Benefit tickets are $75
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ANNUAL SUMMER BENEFIT
They've been stuffed into the back recesses of your closet, and now the Woodstock Film Festival has found the perfect excuse for you to break out and show off your fanciest duds.

The festival has announced the program for its annual Hats and Spats benefit, where ladies and gentleman come together in the Hudson Valley for a Champagne brunch decked out in their Sunday best, from head to toe.

This year's event will also include a silent and a live auction, with guest auctioneer Barry Cherwin, featuring unique items and memorabilia, such as an autographed Blondie Fender Telecaster guitar from the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.

The MJR Quintet will also be on hand to entertain the crowd with big-band favorites.

The benefit will take place June 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at the Wiltwyck Country Club, 404 Steward Lane, Kingston, NY.
[Backstage.com]

FOURTH ANNUAL NOT SO SILENT AUCTION

Question: What does an autographed Blondie guitar from the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame have in common with Kanye West, Bill Plympton, Judy Garland, Casper, Bob Dylan, Michael Jordan, Mira Nair, Frederico Fellini, Uma Thurman, and Yankee tickets?

Answer: They are all featured at the Woodstock Film Festival’s Fourth Annual NOT SO SILENT AUCTION and HATS & SPATS SUMMER BENEFIT.

Items include one-of-a-kind film and music memorabilia, artwork, photos, posters, and much more. Select items as of May 3, include:

-- an autographed Blondie guitar from the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony
-- a rare signed screenplay of the Oscar-winning film PHILADELPHIA
-- a rare drawing from the music video HEARD EM SAY, signed by Bill Plympton & Kanye West
-- a 1968 Bob Dylan photo by Elliott Landy
-- a 1962 photo of Judy Garland by Barry Feinstein at her last ever TV performance
-- a Joaquin Phoenix photo by Ken Regan, from Walk the Line
-- MVP loge tickets to Yankees vs Mets at Yankee Stadium

For a complete listing of items, visit the AUCTION ONLINE

OUR BRAND IS CRISIS

In conjunction with WAMC Independent Films on the Air series, the Woodstock Film Festival will co-present OUR BRAND IS CRISIS on May 26, 8pm at Linda Norris Auditorium (339 Central Avenue, Albany, NY).

Director Rachel Boynton will be in attendance to talk with the audience.


The filmmaker follows a crack team of Democratic political consultants, including James Carville, Tad Devine, and Jeremy Rosner as they strategize for a struggling presidential candidate in Bolivia. This thrilling adventure is a fly-on-the-wall account of the machinations behind the turbulent re-election campaign of Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada (“Goni”). In a country facing a calamitous economic crisis, Goni is a wealthy businessman who privatized Bolivia's economy and created social security (when he was president in the mid-‘90s). He isn't a popular candidate. Yet the consultants devise a US-style campaign marked by savvy media techniques and negative ads, emphasizing a single, strong message. They reintroduce Goni as an appealing brand in an attempt to win an election with a shocking aftermath they never predicted.

Visit WAMC for complete details. This event made possible through the generous support of the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

CAVITE

Ian Gamazon, and Neill dela Llana's Cavite, which won the Maverick Award for Best Feature Film at the 2005 WFF, will open at the Cinema Village in NY and the Nuart in Los Angeles. San Francisco, San Diego and Seattke dates are set for June.

In the town of Cavite, Philippines, people will do just about anything to survive. This is the harsh reality for many Filipinos living in a poverty stricken nation.

Adam, an American citizen visiting his home country for his father's funeral, soon realizes this when he arrives at the Philippines Airport and receives a phone call from an anonymous caller letting him know that his mother and sister have been kidnapped and will be killed if he doesn't comply with his demands. Helpless and alone in a country he barely knows he must submit himself to the fanatic's every wish or face the consequences.

Soon Adam realizes that the caller on the other end is with the country's most infamous bandits, the Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim terrorist group fighting the Philippine government for Muslims to own the southern part of the country. Known for their kidnap and ransom and beheading of their victims if demands aren't met, he is at the caller's mercy.

But when he finds out the caller's real motivation Adam finds himself in a dilemma to sacrifice the ones he loves or commit a horrendous act that will cost the lives of many.

DEAD MAN'S SHOES

On May 12, Magnolia Pictures releases Shane Meadows Dead Man's Shoes (WFF2005) in limited release. The Daily Telegraph calls the film, ""An outright masterpiece. Comic, touching and drop-dead terrifying."

Seven years after he left to join the army, Richard returns to the moorland town he grew up in. Accompanied by his younger simple-minded brother Anthony, he sets out to wreak vengeance on the gang of petty thugs who tormented his sibling during his absence.

Opens 5/12/2006 in NY at Cinema Village. 5/19/2006 in Chicago at Esquire Theatre and 5/26/2006 in West Hollywood, CA at Sunset 5.

 

SOMERSAULT

On May 12, Magnolia Pictures releases Cate Shortland's Somersault (WFF 2005) in limited release.

After making a misjudged advance towards her mother's boyfriend, 16-year-old Heidi flees her home for a small Australian ski town. Entranced by the startling beauty of the wintry landscapes and falling snow, she begins to create a new life for herself.

"Somersault is a movie about the looks on people's faces and the disparity between the surface and the roiling chaos beneath." -- Stephen Holden, NEW YORK TIMES

Opens 5/12/2006
Washington, DC: Dupont
Chicago, IL: Landmark's Century Centre Cinema
Cambridge, MA: Harvard Square 1-5
Arlington, VA: Shirlington 7
Seattle, WA: Varsity Theatre

5/13/2006
Honolulu, HI: Doris Duke Theatre

Visit Magnolia Pictures for complete schedule.

LEVON HELM DAY
May 20, 2006, Woodstock, New York

On April 18, 2006 the Town of Woodstock Town Board declared Saturday, May 20, 2006, as “Levon Helm Day.” The presentation of the Key to the Village will take place at 11am on the Village Green, followed by live music from 12-5pm.

Tickets for a Meet & Greet at Levon Helm Studios, 4-6pm, with outdoor BBQ and music by The Onteora Jazz Ensemble, are available for $50. Tickets are available at levonhelm.com or by calling the studio at 845-679-2744, Monday through Friday. Limited to 100 people.

The Levon Helm Band will host a concert at the Woodstock Playhouse at 8pm that evening. Guest players include The Alexis P Suter Band and Ollabelle, with many surprise guests expected to honor Levon and his music, his talent, his contributions to Woodstock, and his inspiration to the world. Tickets are still available through levonhelm.com or by calling the studio at 845-679-2744 ($50 per person).

WOODSTOCK BLUES FESTIVAL
Friday – Sunday, May 26-28th, 2006
The Second Annual Woodstock Blues Festival will kickoff at the historic Colony Café on Friday, May 26th! This event is fast becoming a trademark event in Woodstock, showcasing the best regional and local blues talent in the Northeast.

The Opening Night showcase includes headliner, Popa Chubby at the Colony Café. This man is a blues force. Popa Chubby is formidable in the studio, but on stage, his presence is magnified. His performance showcase what the big man does best – meat and potatoes blues and rock and roll. His chops can’t be questioned. The energy of his band is mesmerizing. Opening for Popa will be blues-rock band, The House and Boxcar Joe Laing. . (7pm - midnight)

 

For more details visit Woodstock Blues Festival

PUBLIC RADIO: BEHIND THE VOICES

Just released and available wherever books are sold, Public Radio: Behind the
Voices is by Woodstock resident and broadcast journalist Lisa A. Phillips. The book is a tribute to public radio's best-loved personalities, many of whom Lisa interviewed in person. Publishers Weekly calls Lisa "a gifted journalist, able to draw out her subjects’ vibrant presence on the printed page.”

"For the millions of us who can't live without public radio, Lisa Phillips answers our questions about the people we love to listen to." —Judy Woodruff

"Written by a radio journalist who has worked at six different public radio stations in her career, this book draws masterful pictures of forty-three different public radio personalities." —Heartland Review

THE RABBIT FACTORY

Marshall Karp, a Woodstock resident and screenwriter, has just released his first novel, The Rabbit Factory , a murder mystery set mostly in Hollywood and partly in Woodstock. A book signing, sponsored by The Golden Notebook, took place May 7, 2006, at Blue Mountain Bistro.
 
The starred review in Booklist said “irrepressible and often poignant… with
a crisp cast of characters headed by a captivating detective team.  Like the
best of Donald Westlake and Carl Hiaasen, The Rabbit Factory is deftly
plotted and deliciously askew.”

CLEARCUT

Nina Shengold's novel Clearcut appeared on numerous Best of 2005 lists, including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, San Francisco Bay Times, Book Marks, Insight Out Book Club, and Out.com, where it earned the #1 slot. Film rights to this "red-hot love triangle"* set in the Pacific Northwest are available through Amy Schiffman at The Gersh Agency.
[*Washington Post]

See www.ninashengold.com for more information.

ELLIOTT LANDY

Woodstock photographer Elliott Landy will be exhibiting Woodstock Vision, The Spirit of A Generation, 85 fine art prints of his 60s' photographs at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre in Delray Beach, Florida.

The exhibition includes, among others, photographs of Bob Dylan, The Band, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Van Morrison, the 1969 Woodstock Festival, and peace demonstrations.

The show is on display through June 3, 2006, at 55 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach Florida 33444. (561) 276-9797.

For more information about Elliott Landy, click here.

INDIEPIX.NET

We are thrilled to announce Indiepix has come on board as a sponsor of the 2006 Woodstock Film Festival

Indiepix is dedicated to gathering independent films from around the world and releasing them in issues that offer technical quality and design. It is seeking documentaries, shorts, and features from emerging directors with an edgy, critical eye. The underlying theme of our collection is a solid auteur voice behind a project with continuing library value.

A new e-store and online service created for the independent film community, our catalog consists of award-winning independent arthouse, foreign, and documentary films on DVD ranging from À ma soeur! by the brilliant Catherine Breillat to the Michael Haneke masterpiece The Piano Teacher. IndiePix promotes and makes available quality lesser known films to a global audience, staunch supporters of indie film, or simply casual browsers hungry for a good yarn. Based out of New York City, this boutique company is pleased to work with the array of specialized independent film distributors and production companies who believe in the creative quality and resonance that is associated with non-studio endeavors. Visit IndiePix online at Indiepix.net.