Morten Tyldum’s The Imitation Game stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, the UK’s hero codebreaker of World War II and computer technology pioneer who was later prosecuted when his homosexuality became public knowledge.
Think globally, film locally
Besides the music angle, WFF programming choices tend to punch up films, especially documentaries, with a progressive political message. Some, like the aforementioned East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem and A Snake Gives Birth to a Snake, get top billing in razzle-dazzle events; others lurk under the radar, waiting to reward the viewer who’s willing to delve deeper into the program listings. Undocumented workers at an Upper East Side restaurant unionize in Rachel Lears and Robin Blotnick’s The Hand that Feeds; women organize coffee-growers in Costa Rica in Lesley Chilcott’s A Small Section of the World; Håvard Bustnes’ Two Raging Grannies hit the road to save the American economy from compulsive consumerism. Folks interested in the fate of the Syrian people should not miss Andrea Kalin and Oliver Lukacs’ Red Lines, a portrait of two brave young activists working toward establishing a secular democracy in that ravaged land.
WFF is closely affiliated with the Hudson Valley Film Commission, so another of the Festival’s priorities is to spotlight films made at least partially on location in our region. The abovementioned The Better Angels – the much-anticipated feature directing debut of Terrence Malick protégé A. J. Edwards that tells the tragic tale of Abraham Lincoln’s first love – was largely shot in Ulster County, including the Mohonk Preserve and the Ashokan Center. Alexis Gambis’ The Fly Room was partially filmed in Red Hook and Tivoli. Leah Meyerhoff’s I Believe in Unicorns was filmed in Goshen and Campbell Hall, in Orange County. Adrián García Bogliano’s Late Phases was shot in Rhinebeck, Kingston and Woodstock itself. Caryn Waechter’s Sisterhood of Night was filmed in and around Kingston.
And those are just the narrative feature films; docs made locally can also be seen at WFF. Also in this issue, Almanac Weekly’s Sharyn Flanagan previews the autobiographical Little White Lie, partly filmed in director Lacey Schwartz’s native Woodstock. Gene Fischer and Samuel Centore’s short documentary Passing Ellenville profiles two transgender teens in that town. And a program consisting entirely of locally made documentaries, Hudson Valley Shorts, is being shown at the Woodstock Playhouse on Friday and at Upstate Films Rhinebeck on Saturday.
Getting in on short notice
So if you want to support your local economy by spreading the word that the mid-Hudson is a gorgeous place to shoot movies, patronizing these locally made films is a great way to start. Many of them also tend to be the sort of “small, quirky” film whose screenings may not sell out quite as quickly as the ones with big-name stars or directors. And if you’re just starting to ponder your 2014 WFF options with this issue, finding tickets at this point may be your biggest challenge.
But don’t despair. Though it’s too late to order by phone, you can still use the WFF website to find out what shows still have seats available and to order your tickets, which most often only cost $10 except for the gala events. Insiders claim that spontaneous walk-ins can sometimes be accommodated, since blocks of tickets set aside for filmmakers, sponsors and the press may go partially unclaimed. A flexible schedule, a spirit of adventure and a willingness to try out a movie about which you know little or nothing will go a long way toward allowing even the last-minute visitor a stimulating taste of the Woodstock Film Festival.
To see the whole mind-boggling schedule and ticket availability, visit https://wff.pointinspace.com/festival2014/films_all.php. If you’re only interested in a particular day or time, or a particular venue, the quickest way to check out your choices is at the bottom of the PDF of the full Festival program, which can be seen at https://woodstockfilmfestival.com/pdf/2014wffprefest.pdf.
Happy Fiercely Independent moviegoing!
Woodstock Film Festival, Wednesday-Sunday, October 15-19, most tickets $10, various venues, Woodstock/Kingston/Saugerties/Rhinebeck/Rosendale; https://woodstockfilmfestival.com.
