Woodstock Film Festival Announces Lineup for 22nd Anniversary

The Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) announced TODAY the full lineup for its 22nd Anniversary, taking place September 29 - October 3, 2021 at indoor and outdoor venues in the bucolic Hudson Valley towns of Woodstock, Kingston and Saugerties, and online. The festival will also present a series of intimate panels with prominent industry figures, as well as live musical and comedy performances and other special events.

Every year, WFF draws in over 10,000 film enthusiasts, filmmakers, and those with a passion for visual storytelling to New York's scenic Hudson Valley region, nurturing a burgeoning local film industry that attracts top tier film and television projects and talent. The Woodstock Film Festival's 2021 program continues this two-decade tradition by bringing together established and emerging independent filmmakers to the foothills of the Catskill Mountains for a multi-day celebration centered on building community and showcasing groundbreaking cinema.

This year's 5-day Festival is made up of 43 feature films including 11 world premieres, 6 US premieres, 7 east coast premieres, and 7 New York premieres, as well as 85 shorts. Counter-culture and a passion for music are baked into the history of Woodstock therefore WFF programming encompasses this spirit with over 10 music-centric films, including documentaries focusing on artists like all-female, Filippina-American garage band, Fanny, The Velvet Underground, Cuban scat singer, songwriter and tropical soul man Francisco Fellove, Alanis Morissette, Joe Cocker, Miles Davis, and more.

The WFF also supports local film production in the Hudson Valley, with 4 of the feature films in this year's program filmed primarily in the region. The line up also pays tribute to two legendary filmmakers the world has recently lost: Academy Award-winning documentarian Leon Gast and Emmy award-winning editor Lewis Erskine. Dedicated to gender parity, over 40% of the films in this year's festival are directed by women.

"In thinking of the scope of this year's lineup, I see a clear reflection of the challenging world of the past year, where resilience has been a requirement for survival and a unifying force for people pulling together," said Meira Blaustein, Woodstock Film Festival Executive Director. "Filmmakers dive deeply into the myriad ways people face the unknowns and the unknowables, opening a window into new and uncharted discoveries. We are excited to be showing the work of these talented and dedicated filmmakers at this year's festival."

Special guests include this year's Honorary Trailblazer Award recipient Tom Quinn, CEO of NEON; Fiercely Independent Award recipient Eliza Hittman; actors Kelsey Grammer, Matt Dillon, Kelly Jenrette, David Gallo, Greg DePaul, Timothy Blake Nelson; filmmakers Roger Ross Williams, Stanley Nelson, Ry Russo - Young, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chinn, musicians Kara DioGuardi, explorer Will Steger, scientist Peter B. de Menocal, and more.

Tickets and the full lineup can be found here.

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