Centerpiece Film for 11th Woodstock Fest

150 Films, Reeves, Beresford & Berney Set for 11th Woodstock Fest

Some 150 films are on tap for the 11th Woodstock Film Festival, with the New York premiere of John Curran’s “Stone” set to close the event taking place September 29 - October 3 in the Upstate New York towns of Woodstock and neighboring Rhinebeck, Rosendale, Mt. Tremper, and Kingston in the Hudson Valley Catskills. Eleven world premieres, 20 U.S. and 14 East Coast debuts will screen during the fest along with 13 New York premieres (the festival will announce its opener later).

Malcolm Venville’s “Henry’s Crime” starring Keanu Reeves (U.S. premiere) will screen as a spotlight film along with Baltasar Kormakur’s “Inhale.” Reeves will be in Woodstock to receive the WFF Honorary Excellence in Acting Award during the festival’s Gala Maverick Awards Ceremony on October 2nd. Jake Scott’s “Welcome to the Rileys,” meanwhile, will have its East Coast premiere as the festival’s Centerpiece.

Other noted titles include “special screenings” of Michael Epstein’s “Lennon NYC,” Anthony Waller & Ray Kurzweil’s “The Singularity Is Near,” (East Coast Premiere) and an event dubbed, “Fright Night Friday! Double Horror Header!” with Vincent D’Onofrio’s “Don’t Go In the Woods” and Joe Maggio’s “Bitter Feast.”

In addition to Reeves, director Bruce Beresford (“Driving Miss Daisy,” “Mao’s Last Dancer”) will receive the fest’s Honorary Maverick Award, while distribution exec Bob Berney will receive the WFF Trailblazer Award.

Films screening in the Narrative Competition include “3 Backyards” by Eric Mendelsohn, “Cherry” by Jeffrey Fine, “The Colonel’s Bride” by Brent Stewart, “The Locksmith” by Brad Barnes & Todd Barnes, “Norman” by Jonathan Segal, “Stranger Things” by Eleanor Burke & Ron Eyal, “The Tested” by Russell Costanzo and “White Irish Drinkers” by John Gray.

Films in Woodstock’s Documentary Competition include “Camp Victory, Afghanistan” by Carol Dysinger, “The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan” by Henry Corra, “Gerrymandering” by Jeff Reichert, “Journey from Zanskar” by Frederick Marx, “Made in India” by Rebecca Haimowitz & Vaishali Sinha, “My So-Called Enemy” by Lisa Gossels and “One Lucky Elephant” by Lisa Leeman.

“We have an extraordinarily diverse program this year that challenges the way we perceive and think about the world,” commented WFF co-founder and Executive Director Meira Blaustein in a statement. “We are proud to present a line-up that explores our innate desire to make personal connections, while reflecting on the cautionary aspects of the changing technological and environmental landscape. We need these talented filmmakers to illuminate the dark waters, helping us see beyond current perceptions, and like so many of our films, find hope and inspiration in the future.”

Selections from the 2010 Woodstock Film Festival lineup (with descriptions provided by the festival):

Centerpiece Film:

”Welcome to the Rileys” (East Coast Premiere) - Directed by Jake Scott. The Rileys have been struggling in their marriage since losing their teenage daughter eight years prior. Once a happily married couple, Lois (Melissa Leo) and Doug (James Gandolfini) have grown distant, trapped in grief. Lois has become agoraphobic and won’t leave the house, while Doug tries to escape his pain with philandering. On a trip to New Orleans, Doug meets Mallory (Kristen Stewart), a teenage runaway. Doug recognizes an innocence in Mallory, which rekindles his paternal instinct, and brings new meaning to his life. He decides to stay in New Orleans to help Mallory. Meanwhile, Lois must summon all her courage to overcome her agoraphobia and venture south before her marriage is lost. Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.

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Carrie