15th ANNUAL WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL
UNVEILS 2014 FILMS IN COMPETITION

Official Jury 2014 to include:

Feature Narrative: Debra Granik, Logan Hill, Melissa Leo
Editing, Narrative: Sabine Hoffman, Andrew Marcus, Richard Chew

Feature Documentary: Joe Berlinger, Amy Hobby, Barbara Kopple
Editing, Documentary: Sandra Christie, Jean Tsien, Sabine Hoffman

Cinematography: Haskell Wexler

Short Narrative: Jonathan Gray, Leah Meyerhoff, Lori Singer
Short Documentary: Leon Gast, Emily Rothschild, Todd Wider
Student Short Film: Isil Bagdadi, Terry Kinney, Michael Cristofer

Animation: Signe Baumane, Bill Plympton, Patrick Smith

Ultra Indie: Richard Abramowitz, Larry Fessenden, Amy Gossels

Best Female Director: Anne Hubbell, Amy Hobby

ARWAD

Directed by Samer Najari and Dominique Chila
New York Premiere

Rarely does a film combine such high quality elements. With Arwad, directors Dominique Chila and Samer Najari have crafted a visually stunning, emotionally charged masterpiece. Ali (Ramzi Choukair, who has been described as the Syrian Javier Bardem) struggles with a harsh middle-aged reality after his beloved mother dies. Torn between a wife and a mistress; his family and a desire for adventurous spontaneity; the old world and the new; he travels home with his mistress and his mother’s ashes to rediscover his roots.

An unexpected turn of events connects past and present in a film that is exotic, romantic and foreboding. The soundtrack provides a sparse yet distinct and amorous background matching the romantic setting of the remote Syrian island. The acting is transcendent and raw, including a commanding performance by Julie McClemens, who plays the understanding but psychologically exhausted wife. Arwad is an absolute standout of this festival season.– Johnny Misheff

Screening Fri. 10/17 Upsate Films Theater Woodstock 4:45pm and Sun. 10/19 Orpheum Theater Saugerties 12:30pm.

THE LAST TIME YOU HAD FUN

Directed by Mo Perkins
East Coast Premiere

Mo Perkins directs an emotional journey of four struggling adults trying to let loose in The Last Time You Had Fun, a lighthearted film about divorce, unhappiness, disloyalty and love.

Meet Ida, Alison, Clark, and Will, who attempt to escape it all for just one night. Trying to recreate the events that inspired the last time Clark could remember having fun (an episode involving a fully stocked stretch limousine), they meet their uninhibited selves, and embark on a night long joy ride of self discovery.

The spot-on ensemble featuring performances by Kyle Bornheimer, Eliza Coupe, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Demetri Martin, and Carlyne Yi, will connect with anyone who has ever been in a relationship, and will take audiences on a journey of raucous humor and candor. –Cristin Carlin

Screening Sat. 10/18 Orpheum Theater Saugerties 9:40pm and Sun. 10/19 Upstate Films Woodstock 4:45pm.

LISTENING

Directed by Khalil Sullins
World Premiere

Listening brings us a powerful debut from director Khalil Sullins, as it skirts the sci-fi genre with its own unique storytelling approach and bold cinematic style. Many of us have fantasized about having the power to read minds but a dark side looms.

In this psychological thriller, a group of penniless graduate students think they have solved their financial problems when they invent a new technology that allows them to share each other's thoughts. What they don't realize is that they have opened up a Pandora's box that will come crashing down on them. As the experiment destroys their relationships and falls into the wrong hands, the audience is presented with a color-saturated vision of a new reality that twists and turns along the way. –Sam Robotham

Screening Thurs. 10/16 at Upstate Films Woodstock 9:30pm and Fri. 10/17 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 8:30pm

MAN WHO SAVED THE WORLD, THE

Directed by Peter Anthony
World Premiere

No one knows his name. No one knows his story. But everyone owes their life to Stanislav Petrov.
September 26, 1983, Stanislav Petrov saves the world from nuclear Armageddon. Decades later, after his life has unraveled around him, his contribution to the world today is recognized, and he embarks on a spectacular journey to save himself. The Man Who Saved the World seamlessly mixes fact and fiction to create a historical thriller and personal redemption story. This unlikely real life hero reminds us how close we came to Apocalypse, and what the loss of billions of lives looks and feels like.

Screening Fri. 10/17 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 5:45pm and Sat. 10/18 Upstate Films Woodstock 12pm

PATRICK'S DAY

Directed by Terry McMahon
East Coast Premiere

In Patrick's Day, Terry McMahon writes and directs about the destructive force of love, the question of sanity, the value of intimacy, the impact of memory and the consequence of choice. Patrick, a warm, open, twenty-six year old virgin schizophrenic played beautifully by the talented Moe Dunford, falls in love with Karen, a suicidal flight attendant, setting off a magical yet impossible love affair.
Convinced that Karen will either break her son's heart or steal his affection, Patrick's mother enlists the help of dysfunctional detective, who will use his position to help her, for a price.

With exquisite cinematography and stellar performances, audiences are skillfully guided on a ride through a chaotic circus of emotions in this provocative Irish film. –Cristin Carlin

Screening Fri. 10/17 Upstate Films Rhinebeck at 3:45pm and Sat. 10/18 Upstate Films Woodstock at 4:15pm

THE RED ROBIN

Directed by Michael Z. Wechsler
New York Premiere

Judd Hirsch plays Dr. Shellner, a Nobel Prize winning psychiatrist whose work with war refugees has brought him considerable fame. While doing PTSD-related work in war zones decades ago, Shellner adopted three orphans who crossed his path. These now grown children, along with his biological son, have gathered in their childhood home to celebrate their dying father's 75th birthday.
The reunion doesn't turn out quite as Shellner expected when adopted son Tommy, (Ryan O'Nan), accuses him of war crimes and mind control experiments.

Tommy's story starts to take on an element of truth, as strange things begin to unfold. Eerie flashbacks suggest hidden secrets in a long night of accusations and revelations.

The Red Robin combines family drama with psychological thriller, and keeps the audience perched on the edge of their seats to see how it ultimately unfolds. –Ben F. Fischer

Screening Fri. 10/17 Upstate Films Woodstock 9:45pm and Sun. 10/19 Orpheum Theater Saugerties 5:45pm

WHITE RABBIT

Directed by Tim McCann
East Coast Premiere

Told from the inside out with haunting revelations along the way, we first meet Harlon as a vulnerable three-year old, back to camera, as he endures the abuse of his cruel, homophobic and overbearing father. Growing up in gun country and forced to shoot a white rabbit, Harlon's world is soon infiltrated by voices and images that take on increasing ferocity as he becomes the target of schoolyard bullies. His only friends are Julie, an emotionally unstable newcomer, and his best friend Stevie, a vulnerable, undersized side kick.
White Rabbit is a voyage into the heart of madness so skillfully drawn we can't help feeling compassion. Flawless performances coupled with first-rate cinematography in the service of an all too timely subject make this a psychological study you won't want to miss. This is masterful filmmaking. –Barbara Pokras, ACE

Screening Fri. 10/17 Rosendale Theatre 9pm and Sun. 10/19 Upstate Films Woodstock 7:30pm

WILDLIKE

Directed by Frank Hall Green

WildLike is an overwhelmingly beautiful and intoxicating tale of two strangers who cross paths in the wilderness of the Alaskan frontier.
Mackenzie, portrayed by the show stopping young actress Ella Purnell, is sent to live with her uncle who is played by Brian Geraghty in an unnervingly brilliant role. Utterly on her own, she struggles to navigate her way back to her mother in Seattle. Her hapless journey across the last frontier changes we she begins to follow a solitary backpacker, played magnificently by the rugged Bruce Greenwood.

While the breathtaking Alaskan scenery is a sight to behold on screen, the real beauty in this film comes from the actors' extraordinary performances. The characters are undeniable in their complete captivation of the audience. Through Frank Hall Green's impeccable direction, the story is brought to life with both authenticity and wonder. WildLike offers viewers an emotional and provocative film experience that exemplifies the potential caring embedded in human nature. WildLike takes viewers on an adventure of body and soul in an emotionally captivating and provocative film experience.

Screening Thurs. 10/16 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 7pm and Sat. 10/18 Woodstock Playhouse 2pm

A SNAKE GIVES BIRTH TO A SNAKE

Directed by Michael Lessac
U.S. Premiere

How do we heal a world where neighbors kill neighbors and violence runs rampant? A diverse group of South African actors try to share a message of rapprochement based on the Truth and Reconciliation hearings in their own country. As the troupe tours war-torn regions of Northern Ireland, Rwanda, and the former Yugoslavia, they ignite a highly charged dialogue among people still suffering from the raw memories of recent atrocities in their own countries.

Emotions are right on the surface. This powerful play turns real as the actors question their own capacity for healing and forgiveness. Everyone is forced to confront their homeland's violent past and no one comes out of it unscathed. Featuring original music composed on screen for the play by jazz legend Hugh Masekela, A Snake Gives Birth to a Snake brings us full circle to the question of can we put aside our differences to create a world where all people can live with respect and justice. —Ben F. Fischer

Screening Fri. 10/17 Woodstock Playhouse 5pm and Sun. 10/19 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 12pm

DOWN IN SHADOWLAND

Directed by Tom DiCillo
World Premiere

If the whole of humanity were marched before our eyes, it might resemble Down in Shadowland, a descent into the subterranean universe of the iconic New York City subway. Told in eight parts, each probing ever more deeply into the human psyche, "Shadowland is a profound meditation on the human condition.

This is a world where the camera is restless, constantly exploring, unearthing private movements, holding until we are struck with revelation. A telephone receiver hangs down, an impotent reminder of disconnect, like the hordes of people oblivious of one another. Just when we think we're following someone, they disappear. The train itself becomes both serpent and protector, alternately maniacal and comforting. Every strata of life – howling madmen, distracted mothers, sleepy children – reveals itself.

Bold, masterful and entirely unpredictable with a soundtrack that propels us forward with the velocity of the train itself, Shadowland is a remarkable film that leaves no doubt we are in the hands of a master. –Barbara Pokras, ACE

Screening Fri. 10/17 Bearsville Theater Woodstock 7:15pm and Sat. 10/18 Rosendale Theatre 2:30pm

HOW I GOT OVER

Directed by Nicole Boxer
East Coast Premiere

Is it possible to travel the road from a homeless shelter, tough streets, and a life of abuse and trauma, all the way to stand under the bright lights of The Kennedy Center in Washington DC? This is not an ordinary path, but then again, the women in How I Got Over are far from ordinary.

Lives of addiction and abuse have taught these women to shy away from the public eye, but have also left them with the depth of raw emotions and harrowing traumas that could be mined under the right guidance. Enter the skilled teachers from the Theater Lab of the Dramatic Arts. Under their leadership, which remains steadfast even when a couple of the women are about to walk away, some of the most dramatic human stories you are ever likely to hear come to life. The result is not just mesmerizing, but remarkably professional and accomplished. As you watch the performance, these brave and talented women and those sitting in the packed house at the Kennedy Center are moved to tears of joy and understanding. You will be too. –Svetlana Krotek

Screening Thurs. 10/16 Bearsville Theater Woodstock 1pm and Fri. 10/17 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 1pm

KILLSWITCH

Directed by Ali Akbarzadeh
World Premiere

The Internet is under attack. Free speech, innovation, and democracy are all up for grabs.
Killswitch is about the battle for control over the Internet. Lawrence Lessig and Tim Wu frame the story of two young hactivists, Aaron Swartz & Edward Snowden, who symbolize the disruptive and dynamic nature of the Internet.

Their lives parallel one another as they free information to millions on the Internet, putting them directly in the cross-hairs of the most powerful interests in the world. Will this be a cautionary tale of what happens when you dare to take on elite power structures? Or will it be the spark that ignites a revolution that will redefine democracy in the digital age?

Screening Sat. 10/18 Bearsville Theater Woodstock 2pm and Sun. 10/19 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 5:30pm

LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

Directed by Thomas G. Miller
East Coast Premiere

Limited Partnership is a love story spanning 40 years between two men who fought the system and never gave up. In 1975, Richard, a Filipino-American, married his lover, Tony, an Australian citizen living in the US, thus becoming one of the first gay couples to legally marry. Soon, though, the happy couple received a letter from the Immigration and Naturalization Service stating, You have failed to establish that a bona fide marital relationship can exist between two faggots.

Outraged by this blatant show of discrimination, the couple sued the U.S. government, becoming the first to officially seek equal treatment for a same–sex marriage in the U.S. What ensued for the two men was decades of legal battles that mirrored the LGBT marriage and immigration equality movements. Through it all, they never lost their sense of humor and joyous disposition.

A David and Goliath story, Limited Partnership is ultimately both celebratory and inspiring, reminding us that love and tenacity are powerful life tools. –Svetlana Krotek

Screening Sat. 10/18 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 12:30pm and Sun. 10/19 Woodstock Playhouse 3pm

LITTLE WHITE LIE

Directed by Lacey Schwartz
New York Premiere

What defines our identity, our family of origin or the family that raises us? How do we come to terms with the sins and mistakes of our parents? Lacey discovers that answering those questions means understanding her parents' own stories as well as her own. She pieces together her family history and the story of her dual identity using home videos, archival footage, interviews, and episodes from her own life. Little White Lie is a personal documentary about the legacy of family secrets, denial, and redemption.

Screening Fri. 10/17 Woodstock Playhouse 7:45pm and Sat. 10/18 Orpheum Theater Saugerties 12pm

MENTOR

Directed by Alix Lambert
East Coast Premiere

At first glance, Mentor, Ohio, seems like any other wholesome midwestern town, even earning a spot in Money Magazine's 100 Best Places to Live. But Mentor's tree-lined streets and marching bands could not prevent the spate of teen suicides caused by relentless bullying and an indifferent school system.

The Vidovic family came to Mentor to escape the war in Croatia only to have their daughter Sladjana commit suicide at age 16 after years of relentless bullying. More interested in maintaining its image than in helping protect vulnerable students, Mentor High School failed to punish the perpetrators.

Eric Mohat, 17, hardly seemed the type to be targeted by bullies. Active in musical theatre, he seemed like a happy kid. Until the day he committed suicide, the family had no idea of the bullying he endured.

Devastating, illuminating and buttressed with a haunting score, director Lambert skillfully documents bullying in the internet age and makes us wonder if Mentor is just the tip of the iceberg. This film is thought provoking and unforgettable. –Barbara Pokras, ACE

Screening Fri. 10/17 Bearsville Theater Woodstock 2:45pm and Sat. 10/18 Orpheum Theater Saugerties 2pm

RED LINES

Directed by Andrea Kalin and Oliver Lukacs
US Premiere

At first glance, you might think Razan Shalab al-Sham and Mouaz Moustafa are just your average young Middle Eastern professionals – bright, sophisticated and tech savvy. The truth is hardly average – these two are revolutionaries. They are conspirators in a deadly serious collaboration to create a secular, democratic Syria, and the risk is enormous. Mouaz, Executive Director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, practices shuttle diplomacy on the international stage, while Razan, from one of Syria's wealthiest families, commands a team of dedicated "smugglers," delivering humanitarian aid, medicine, fighters, money and journalists into Syria.

As the situation deteriorates, the two activists feel certain the West and the free world will intervene once the Red Line – the use of chemical weapons – is crossed. Yet no military aid is forthcoming, even as we witness dead and dying children, victims of a brutal regime intent on destroying its own people. This is a harrowing story, all the more so because it is still going on. Unforgettable, graphic and not for the faint-hearted. –Barbara Pokras, ACE

Screening Fri. 10/17 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 6pm and Sun. 10/19 Bearsville Theater Woodstock 5:15pm

TWO RAGING GRANNIES

Directed by Håvard Bustnes

A combination of curiosity and frustration with the status quo drives Shirley and Hinda, two gutsy, nearly 90-year-old American women, to seek answers to the burning question on everyone's mind: How do we get out of this economic mess? In this touching and thought-provoking documentary they challenge the idea that we must continue to shop, consume, amass, and keep the economy growing. Armed with courage, humor, a long friendship and a zest for life, Shirley and Hinda take to cities and towns across the US to engage everyone from the recently homeless to economy students, to growth economists and Wall Street tycoons, questioning the sustainability of continued economic growth, and demonstrating that it is never – ever – too late to get out and make a difference.

Screening Fri. 10/17 Rosendale Theatre 1pm and Sat. 10/18 Bearsville Theater Woodstock 4:15pm

HASKELL WEXLER AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

ARWAD

Directed by Samer Najari and Dominique Chila
New York Premiere

Rarely does a film combine such high quality elements. With Arwad, directors Dominique Chila and Samer Najari have crafted a visually stunning, emotionally charged masterpiece. Ali (Ramzi Choukair, who has been described as the Syrian Javier Bardem) struggles with a harsh middle-aged reality after his beloved mother dies. Torn between a wife and a mistress; his family and a desire for adventurous spontaneity; the old world and the new; he travels home with his mistress and his mother’s ashes to rediscover his roots.

An unexpected turn of events connects past and present in a film that is exotic, romantic and foreboding. The soundtrack provides a sparse yet distinct and amorous background matching the romantic setting of the remote Syrian island. The acting is transcendent and raw, including a commanding performance by Julie McClemens, who plays the understanding but psychologically exhausted wife. Arwad is an absolute standout of this festival season.

Screening Fri. 10/17 Upsate Films Theater Woodstock 4:45pm and Sun. 10/19 Orpheum Theater Saugerties 12:30pm

PATRICK'S DAY

Directed by Terry McMahon
East Coast Premiere

In Patrick's Day, Terry McMahon writes and directs about the destructive force of love, the question of sanity, the value of intimacy, the impact of memory and the consequence of choice. Patrick, a warm, open, twenty-six year old virgin schizophrenic played beautifully by the talented Moe Dunford, falls in love with Karen, a suicidal flight attendant, setting off a magical yet impossible love affair.
Convinced that Karen will either break her son's heart or steal his affection, Patrick's mother enlists the help of dysfunctional detective, who will use his position to help her, for a price.

With exquisite cinematography and stellar performances, audiences are skillfully guided on a ride through a chaotic circus of emotions in this provocative Irish film. –Cristin Carlin

Screening Fri. 10/17 Upstate Films Rhinebeck at 3:45pm and Sat. 10/18 Upstate Films Woodstock at 4:15pm

WILDLIKE

Directed by Frank Hall

WildLike is an overwhelmingly beautiful and intoxicating tale of two strangers who cross paths in the wilderness of the Alaskan frontier.

Mackenzie, portrayed by the show stopping young actress Ella Purnell, is sent to live with her uncle who is played by Brian Geraghty in an unnervingly brilliant role. Utterly on her own, she struggles to navigate her way back to her mother in Seattle. Her hapless journey across the last frontier changes we she begins to follow a solitary backpacker, played magnificently by the rugged Bruce Greenwood.

While the breathtaking Alaskan scenery is a sight to behold on screen, the real beauty in this film comes from the actors' extraordinary performances. The characters are undeniable in their complete captivation of the audience. Through Frank Hall Green's impeccable direction, the story is brought to life with both authenticity and wonder. WildLike offers viewers an emotional and provocative film experience that exemplifies the potential caring embedded in human nature. WildLike takes viewers on an adventure of body and soul in an emotionally captivating and provocative film experience.

Screening Thurs. 10/16 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 7pm and Sat. 10/18 Woodstock Playhouse 2pm

EAT WITH ME

Directed by David Au
New York Premiere

Love and food intersect in Eat with Me, where the quest to overcome loneliness reunites Emma and her estranged son, Elliot. When she shows up at Elliot's apartment for a short stay, secrets abound and conflicts develop. Elliot struggles with his sexual identity while trying to keep his small restaurant afloat. The one thing mother and son do connect over is their love of Asian cooking, which revitalizes their relationship with love and understanding.

Eat with Me from director David Au, is a fresh and well-prepared film delivering exhilarating music, mouth watering food and unexpected humanity. –Sam Robotham

Screening Thurs. 10/16 Bearsville Theater Woodstock 6pm and Fri. 10/17 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 12:45pm

The word unicorn conjures up the sense of fanciful imagination and mythical realism. It also conjures up the longing for the unrealistic and unbelievable to be true. In Leah Meyerhof's debut feature, imagination and reality become interchangeable. Davina, played with stunning range by Natalia Dyer, seeks to escape her dire life taking care of her disabled mother, by creating dreamy settings in her room and looking for romance and adventure away from home. She finds all of that, and then some, in Sterling (Peter Vack), an older "bad boy" who seems to have invented cool.

The two set off on a wild adventure where playfulness and passion collide. A celebration of color, sound and whimsy make I Believe in Unicorns something you want to believe in. –Svetlana Krotek

Screening Fri 10/17 Upstate Films Woodstock 2:30pm and Sun. 10/19 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 5:15pm

UNCERTAIN TERMS

Robbie is a guy who's looking for an escape. Venturing to Upstate New York to flee the city and complications of his marriage, he arrives at his aunt's bucolic country home where he hopes to find room to breathe. He soon discovers that the house has been repurposed as a respite home for pregnant teenage girls. Despite doing his best to keep to himself, Robbie soon forms bonds with the girls, stirring up the kinds of emotions that he was attempting to escape and creating an upheaval of jealousy and love triangles where rest and tranquility are meant to be the norm.

Prominent Indie director, Nathan Silver, presents a film inspired by his mother's life. Cindy Silver (Nathan's real life mother) plays a lead role that steals the show. The rest of the cast, comprised of professionals and non actors make this gem of a film authentic. Filled to the brim with scenes that are both poetic and wrenching Uncertain Terms is an original story about how love isn't always as easy as boy meets girl. –Sam Robotham

Screening Fri 10/17 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 3:30pm and Sat 10/18 Bearsville Theater Woodstock 6:30pm

THE TANGERINE ENTERTAINMENT JUICE AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE DIRECTOR

THE AMERICAN SIDE

Directed by Jenna Ricker
World Premiere

Ever hear the one about the Polish detective?… When Charlie Paczynski’s raven-haired partner is caught in the crossfire of a blackmail scheme gone bad, he trails the prime suspect to the brink of Niagara, only to receive a cryptic warning: ‘what’s happening here you can’t begin to comprehend’… Thrust into a world populated by a whiskey-swilling raconteur (Robert Forster), strangely bonded siblings (Matthew Broderick and Camilla Belle), and a dubious government agent (Janeane Garofalo), Paczynski joins the quest for a long-lost design by enigmatic genius, Nikola Tesla. From the eccentric eavesdropper who gives him his first clue (yes! - that’s Robert Vaughn, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.) every door Paczynski forces open raises the stakes. Reminiscent of the conspiracy thrillers of the 70’s, complete with a score by David Shire (The Conversation, All the President’s Men), and packed with nods to Hitchcock and classic noir, The American Side is a jigsaw puzzle mystery, climaxing under the roar of the Falls as the final piece snaps into place.

Screening Thurs 10/16 Woodstock Playhouse 1:00pm and Sat 10/18 Rosendale Theatre 9:30pm

Late bloomer Amelia, played by Christine Weatherup has spent the first three decades of her life alone, reading books and working as a receptionist for an eccentric Life Coach. At the urging of her boss, she starts to search for a soulmate.

Daniel (Bobby Moynihan, SNL) is a kind and introverted client at the office. He and Amelia share many of the same idiosyncrasies, fears, and overall naivety. Amelia finds her second prospect from clues written in the margins of a book. Leonard (Micah Hauptman, Everest), whose originality and unpredictability immediately attract her, leads the story into a Feliniesque and humor-filled entanglement.

Liz Manashil directs a cast of talented actors to make her oddball characters come alive. This quirky and endearing film will bring audiences together, like Bread and Butter, in an experience both heartwarming and distinctly human. –Cristin Carlin

Screening Sat 10/18 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 3:00pm and Sun. 10/19 Bearsville Theater 7:45pm

The word unicorn conjures up the sense of fanciful imagination and mythical realism. It also conjures up the longing for the unrealistic and unbelievable to be true. In Leah Meyerhof's debut feature, imagination and reality become interchangeable. Davina, played with stunning range by Natalia Dyer, seeks to escape her dire life taking care of her disabled mother, by creating dreamy settings in her room and looking for romance and adventure away from home. She finds all of that, and then some, in Sterling (Peter Vack), an older "bad boy" who seems to have invented cool.

The two set off on a wild adventure where playfulness and passion collide. A celebration of color, sound and whimsy make I Believe in Unicorns something you want to believe in. –Svetlana Krotek

Screening Fri 10/17 Upstate Films Woodstock 2:30pm and Sun. 10/19 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 5:15pm

First time director Courteney Cox (Friends, Cougar Town) uses her comedic style to focus on the universal struggles of loss, pain and desperation in a witty and smart portrayal of a man on the edge.

Ted decides to end his mediocre life, but before doing so, he returns to his hometown to revisit the demons of his past: the cruel school teacher; the relentless bully; the girl who got away. While staying with his brother and his dysfunctional family, he makes an unexpected connection with a girl who decides to document his last few days. A motley cast of characters helps Ted realize that life is complicated for everyone and the memories of the past can be reinterpreted.

A compelling story, stellar script and memorable performances make Just Before I Go a film that deeply connects with the audience, and takes them on a journey filled with comedy, angst and love. –Cristin Carlin

Screening Sat 10/18 Upstate Films Woodstock 2:00pm and Sun. 10/19 Rosendale Theatre 2:30pm

Mo Perkins directs an emotional journey of four struggling adults trying to let loose in The Last Time You Had Fun, a lighthearted film about divorce, unhappiness, disloyalty and love.

Meet Ida, Alison, Clark, and Will, who attempt to escape it all for just one night. Trying to recreate the events that inspired the last time Clark could remember having fun (an episode involving a fully stocked stretch limousine), they meet their uninhibited selves, and embark on a night long joy ride of self discovery.

The spot-on ensemble featuring performances by Kyle Bornheimer, Eliza Coupe, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Demetri Martin, and Carlyne Yi, will connect with anyone who has ever been in a relationship, and will take audiences on a journey of raucous humor and candor. –Cristin Carlin

Screening Sat 10/18 Orpheum Theater Saugerties 9:40pm and Sun. 10/19 Upstate Films Woodstock 4:45pm

After a mine collapses in a small Appalachian community, sole survivor Amos Jenkins (beautifully played by Boyd Holbrook), finds himself embroiled in a court case surrounding the disaster. Families of deceased co-workers expect him to testify that the accident was the coal company's fault while miners untouched by the tragedy want him to keep quiet.

When the son of the mine's boss goes missing, a chain reaction is set off that impacts three very different families and gives an intimate view of what life is really like in the rust-belt.

Debut director Sara Colangelo handles her cast with such sensitivity and finesse that, while steeped in anguish,"Little Accidents" is a beautiful, touching gem. –Ben F. Fischer

Screening Fri 10/17 Upstate Films Woodstock 12:00pm and Sun. 10/19 Orpheum Theater Saugerties 3:00pm

The beauty of the land cannot mask the brutality of a farm town.Gorgeously shot against the backdrop of rural Kentucky’s working farms, first-time writer/director Kimberly Levin’s beautifully crafted, emotionally gripping debut explores the all too real struggles of the American farming community.

Betty is a fiercely committed matriarch driven to desperate measures by a failing business, her husband’s deteriorating health and a family home on the brink of foreclosure. Played by Joanne Kelly, Betty is the beating heart of this sensitive, skillfully written narrative, which flips the standard gender dynamic and brings unexpected insight and realism to an established genre. Called “inexorably powerful” and “riveting” by Variety, Levin’s stirring family drama touches on matters of social conscience and environmental justice to ask: How far will we go to save our families?

Screening Sat 10/18 Bearsville Theater Woodstock 8:40pm and Sun 10/19 Upstate Films Rhinebeck 2:45pm

Based on the short story by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steven Millhauser, The Sisterhood of Night is a story of friendship and loyalty set against the backdrop of a modern-day Salem witch trial. Shot on location in Kingston, NY, the film chronicles a group of girls who have slipped out of the world of social media into a mysterious world deep in the woods. The tale begins when Emily Parris exposes a secret society of teenage girls. Accusing them of committing sexually deviant acts, Emily's allegations throw their small American town into the national media spotlight. The mystery deepens when each of the accused takes a vow of silence. What follows is a chronicle of three girls' unique and provocative alternative to the loneliness of adolescence, revealing the tragedy and humor of teenage years changed forever by the Internet age.

Screening Sat 10/18 Woodstock Playhouse 7:00pm and Sun. 10/19 Rosendale Theatre 5:00pm

Our official 2014 Award Sponsors include FilmsWeLike, Gigantic Pictures, Lowel Lights, Panavision, NY, Tangerine Entertainment and Technicolor/Postworks NY.

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