Annual Woodstock Film Festival underway

The 18th annual Woodstock Film Festival kicked off Wednesday night and will have dozens of screenings and panels through Sunday.

The festival — which also will include panel discussions, musical performances and an awards ceremony — takes place at venues in Woodstock, Rhinebeck, Rosendale, Saugerties and Kingston.

“Last Flying Flag,” directed by Richard Linklater, and “The Square,” directed by Ruben Östlund, are the centerpiece films at the festival. The closingnight film will be “Arthur Miller: Writer,” directed by Rebecca Miller.

Among this year’s expected well-known attendees are Susan Sarandon, Bill Pullman, Shep Gordon, Giancarlo Esposito, Rory Culkin, Griffin Dunne, Michael Cristofer, Rebecca Miller, William Horberg, Peter Saraf, Lee Aronsohn, Pamela Koffler, Anne Carey, Richard Rowley, Bob Herbert, Jamie Redford, Sam Pollard, Barbara Kopple and Philippe Petit, among others.

Sarandon, Pullman and Gordon are among pre-announced award winners.

This year’s festival will include films selected from more than 2,000 entries from around the globe, organizers said. Countries represented include France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. A majority of the films in the lineup will be screened with the filmmakers and cast or subjects in attendance, organizers said.

Tickets will be available at woodstockfilmfestival.org or by calling (845) 810-0131.

The Woodstock Film Festival box office, at 13 Rock City Road in Woodstock, will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday

The festival previously announced that this year’s Maverick Award will go to actor, producer and activist Sarandon; actor Pullman will receive the festival’s Excellence in Acting Award; and the Trailblazer Award will go to music manager and film producer Gordon. The awards will be presented Oct. 14 at BSP on Wall Street in Uptown Kingston.