer Award will be given to TED SARANDOS, Chief Content Officer at Netflix Inc., for his unwavering dedication and innovative approach to industry that opened a window of opportunity for filmmakers and niche production companies, enabling smaller and more alternative projects to be widely distributed.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

NARRATIVE FEATURES: 3 Americas directed by Cristina Kotz Cornejos; American Fork directed by Chris Bowman; August Evening directed by Chris Eska (Competition Finalist); The Cake Eaters directed by Mary Stuart Masterson; Chicago 10 directed by Brett Morgen; Choose Connor directed by Luke Eberl (Competition Finalist); Dark Matter directed by Chen Shi-Zheng; The Diving Bell and the Butterfly directed by Julian Schnabel ; Grace is Gone directed by James Strouse; The House is Burning directed by Holger Ernst; I’m Not There directed by Todd Haynes (Closing Night Film); In Search of a Midnight Kiss directed by Alex Holdridge (Competition Finalist); Iska’s Journey directed by Csaba Bollyk; Let Them Chirp Awhile directed by Jonathan Blitstein; Liberty Kid directed by Ilya Chaiken (Competition Finalist); The Living Wake directed by Sol Tryon (Competition Finalist); Married Life directed by Ira Sachs (Centerpiece Film); Neal Cassady directed by Noah Buschel (Competition Finalist); Reservation Road directed by Terry George; Severed Ways: The Norse Discovery of America directed by Tony Stone; Superheroes directed by Alan Brown; Trigger Man directed by Ti West; Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) directed by Patricia Riggen (Centerpiece Film).

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES: Begging Naked directed by Karen Gehres; Billy the Kid directed by Jennifer Venditti (Competition Finalist); Black, White and Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe directed by James Crump; Chasin’ Gus’ Ghost directed by Todd Kwait; Constantine’s Sword directed by Oren Jacoby (Competition Finalist); The Cool School directed by Morgan Neville (Competition Finalist); For Love of Julian directed by Meira Blaustein; Freeheld directed by Cynthia Wade; Good Ol’ Charles Schulz directed by David Van Taylor; Hippie Masala directed by Ulrich Grossenbacher and Damaris Luthi; How to Cook Your Life (Wie Mann Sein Leben Kocht) directed by Doris Durrie; Iron Ladies of Liberia directed by Daniel Junge and Siatta Scott Johnson (Competition Finalist); The Future is Unwritten directed by Julien Temple; Living the Blues directed by Timothy Duffy and Larry Banks; Making Trouble directed by Rachel Talbot (Competition Finalist); Moving Midway directed by Godfrey Cheshire (Competition Finalist); Neither Memory Nor Magic (Work in Progress) directed by Hugo Perez; Nomadak.Tx directed by Raul de la Fuente; Operation Filmmaker directed by Nina Davenport; Oswald’s Ghost directed by Robert Stone; Run Granny Run directed by Marlo Poras (Competition Finalist); Steal A Pencil For Me directed by Michele Ohayon; SUPER HIGH ME directed by Michael Blieden; Surfwise directed by Doug Pray; Terror’s Advocate directed by Barbet Schroeder; The Unforeseen directed by Laura Dunn; War/Dance directed by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine.

WORLD CLASS SHORTS: Over 70 world-class shorts will be screened in eight different program sets including Animation, Short Docs and Youth Screening. Highlights include Andrew Zuckerman’s High Falls starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, playing the Rosendale Theater near the town of High Falls. Benjamin Gray’s HUNTER starring Larry Fessenden, will screen in the town of Hunter. RED ANGEL starring Fisher Stevens is one of many shorts shot in and around the Hudson Valley. Animation highlights include THE PEARCE SISTERS from Aardman Animations (Wallace & Gromit) and Shuteye Hotel from WFF Animation co-programmer Bill Plympton. Shows include Animation, Short Docs, Youth Screenings, Shorts Program 1, Shorts Program 2, Shorts Program 3, Shorts Program 4, Shorts Program 5 and Shorts Program 6.

PANELS & PANELISTS: Panels include Entertainment Law, Where Journalism Ends and Filmmaking Begins, BMI Music for Film, Amazing Women in Film, Film Distribution in the 21st Century, Indie Filmmakers Talk, and the Actors Dialogue, with  a virtual who’s who of indie film: Jackie Borock, Ira Schrek, Steven Beer, Robert Seigel, Jonathan Gray, Molly Thompson, Robert Stone, Thelma Adams, Mary Stuart Masterson, Katie Roumel, David D’Arcy, Michele Ohayon, Bill Siegel, Dade Hayes, Bingham Ray, Wendy Lidell, Ben Stambler, Ted Sarandos, Tom Quinn, Doreen Ringer-Ross, Bill Plympton, Moby, Brett Morgen, William Ross, Martha Frankel, Patricia Clarkson, Peter Bowen, Ira Sachs, Ron Mann, Joana Vicente. Presented at Utopia Studio in Bearsville.

CONCERTS: Woodstock is synonymous with music. So each year it is no surprise the Woodstock Film Festival rounds out the festival experience with concerts by fresh, independent musicians. MECHANICAL BULL kicks things off Friday, October 12, at 9:30 PM at the Colony Café in Woodstock. Former wanderer-cum-Woodstock local Chase Pierson’s country heartbreak band grew out of the ashes of his first marriage.  The band released its first album in 2006, Songs to Get Divorced To. Their new album, A Million Yesterday drops this October. REVISION follows on Friday, October 12, at 9:30 PM at the Colony Café in Woodstock. Emerging from the thriving college town of Ithaca, NY, Revision has hit the road hard and has shared the stage with bands such as Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, George Clinton, Derek Trucks, and Soulive. THE FELICE BROTHERS perform Saturday, October 13, at 9:30 PM at the Colony Cafe in Woodstock.  Since the release of their debut album Through These Reins and Gone in 2006, the brothers Felice have toured the U.K and the States and released two new albums Tonight at the Arizona and The Adventures of the Felice Brothers, Volume 1.

Save the dates of October 10-14 for the Woodstock Film Festival