Altered film fest starts 5-day run today
The 21st annual Woodstock Film Festival begins Wednesday, Sept. 29, and runs through Sunday, Oct. 4, with screenings and panel discussions taking place at area driveins and online.
More than 100 featurelength and short films will be shown during the festival, the format of which has been altered this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In-person screenings will take place at the Greenville Drive-In in Greenville, the Overlook Drive-In in Poughkeepsie and at a popup drive-in at Andy Lee Field in Woodstock. The festival also will include an online program of featurelength and short films.
The opening-night film will be “The Father,” by award-winning director, novelist and playwright Florian Zeller and starring Academy Award winners Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman as a father and daughter grappling with the creeping shadow of dementia. The film is an adaptation of one of Zeller’s plays of the same name. The
screening will begin at 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Overlook Drive-In, 126 De Garmo Road, Poughkeepsie.
Also being shown at the Overlook will be “Nomadland,” the story of a woman who packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. The screening will begin at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4.
Among the offerings being shown at the pop-up drive-in at Andy Lee Field, at 43 Rock City Road in Woodstock, will be “Wildflower,” a film about an 18-year-old woman who seems to have the perfect life though there is nothing typical about her home life. The screening will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3.
Also being shown at Andy Lee Field is “The Outside Story,” which tells the story of a reclusive, misanthropic video editor who accidentally locks himself out of his apartment and is led on a series of misadventures that range from comedic to heartwarming as he is forced to confront the outside world. The screening will begin at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4.
Being shown at the Greenville Drive-In, 10700 Route 32 in Greenville, is “I Carry You With Me (Te Llevo Conmigo)” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3. It tells the story of an aspiring chef and young father named Iván whose relationship with Gerardo causes conflict. In despair, Ivan makes the arduous choice to cross the border from Mexico into the United States, promising his son and soulmate that he will return.
Also being shown at Greenville is “The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts The Tonight Show” at 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4.
Online offerings include “Coming Clean,” about the opioid pandemic and Purdue Pharmaceutical, and a panel discussion with the showrunners of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
For more information, passes and tickets, go to www.woodstockfilmfestival.org.