FIERCELY INDEPENDENT!
WFF 2013 MAVERICK AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Peter Bogdanovich, Mira Nair, and remarkable independent filmmakers highlight night

Best Narrative Feature: THE FORGOTTEN KINGDOM directed by Andrew Mudge Honorable Mention: WINTER IN THE BLOOD directed by Alex and Andrew Smith

Best Documentary Feature: AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY: THE EVOLUTION OF GRACE LEE BOGGS directed by Grace Lee Honorable Mention: MAGICAL UNIVERSE directed by Jeremy Workman

Woodstock, NY (Oct. 5, 2013) – The 14th annual Woodstock Film Festival Maverick Awards Gala was held tonight at the historic Backstage Studio Productions in Kingston, NY. The festival, which began Wednesday, Oct. 2, will close on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013, celebrating 14 years of exceptional independent film, panels, concerts, events and parties with the best of the indie film world.

This year's awards ceremony witnessed legendary director Peter Bogdanovich recieve the Honorary Maverick Lifetime Achievement Award. Revered for his work in films like The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon, Bogdanovich starred in the New York Premiere of Will Slocombe's feature narrative, Cold Turkey, and also participated in an unforgettable panel following the screening.

The Meera Gandhi Giving Back Award was presented to acclaimed filmmaker and activist Mira Nair during Saturday night's ceremony. Best known for her features Monsoon Wedding and Salaam Bombay! as well as her accomplishments in documentary filmmaking, Nair set up the Salaam Baalak Trust for India's street children from film profits and has recieved many distinguished awards for her work in film. Nair also participated in a panel discussion earlier Saturday afternoon with Academy Award-winning film composer, Mychael Danna, who has worked with Nair on films including Vanity Fair and New York, I Love You.

WFF Awards ceremony guests, presenters and award recipients included Peter Bogdanovich, Mira Nair, Andy Garcia, Stephen Dorff, Mayor Shayne Gallo, Tom Gilroy, Liz Garbus, Leon Gast, Bill Plympton, Joe Berlinger, Nancy Savoca and many others. Live music was provided by Paul Green's Band of Monkeys, while cocktails and appetizers were graciously provided by our sponsors.

The Maverick Award for BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE was presented to:
The Forgotten Kingdom, directed byAndrew Mudge
Honorable Mention was presented to Winter In the Blood, directed by Alex and Andrew Smith

The Maverick Award for BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY was presented to:
American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, directed by Grace Lee
Honorable Mention was presented to Magical Universe, directed by Jeremy Workman

The Maverick Award for BEST ANIMATION was presented to:
Feral, directed by Daniel Sousa
Honorable Mention was presented to A Tangled Tale, directed by Corrie Francis Parks

The Diane Seligman Award for BEST SHORT NARRATIVE was presented to
The Earth, the Way I Left It, directed by Jeff Pinilla

The Diane Seligman Award for BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM was presented to
Above The Sea, directed by Keola Racela;
Honorable Mention was presented to Late Spring, directed by Zachery Kerschberg

The Diane Seligman Award for BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY was presented to
Poustinia, directed by Kristian Berg
Honorable Mention was presented to The Beast and the Angel, directed by Shira Piven

The Haskell Wexler Award for BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY was presented to
The Forgotten Kingdom, cinematography by Carlos Carvalho

James Lyons Award for BEST EDITING of a FEATURE NARRATIVE was presented to
The Forgotten Kingdom, directed and edited by Andrew Mudge

James Lyons Award for BEST EDITING of a FEATURE DOCUMENTARY was presented to
The Manor, directed by Shawney Cohen and edited by Seth Poulin
HONORARY MAVERICK LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD was presented to
Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon)

MEERA GANDHI GIVING BACK AWARD was presented to
Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay!, Monsoon Wedding, Vanity Fair)
TANGERINE ENTERTAINMENT JUICE AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE FEATURE DIRECTOR was presented to
Stacie Passon, director of Concussion

The Woodstock Film Festival has an outstanding group of industry leaders who make up the jury for each category of competition:
Feature Narrative Jurors: Richard Abramowitz, Nancy Savoca, Nancy Schafer
Feature Documentary Jurors: Joe Berlinger, Liz Garbus, Cynthia Kane
Shorts Documentary Jurors: Leon Gast, Lisa Gossels, Paul Rachman
Shorts Narrative Jurors: Shawn Christensen, Jonathan Gray, Lydia Dean Pilcher
Student Short Film Jurors: Isil Bagdadi, Amy Devra Gossels, Lori Singer
Animation Jurors: Signe Baumane, Bill Plympton
Cinematography Juror: Haskell Wexler
Editing Jurors (Narrative): Affonso Goncalves, Sabine Hoffman, Kate Sanford
Editing Jurors (Documentary): Sabine Hoffman, Michael Levine, Fiona Otway

The Maverick Award trophies are handcrafted by local artisan Steve Heller of Fabulous Furniture in Boiceville, NY.

The Sponsors for the 2013 Woodstock Film Festival are:
Gold Sponsors: 120 dB Films, Markertek.com, Toyota
Silver Sponsors: Christopher Street Financial, Ketel One Vodka, Sean Eldridge
Superstar Sponsors: BMI, Tuthilltown Spirits, Hudson Whiskey, Metrovision, WDST 100.1
Award Sponsors: The Giving Back Foundation, Blue Sky Studios, Filmswelike, Gigantic Pictures, Lowel Light, Panavision, Tangerine Entertainment, Technicolor Postworks NY
Foundation Support: ALPM Foundation, The Perry & Martin Granoff Family Foundation, The Highrock Foundation, Alfred Lee and Peter Mayer Foundation, Martin and Toni Sosnoff Foundation
Federal, State, and County Support: NYSCA

The festival will come to a close tomorrow night with the screenings of ASS BACKWARDS, directed by Chris Nelson (Woodstock Playhouse, 6:30PM) and locally shot WE ARE WHAT WE ARE, directed by Jim Mickle (Woodstock Playhouse, 9:30PM) . The films will bring to a close WFF's annual five days of celebration of independent film, filmmakers and their audiences, taking place around the historic arts colony of Woodstock and the neighboring towns of Rhinebeck, Kingston, Rosendale and Saugerties. Stay tuned for the announcement of the Audience Award Winners Sunday night, Oct. 6!

The 15th annual Woodstock Film Festival will take place next fall from Oct. 1-5, 2014! Mark your calendars and look forward to joining WFF for next year's fiercely independent celebration of film.

About the Woodstock Film Festival:
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 Woodstock Film Festival will celebrate its 14th Annual Festival October 2-6, 2013, with an extraordinary line-up of fiercely independent films, panels, concerts and special events in Woodstock and the neighboring towns of Rhinebeck, Kingston, Rosendale and Saugerties.

2013 Sponsors