SAVE THESE DATES

Renowned animator Bill Plympton will be presenting a selection of some of his favorite work and following each screeening with a Q&A at Marist College (4/20) , SUNY New Paltz (4/21) and Bard College (4/22). All screenings are open to the public. Plympton will also make a special appearance at Onteora High School.

Plympton is recognized as one of America's foremost illustrators, cartoonists and animators. His highly successful films have appeared with frenzied frequency at film festivals, on television and online. His work has received countless honors, including several Academy Award® nominations.

In 1997, Plympton received his first Oscar® nomination for his short Your Face.
In 2005, he was nominated for Guard Dog. Other select shorts from Bill Plympton inlcude How To Kiss, 25 Ways To Quit Smoking, Plymptoons, Eat, Parking, Guard Dog, The Fan & The Flower, Guide Dog, Shuteye Hotel, Hot Dog, Mexican Standoff.

HVPG events are underwritten in part by the New York State Council on the Arts and adminsitered by the Woodstock Film Festival.

**As part of the tenth Anniversary celebration of the Woodstock Film Festival, several amazing items will be auctioned of this year including a 24" x 30" framed and signed limited edition giclee print (number 1 of 50) featuring Bill Plympton's original artwork for the 2002 Woodstock Film Festival.

Jeff Daniels and Lou Taylor Pucci
in The Answer Man

SAVE THE DATE: MONDAY, APRIL 27, 7PM

Monday April 27th at 7pm, join our host Stephen Hays of 120dbFilms and special guests from the cast for a screening of THE ANSWER MAN and reception with delectable hors d'oeuvres and complimentary Ciroc Vodka to benefit the 10th Anniversary of the Woodstock Film Festival.

John Hindman's comedy, THE ANSWER MAN follows author Arlen Faber (Jeff Daniels), who has gained fame from penning a book that has redefined spirituality. His life as a recluse becomes entangled when a chiropractor (Lauren Graham) and a recovering alcoholic (Lou Taylor Pucci) turn to him for guidance.

The film also stars Lauren Graham (Flash of Genius, Evan Almighty), Lou Taylor Pucci (Explicit Ills, Personal Velocity), Kat Dennings (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) and Olivia Thirlby (Juno).

"Impressively executed by first time director John Hindman, Arlen Faber is a delightful jab at the world of 'answer people,' those authors who write about topics far and wide, providing answers to life’s most difficult questions. As Hindman explains, he wanted to take one of these know-it-all authors and bring them to their knees. And he’s succeeded, as we find Arlen to be a very brilliant man, but also a lost soul who may not have ever had the answers in the first place. What makes it all work so well is that Hindman’s dialog is clever and insightful." (Neil Miller, Film School Rejects)

The film, which premiered in U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, was acquired for U.S. release by Magnolia Pictures. They plan to release the film theatrically this summer. "THE ANSWER MANis a wonderfully acted and funny film,” said Magnolia Pictures President Eamonn Bowles. “We think that audiences are going to connect strongly with this moving story.”

For additional details and to reserve tickets, click here

*As part of the tenth Anniversary celebration of the Woodstock Film Festival, several amazing items will be auctioned of this year including a special dinner for two at Cookshop in Manhattan, which New York Magazine calls "Little Shop of Pleasures"

SAVE THE DATE: MAY 2, 3PM MATINEE

MAN ON WIRE, the Oscar®-winning documentary, will be presented by WFF at Woodstock’s Tinker Street Cinema for a special matinee screening May 2nd at 3pm. The film will be followed by an intimate Q&A with high wire legend Philippe Petit; presented by and benefiting the 10th Anniversary of The Woodstock Film Festival.

On August 7th 1974, Philippe Petit, stepped out on a steel cable illegally rigged between New York’s Twin Towers, then the world’s tallest buildings. After nearly an hour of performing on the high wire, he was arrested, taken for psychological evaluation, and brought to jail for the spectacular event that became known as “the artistic crime of the century.” Based on Petit’s book To Reach the Clouds (newly released in paperback and re-titled Man on Wire), the film provides a rare glimpse into this audacious high-wire world with still photographs, stunning footage and reenactments.

With interviews shot in the Catskill Region of upstate New York, Petit relives his WTC adventure, “To me, it's really so simple, that life should be lived on the edge. You have to exercise rebellion. To refuse to taper yourself to the rules, to refuse your own success, to refuse to repeat yourself, to see every day, every year, every idea as a true challenge. Then you will live your life on the tightrope.”

Advance tickets for the May 2nd screening are available online at MAN ON WIRE

*As part of the tenth Anniversary celebration of the Woodstock Film Festival, several amazing items will be auctioned of this year including a MAN ON WIRE poster signed by Philippe Petit.

SAVE THE DATE: MAY 12, 8PM

SWIMMING TO CAMBODIA, Jonathan Demme's spellbinding documentary will be co-presented by WFF and Stranger Than Fiction at the IFC Center on Tuesday May 12 in Manhattan. The film will be followed by a Q&A with Academy-Award® winning director Jonathan Demme and a reception.

In SWIMMING TO CAMBODIA, Demme captures the urgency, terror, humor and brilliance of single performer -- Spalding Gray, who stays seated behind a table at New York's Soho Performing Garage in 1987 for an intense monologue. Gray uses his experiences in Thailand filming the 1984 Academy Award winning film THE KILLING FIELDS as a springboard for all sorts of hilarious, moving digressions, notably a concise and bone-chilling history of Cambodia, and the mass murders brought about by Pol-Pot in the 1970's. There's also Gray's quest for "the perfect moment," a spiritual pursuit that involves drugs, detailed descriptions of the Bangkok brothels, and the apprehension involved in trying to memorize lines for the film. Fellow performance artist Laurie Anderson composed the background music, which along with the ingenious lighting and ambient sound effects perfectly accents Gray's delivery. Demme has crafted a brilliant film of a brilliant performer, infusing the proceedings with a real magnetic urgency, making it hard to look away even for an instant.

SAVE THE DATE: MAY 25
EARLY DEADLINE FOR WFF CALL FOR ENTRIES

The WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL (Sept 30th – October 4th, 2009) is currently accepting submissions in all categories. Maverick Awards are presented for Best Feature ($5000 cash), Best Documentary, Best Short Documentary, Best Short Film, Best Student Film, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Animation. Cash, prizes and/or services are given out in each category. Audience Awards are presented for Best Feature and Best Documentary. Award sponsors have included The Lee Marvin Estate, the late James Lyons, Lowel-Light, Apple Computers, Final Draft, Post Factory, A&E Indie Films, Docurama, Kodak, Baseline, Markertek, and others.

Industry participants have included Ang Lee, Kevin Smith, Steve Buscemi, Peter Saraf (Big Beach Films), Jonathan Sehring (IFC), Ted Sarandos (Netflix), Bob Berney, Eamonn Bowles (Magnolia Pictures), Mark Urman (Senator), Bingham Ray (Kimmel Entertainment), James Schamus (Focus Features), Fisher Stevens (Greenstreet Productions), John Sloss (Cinetic Media), Ira Deutchman (Emerging Pictures), Ron Mann (Films We Like), John Pierson (Grainy Pictures), John Anderson, Ryan Werner (IFC), Tom Quinn (Magnolia Pictures), Christine Vachon (Killer Films), Andrew Hurwitz, Ira Schreck, Mira Nair, Todd Haynes, Woody Harrelson, Tim Robbins, Marcia Gay Harden, Lili Taylor, D.A. Pennebaker, Albert Maysles, Barbara Kopple, Leon Gast, Liz Garbus, Brett Morgen, Thelma Adams, Robert Downey, Zachary Sklar, Kevin Bacon, Ethan Hawke, Matt Dillon, Rosie Perez and many others.

To apply online, and for details, visit ENTRY FORM

SAVE THE DATE: JUNE 12, 7PM

Join us Friday, June 12, 7-11pm for a reception to benefit the
HUDSON VALLEY FILM COMMISSION

EVENING INCLUDES
	Special guests
	Delectable food, complimentary glass of wine & cash bar
	Amazing Auction items including dinner for two at the Phoenix Restaurant with Oscar® nominee Melissa Leo
	Music with DJ Wa
	Production equipment demos
	Networking opportunities with local industry members
	Your donations will be met by matching funds.
	Your supprt will help HVFC continue providing free support to independent & studio features, short films, student projects, TV ads and regional filmmakers.
	HVFC provides a free online directory, newsletter blurbs, casting and crew calls, job opportunities and much more.
	Let's all work together to make the Hudson Valley – Hollywood on the Hudson.

SAVE THE DEADLINE: APRIL 17

IFP is looking for first-time feature narratives in the rough cut stage for submission to its IFP Narrative Independent Filmmaker Labs program, deadline for submissions is Friday, April 17.