8-29-2023 2:34pm

Woodstock Film Festival Announces Lineup for 24th Edition, September 27 to October 1

Anita Johnson-Brown Editor

The Woodstock Film Festival is excited to announce its main slate of films for its 24th year. From September 27 to October 1, 2023, venues in Woodstock, Rosendale, and Saugerties will showcase new works from renowned and emerging directors. This year's lineup includes Fair Play by Chloe Domont, which was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival, Steve Buscemi's The Listener, Nicol Paone's The Kill Room starring Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson, Warwick Thornton's The New Boy starring Cate Blanchett, and many more. The festival will also feature several anticipated documentaries, including Wim Wenders' Anselm, Roger Ross Williams' Stamped from the Beginning, and Karim Amer's Defiant.

Additionally, the festival will honor renowned filmmaker James Ivory with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Ivory, who worked with producer Ismail Merchant and writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, created many classic films over the course of his career, including A Room With a View, Maurice, Howards End, and The Remains of the Day. A tribute screening of Ivory's film The City of Your Final Destination will be followed by a conversation with Ivory and novelist Peter Cameron.

The festival will also host many notable filmmakers and talent, including Steve Buscemi, Michael Imperioli, and Kiefer Sutherland. The Woodstock Film Festival is dedicated to supporting local film production in the Hudson Valley and nurturing emerging and established filmmakers worldwide. This year's program includes 12 films produced or directed by Hudson Valley filmmakers.

Meira Blaustein, Woodstock Film Festival Co-Founder and Executive Director, said, "We are thrilled to continue our tradition of bringing together world class talent from our own Hudson Valley community and extraordinary works of cinema from all over the world. We are once again proud to amplify the work of a group of filmmakers whose ingenuity and innovative storytelling is exemplary. As the Hudson Valley establishes itself as an epicenter of artistry and industry for the creative film community in the United States, we are proud to be at the forefront of generating experiences, audiences and conversations that give directors, actors, writers and people practicing all forms of filmmaking a place to flourish."

The Woodstock Film Festival is an Academy Awards® qualifying festival in the categories of Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, and Documentary Short Film.

By Anita Johnson-Brown