MASS, STORM LAKE & More Win at Woodstock Film Festival

On Saturday October 2nd, the Woodstock Film Festival announced their annual jury award winners in each category for this year's films in competition and the recipients of their Honorary Maverick Award, Trailblazer Award, and Fiercely Independent Award.

The ceremony, held at the Woodstock Playhouse, began with opening remarks from Congressman Antonio Delgado and state senator Michelle Hinchey who spoke to the importance of art and filmmaking, as well as the value of organizations such as the Woodstock Film Festival.

Recipients of the special honorary awards include:

The HONORARY MAVERICK AWARD was given to Roger Ross Williams, director of the Oscar-winning short film MUSIC BY PRUDENCE, as well as GOD LOVES UGANDA, THE APOLLO, the docuseries HIGH ON THE HOG and the upcoming CASSANDRO. The award was presented to Williams by Patrick Harrison, Director of Member Relations and Awards at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The HONORARY TRAILBLAZER AWARD was given to Tom Quinn, CEO & Founder of NEON (PARASITE, SHIRLEY, PALM SPRINGS, SPENCER) and was presented to Quinn by longtime indie film marketing and publicity exec Ryan Werner and Magnolia Pictures EVP Dori Begley.

The HONORARY FIERCELY INDEPENDENT AWARD was given to Eliza Hittman, director of NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS and BEACH RATS, and was presented by producer and director Lydia Dean Pilcher (RADIUM GIRLS, MONSOON WEDDING, THE NAMESAKE).

The following competitive awards were presented during the evening:

BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE

Sponsored by Gigantic Pictures

MASS, directed by Fran Kranz

Jurors

Actor / Director / Producer Fisher Stevens, Director / Producer Lydia Dean Pilcher, Cinematographer / Director Ellen Kuras

Jury Statement

"Once we step into THE ROOM of this film, the story turns around our preconceptions and keeps us leaning into its drama. The sublime and at times explosive performances rivet us to the emotional war raging within the characters. As the film peels away layers of their guilt, blame, and pain, it reveals the real antagonists of the story -- society and the culture that we live in today."

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

STORM LAKE, directed by Jerry Risius & Beth Levison

Jurors

Filmmaker Rachel Grady, Producer Wendy Ettinger, Filmmaker Richard Rowley

Jury Statement

"Free speech and the ability to critique the powerful are the foundation of democracy. Local news is where community lives and breathes. In a world where we see our voices and honesty being chipped away, the journalists from Storm Lake, Iowa illuminate in all their genuine glory what we all have to lose. We would like to give the grand jury prize to the film STORM LAKE. All hail the truth."

Special Mention for Best Emerging Filmmaker

DAUGHTER OF A LOST BIRD, directed by Brooke Pepion Swaney

Jury Statement

"This nation was formed through the murder and displacement of indigenous peoples and the attempt to erase their culture and memory from the land. It is a truth that we rarely confront. But when Kendra Mylnechuk cold calls her birth mother in the opening of DAUGHTER OF A LOST BIRD she is drawn, almost reluctantly, into an exploration of this history and of her own complex feelings of guilt, belonging, and loss. For the intimacy and depth of her portrayal of Kendra's journey, the Emerging Filmmaker Award goes to Brooke Pepion Swaney for DAUGHTER OF A LOST BIRD."

Honorable Mention

The women in RANGER, directed by Austin James Peck

Jury Statement

"We wanted to acknowledge the remarkable women who participated in the Ranger program who are actively pushing back in a patriarchal society and participating in a program that encourages them to harness their strength and create a new path of opportunities for their children and peers."

BEST SHORT NARRATIVE

ARE YOU STILL THERE?, directed by Sam A Davis & Rayka Zehtabchi

Honorable Mention

GIRL WITH A THERMAL GUN, by Rongfei Guo

Jurors

Producer Shelby Stone, Music Supervisor Sue Jacobs, Filmmaker Janet Grillo

Jury Statement

"The short film committee chose ARE YOU STILL THERE?, co-directed by Sam A Davis & Rayka Zehtabchi. This film explores the tenuous nature of 1st generation immigrant children navigating between the cultural norms of their parents and American traditions. The film stars Safa Tarifi and Rima Haddad in gracefully crafted performances. This beautifully observed comedic drama perfectly unfolds when the daughter's car stalls out in front of a Korean owned bodega in the parking lot of a strip mall. In the course of waiting for help, the daughter struggles with the judgment of others, as well as her own fears. Emotionally poignant and deceptively simple, ARE YOU STILL THERE? dramatizes complex dynamics through small gestures, specificity of detail and elegant camera work."

"This year, the committee would like to give an Honorable Mention to THE GIRL WITH A THERMAL GUN for its brilliance in transforming the new pandemic norms into a very entertaining and innovative dance fantasy film, which celebrates the human spirit. The camera became as much of a dancer as the performers, elevating choreography into cinema. THE GIRL WITH A THERMAL GUN is a wonderful time capsule of pandemic life."

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY

THE BOX, directed by Shal Ngo & James Burns

Honorable Mention

HUNGER WARD, directed by Skye Fitzgerald

Jurors

Filmmaker Yoruba Richen, Distributor Richard Abramowitz, Producer Julie Anderson

Jury Statement

"We were very impressed with all of the films in our category. There were two that rose to the top. We awarded THE BOX the jury award as solitary confinement is an egregious and unregulated form of torture and needs a spotlight on it. We also felt that HUNGER WARD is a very deserving film - also an important issue and equally inhumane. We would like to give HUNGER WARD an Honorable Mention."

BEST STUDENT SHORT

GENERATION 328, directed by Nika Nikanava

Honorable Mention

UNMOTHERED, directed by Urvashi Pathania; and LA MUJER DE HÉCTOR, directed by Ricardo J. Varona

Jurors

Actress Rita Taggart, Distributor Joe Amodel, Actor Bill Sage

Jury Statement

"Rita, Joe, and myself could not get the incarcerated young boys and girls, mothers' futile pleas, out of our minds. The danger was and IS real. Veranika Nikanava maintains the tension and lets it breathe where it needs to. She brought us into their world and we felt it.

We also felt that GENERATION 328 was a warning shot across the bow to our American ship of state with its current wounded democracy. It reminds us that we should, at the very least, understand what it is that we stand to lose if we DON'T take heed and have compassion for one another. This film is a gift."

ULTRA INDIE AWARD

Sponsored by Gray Schwartz LLP Attorneys at Law

FOXHOLE, directed by Jack Fessenden

Honorable Mention

KENDRA AND BETH, directed by Dean Peterson

Jurors

Filmmaker Alex Smith, Filmmaker Katherine Dieckmann, Editor Sabine Hoffman

Jury Statement

"For its technical and political ambition, ability to compel and surprise, and inventive use of cinematic tools on a minimal budget, the jury awards the Ultra Indie Award to FOXHOLE, directed by Jack Fessenden. We appreciated the way Fessenden rotated his actors to create three different stories of military life in three distinct historical moments, injecting questions of race and gender into a genre that is too often all-white and all-male. This is a deft and accomplished piece of work."

"The jury would also like to give an honorary mention to Dean Peterson's KENDRA AND BETH, for its rich humanism and inventive treatment of a story we have never seen told in quite this way before, and to Kate Lyn Sheil for her galvanizing, fearless lead performance as Beth."

ANIMATION AWARD

CONVERSATIONS WITH A WHALE, directed by Anna Samo

Honorable Mention

THERE IN SPIRIT, directed by Beck Underwood

Jurors

Animator Andy London, Animator Joy Buran, Animator Noelle Melody

FILMS FOR CHANGE AWARD

Sponsored and presented by Cheryl and Bart McDonough

WHO WE ARE: A CHRONICLE OF RACISM IN AMERICA, directed by Sarah Kunstler and Emily Kunstler

"Movies have the power to delve deep beneath the surface and bring up teachable moments in ways that can truly make a difference and affect change. Filmmakers Sarah and Emily Kunstler have achieved just that, crafting a bold and comprehensive study of racism that should be required viewing for all Americans."

NYWIFT AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE DIRECTOR, DOCUMENTARY

Presented by NYWIFT board member Kim Jackson

DAUGHTER OF A LOST BIRD, directed by Brooke Pepion Swaney

"Heartwarming journey of a Native AMERICAN WOMAN IN SEARCH OF her birth mother finds her tribe, love, historical perspective, buried deep ... Soulful, tear provoking journey --- a must see film at the Woodstock Film Festival."

NYWIFT AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE DIRECTOR, NARRATIVE

Presented by NYWIFT board member Kim Jackson

THE SPACE BETWEEN, directed by Rachel Winter

"THE SPACE BETWEEN is a love song to the lessons we learn when we are making our way in the world. The casting, performances and the aesthetics of the film were standout strengths, which speaks to Rachel Winter's talent as a director."

ABOUT THE WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL:

The Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that nurtures and supports emerging and established filmmakers, sharing their creative voices through an annual festival and year-round programming to promote culture, diversity, community, educational opportunities and economic growth.

WFF provides innovative mentoring and inspired educational programs that benefit filmmakers, students and diverse audiences, while serving as a powerful cultural and economic engine for New York's Hudson Valley and beyond. Such efforts have consistently resulted in the festival being hailed as one of the top regional film festivals worldwide.

Photo Credit: John Mazlish

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