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June 2004 Newsletter
FINAL ENTRY
DEADLINE COMING UP
- AUCTION NEWS -
CAN FILM
FESTIVAL TO SCREEN FARMINGVILLE -
PRODUCTION NEWS |
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FINAL ENTRY DEADLINE COMING UP
For info about music events, visit FOCUS ON MUSIC. |
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Check out and bid on some amazing items online as part of WFF's 2004 'NOT SO SILENT AUCTION.' Items include show tickets to Blue Man Group, Gathering of the Vibes, 42nd Street; a weekend stay at the Emerson Inn and Spa, Art Photos of Marlon Brando, Bob Dylan, Bjork, Deborah Harry, Anthony Hopkins - services – artwork from K.L. McKenna, Bill Ward, Lenny Kislin; Marmot’s Phenomenon El Jacket from Cabin Fever; the films of Ron Mann; memorabilia from George Clooney, Annabella Sciorra, Martin Scorsese, and much more. Online bidding will stop at 10am on Saturday, July 17. Two items - tickets to Gathering of the Vibes and tickets to Thoroughly Modern Millie" will end bidding early. The results will be announced and posted on 7/19 unless otherwise noted. Check out the goods at http://woodstockfilmfestival.com/auction.htm |
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WFF's CAN FILM
FESTIVAL TO SCREEN FARMINGVILLE In this award winning Independent Television Service (ITVS) and Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB) co-presentation documentary, the shocking hate-based attempted murders of two Mexican day laborers catapulted a small Long Island town into national headlines, unmasking a new front line in the border wars: suburbia. For nearly a year, Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini lived and worked in Farmingville, New York, so they could capture first-hand the stories of residents, day laborers and activists on all sides of the debate. Filmmaker Carlos Sandoval will be present for Q&A. |
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NO SHOULDER, based on a screenplay by local playwright/screenwriter Nina Shengold (Leading Women : Plays for Actresses 2) was in town to shoot exteriors in late May. The film, a Columbia University thesis production produced by Jennifer Grausman, directed by Suzi Yoonessi and starring Melissa Leo, (co-star of "21 Grams" and the upcoming "Hide and Seek," with Robert DeNiro), brought approximately 30 crew and cast members to the area. Local filmmaker Tobe Carey suggested the location -- Zena Highwoods Road -- to simulate the towering pines of Washington State's Olympia Peninsula, where the story is set. The scene included a truck, a sedan, 2 stunt drivers, rain towers, and a thoroughly wet hitchhiker. Making it additionally complicated, the scene was shot "day-for-night," a technique that allows filmmakers to shoot during the daytime, manipulate the exposure of the film on set and then in the lab, in a way that makes the scene appear to have occurred during the night. Captain Payton and volunteers from the Zena Volunteer Fire Department (Don Todd, John Mountford, Jon Crowley, Vikki Crowley, Renee Todd and Jim Crowley), local police officers, Jeremy Rushkoski and John Amorosa, as well as the Kingston Water Department played key roles in the success of the shoot. Local filmmakers also contributed to the production: cameraman Jamie Hull, production manager Bill Stitt, and various crew members. Family of Woodstock also played a key role. When it was discovered that an actress was shy a piece of wardrobe, Bill Stitt suggested Family of Woodstock as a possible source. Sure enough, wardrobe was found, a donation was made, the problem was solved and the show went on. NO SHOULDER was one of many recent productions brought to the area by the Woodstock Film Commission. Another recent shoot featured a Cosmopolitan photo spread. The Woodstock Film Commission, under the auspices of the Woodstock Film Festival, promotes sustainable economic development by attracting and supporting film, video and media production. |
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 Kip Pardue "Remember the Titans," "Driven"
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LOGGERHEADS Inspired by a true story, LOGGERHEADS interweaves three stories in three time periods in the three geographical regions of North Carolina. Grace (two-time Golden Globe nominee Bonnie Hunt) has moved in with her mother (two-time Oscar nominee Melinda Dillon) and embarks on a search for the child she secretly gave up for adoption as a teenager. The son Mark (“Remember the Titans” Kip Pardue), a charismatic drifter, travels to a coastal town to help save the endangered Loggerhead turtles. When Mark meets a local motel owner (“Dawn of the Dead’s Michael Kelly), he must decide whether to keep traveling or settle down. His adoptive mother Elizabeth (TBD) has lived a fishbowl existence as a small-town minister’s wife, and when her neighborhood starts to change around her, she must decide whether to stand by her conservative husband’s beliefs or take a stand on her own. The HBO star of “Deadwood's Robin Weigert and “An Officer and a Gentleman” co-star David Keith round out the cast. Oliver Bokelberg, who shot the Sundance winning “Station Agent” is on for lensing duties, and the film is cast and co-produced by Cindy Tolan, who cast John Sayles’ “Casa de los Babys” and Sundance-winning “Personal Velocity.” |
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HIGH TIMES She was the editor of a screenwriting magazine, Scenario and editor-at-large at Prison Life. She has interviewed scores of great directors including Francis Ford Coppola, Roman Polanski, Mary Harron, Steven Soderberg, and Darren Aronofsky. She has written numerous comic books and graphic novels for Marvel and D.C. Comics, including Typhoid, Kid Eternity, Daredevil, Longshot, and upcoming Batman stories. She was the script editor for The Fifth Night screenplay reading series at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Nocenti’s plays have been included in the 24-hour Play series and at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors series. The new publisher and editor in chief of High Times is part time Hudson Valley resident, Richard Stratton, the executive producer and creator of the hit dramatic Showtime series "Street Time". He wrote and produced the 1998 feature film, SLAM, which won the Grand Jury prize at Sundance and the Camera d’Or at Cannes, as well as numerous other awards. |
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SIGNE BAUMANE |
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HART PERRY, Hudson Valley resident and celebrated documentary filmmaker, has been shooting a documentary off and on for the last 6 years about Jesse Jackson. He recently traveled with him to Libya, Kosovo (to free US prisoners), Israel/Palestine, and all over the US to keep hope alive. The film is a "Fog of War" type doc with Hart doing all the shooting. He is currently raising funding for post production. Harts most recent film, which spanned and took over twenty years to film and finish is VALLEY OF TEARS. The documentary follows the lives of Mexican-American migrant farm workers in Raymondville, TX since 1979 when the onion workers' strike broke out. What followed was a fight not only for higher pay but also for equal rights and representation. For 24 years, the county's Mexican-American residents were determined to fight for their rights. The film is distributed by 7th Art Releasing. The New York Times’ Dave Kehr wrote: Dense, contradictory and distressingly honest, "Valley of Tears" is that rarity among political documentaries: a genuinely thought-provoking film. The documentary was recently awarded the Award for Best Documentary at Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, which showcases contemporary films by Latinos and indigenous peoples from North, Central, South America and the Caribbean. |
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DIGGING FOR DUTCH |
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BROTHER TO BROTHER "BROTHER TO BROTHER brings depth and intelligence to black politics and sexuality” -David Rooney, Variety |
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FERRY TALES,
which was nominated for a 2004 Academy Award and is also edited by
Sabine Hoffman) is playing at the Brooklyn Film Festival this coming
Sunday, June 13 at 4:00pm at the Brooklyn
Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. |
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PEACEABLE KINGDOM Breaking generations of silence in the farm community, Peaceable Kingdom weaves together themes of respect, forgiveness, commitment, and healing, offering a vision of a more peaceful world that is well within our reach. Plays FREE for everyone at Upstate Films on Saturday, June 19 at 1pm. Howard Lyman will be there in person. Lyman (affectionately known as “The Mad Cowboy”) a former cattle rancher/feedlot operator turned vegetarian and food safety activist. The event is co-sponsored by The Catskill Animal Sanctuary. Since 2001, Catskill Animal Sanctuary (CAS) has provided a safe and loving haven for abused and abandoned farm animals. CAS also provides innovative educational programs and resources to schools, youth organizations, and other community organizations. |
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| HUDSON VALLEY EVENTS | |||||
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INDIE ANNUAL
- 2004 EXHIBITION OF MULTIMEDIA WORK On June 4,5 and 6, come out to see film and video work by local teens. Onteora students have been hard at work this year creating some of the best fiction shorts, animations, documentaries and experimental media yet produced by this award winning class. David Nelsen Epstein and Taima Smith (co-director of "Searching for the Onteora Indian," "Najeeb" which both played at WFF) are co-teachers at Indielabs in Onteora. Indielabs is run by Indie Works, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to helping public schools engage students who are working below their potential. Screenings run from 7-9 at the Woodstock Community Center in Woodstock. Friday is dedicated to animation and experimental films. Saturday will screen short fiction and Sunday, documentaries. For additional information, call (845) 657-5100. |
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CLEARWATER
REVIVAL |
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HITS JUMP STARTS ITS SEASON (excerpted from the Daily Freeman) SAUGERTIES - Horse Shows In The Sun lived up to its name Sunday. Under a cloudless sky, the new $6 million hunter and jumper horse show grounds in Saugerties, HITS-on-the-Hudson, completed the first of seven weeks of its summer circuit in grand style. More than 4,500 attended the final day, highlighted by the $75,000 Mercedes Grand Prix. Chris Kappler, recently named to the U.S. equestrian team competing in this summer's Olympic Games in Athens, won the Grand Prix in an eight-horse jump-off. Prior to the main event, spectators were given an exhibition of international sports dressage and driving. Fans will get a better look at dressage Aug. 27-29 when Olympian Lendon Gray will hold a junior event, "Dressage 4 Kids." (read the full article at Daily Freeman) |
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AUTOGRAPH PARTYJune 19 from 5 – 6pm, celebrate the publication of "Healthy Highways: The Traveler's Guide to Healthy Eating" with a Golden Notebook autograph party at the Woodstock Guild. For additional info, call the Golden Notebook at 845-679-8000. Better still, come by for the party.
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GUDRUN’S TAPESTRY |
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SPONSOR NEWS |
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.gif){kind=small} WFF presenting sponsor, Markertek is one of the nation's largest direct marketers of broadcast & studio recording supplies and equipment. Whether you've visited them before or recently discovered them, you'll find that their way of doing business is simple. Markertek is the best professional supply solution for customers because they are the easiest, simplest, and most efficient place to find and buy everything you need for your studio or project. They have the most products in stock anywhere and ship quickly from warehouse distribution centers located on both coasts of the USA. Their team is the best in the industry because they support the customers through all phases of their needs. Markertek customers are backed by a name they can trust. |
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A LOVE LETTER (email) from WFF volunteer Carol Galione 3 June 2004 Dear Friends, When is the last time you actually got an email from someone you knew? Well I am going to send you this letter and I hope that you do just that, send this on to a friend or loved one, change the name if you'd like. If you can't pass it on, don't worry, you won't be smitten by god or have to watch seven years of really bad reality TV (Whoop's, maybe you will, sorry), nor will you have to endure locusts, (well maybe that's coming too), well I'll forgive you if you don't, how's that? What inspired me to send this letter is that many people I have spoken with lately have shared that they are feeling depressed, due to what is happening in the world today. I too have felt depressed, helpless, afraid and a little paralyzed, sickened by the grim reality of what is actually happening at this very moment, right now, and not just in the far corners of the world but here too at home sometimes. I'm sure you all know what I mean. I was also inspired by the power of this thing we have called the Internet. I've used it for many things, mostly out of convenience, but recently when helping to get the word out about an event, I realized how important it could be. I have been thinking for a while about something I could do personally, and I know it's not much but I got the idea to write this letter. I was thinking about that film that came out a few years ago, Pay it Forward, I believe it was called. I must confess I did not see the film but I remember hearing a lot about it and thinking, what a wonderful concept. I also remember that people received letters urging them to pay it forward, well I never received a letter like that and it occurred to me that maybe you didn't either. So here is your letter. Now, I know that all of you are extraordinary; I know that on a daily basis many of my friends do things like feed people, and coach baseball, and donate money and visit the sick and the elderly. I know that you are bright and aware that we are really capable of changing things by the way we vote or by organizing. I know that we may not even agree about what the problems are, that is not what I am speaking of for now. What I am talking about is something we all have that we don't even think about. I am talking about the gift of grace. I am talking about the biggest things that take the smallest effort really. I look around and see so many people suffering on a daily basis that well may be their problems won't be solved by a smile from a stranger, but think how many times you have been walking down the street wrapped up in your own little world and someone you don't even know gives you a smile, or if you are grumbling because you are late to work and traffic is horrendous and someone waves you into the merge lane, or someone holds the door for you or bends down to pick up something you've dropped. It is my theory that if we all felt a little warmth from each other we would be more likely to 'pay it forward'. We are all fortunate for different reasons and it is easy to take that for granted sometimes. Think of it this way; if we remember to pass on that good fortune in small ways we are all capable of, it is a way of constantly reaffirming our own good fortune. So that is it. As your friend I am asking you to give a smile, or a hug. Many of us are not aware of each other's personal struggles, some people wait weeks to feel the touch of another human being. Kids are being taught as early as grade school that it's sexual harassment. Remember when it was just nice to hold someone's hand? I am asking you all to tune in a little, be aware of other people's feelings. THERE ARE COUNTLESS WAYS TO DO A FAVOR. I hear from my elders about how people used to be courteous, I refuse to believe that the world is so different than it once was. People do not feel as alone when they know there is a neighbor close by to lend a helping hand, get to know your neighbors. A stranger is just someone you haven't introduced yourself to. I always say someone is less likely to do something bad to you if they know you, so think of it as insurance. We can set an example for the rest of the world. Watch out for not just yourselves but for each other, that is one way we can defiantly make the world a better place. In times like these it is hard to remember that we are more than just our government, or our state or our town or our school district or our church, we are people, and fortunately we do not run on gasoline, we run on love, feel the love, and pay it forward. Love your friend, neighbor, mother, sister, aunt, cousin, colleague, student and classmate, Carol Galione |
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The Woodstock Film Festival is a not-for-profit, 501 (C) 3 organization 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 Woodstock Film Commission promotes sustainable economic development by attracting and supporting film, video and media production. The Woodstock FIlm
Festival is made possible in part with public funds from the New York
State Council on the Arts, a State Agency |
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The Woodstock Film Festival newsletter is compiled and written by Laurent Rejto. If you would like to contribute a story idea, email Laurent@woodstockfilmfestival.com. |
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HOME Copyright, 2000-2004 - Woodstock Film Festival, Inc. |
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