Woodstock Film Festival PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Abbe Aronson, Publicity Director, 845-679-6302 or 845.679.4265 press@woodstockfilmfestival.com    

TURNING A PERSONAL EYE ON WORLD HISTORY,  

TWELVE DISCIPLES OF NELSON MANDELA TO SCREEN AT WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL’S FILM SERIES

(Woodstock NY) – May 16, 2007: “There’s nothing half so pleasant as coming home again,” goes an old adage. Never truer nor more bittersweet for filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris, whose TWELVE DISCIPLES OF NELSON MANDELA will be shown on June 9th as part of the Woodstock Film Festival Film Series sponsored by Assemblyman Kevin A Cahill.

Screening starts at 1 PM at the Shadowland Theater in Ellenville, NY. Assemblyman Cahill will be on hand to introduce the film. Post screening, a Q&A with director Harris, an Orange County / Hudson Valley resident, will follow.

Confronted by the death of his stepfather, director Harris (E MINHA CARA/THAT’S MY FACE) embarks on a journey of reconciliation with the man who raised him as a son but whom he could never call “father.”  B. Pule Leinaeng ("Lee") was an African National Congress foot soldier, who sacrificed his life for the freedom of his country.  As part of the first wave of South African exiles, Lee and eleven comrades left their home in 1960 to broadcast to the world the brutality of the apartheid system and to raise support for the ANC and its leaders, Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo. Drawing upon the memories of the surviving disciples and their families, young South African actors portray the harrowing events of the exodus and exile and in so doing, forge their own reconciliation between the generations

“I am happy to have obtained the funding for this regional film series,” said Cahill.  “It is clear that the arts are gaining momentum as an economic engine in the Hudson Valley. My thanks to Meira Blaustein and the Woodstock Film Festival for their hard work in bringing this idea to life.”

As with the rest of the Cahill-sponsored series, the screening is FREE to the public, but reservations are required and tickets are limited. To make reservations, visit www.woodstockfilmfestival.com or call (845) 810-0131.

ABOUT THE WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL:

The eighth annual Woodstock Film Festival takes place October 10-14, 2007. The ‘fiercely independent’ event will include more than 150 films, panels, concerts, and special events that will be featured at venues in Woodstock and the neighboring towns of Rhinebeck, Hunter, and Rosendale. Over the years, the Woodstock Film Festival has established itself as one of the best independent film events in the country by premiering exceptional films, hosting the most talented emerging and established professionals in the movie industry, presenting A-list concerts, parties and panels, and creating stimulating year-round programming.

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 promotes artists, culture, inspired learning, and diversity.