September 3, 2012

Fall Film Festivals Abound in New York State

Mark Thompson READ TIME: 3 MIN.

Good films really move you. Why stop at just one? Each year, cinephiles by the thousands walk down the red carpet at film festivals all over the New York State for screenings, discussions and awards shows.

From the world renowned Woodstock Film Festival to the first ever Big Eddy Film Festival, the state invites you to celebrate the valuable contribution that film makes to our cultural lives.

  • Feed your independent spirit at the Woodstock Film Festival. Hailed by Indiewire as, "A true American Maverick Among Fests" and praised by actor Ethan Hawke as, "among the finest of a dying breed: a festival that isn't trying to sell you anything, but simply and beautifully celebrating the art & craft of filmmaking," the Woodstock Film Festival premiers exceptional films, hosts the most talented emerging and established professionals in the movie industry; presents A-list concerts, panels and parties, and creates stimulating and innovative programming year-round.

    The Woodstock Film Festival will celebrate its 13th Annual Festival October 10?14, with an extraordinary line-up of fiercely independent films, panels, concerts and special events in Woodstock and the neighboring towns of Rhinebeck, Saugerties, Boiceville, Kingston and Rosendale.

  • Now in its 20th year, ImageOut: The Rochester Lesbian & Gay Film & Video Festival's 10 day festival features more than 40 programs and 90 films from around the world.

    ImageOut is Upstate New York's longest running lesbian and gay film and video festival and will run this year from October 5-14 in Rochester, Finger Lakes. ImageOut informs, entertains, educates, and enriches filmgoers through the exhibition of film and videos by, and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

    The festival encourages lesbian and gay filmmakers, who, as a group, are rarely seen in mainstream media. It is an opportunity to record and preserve the stories and histories of LGBT lives and to foster collaborations and conversations to break down social and cultural barriers concerning lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

  • Hosted by The Chatham Film Club and Crandell Theatre, FilmColumbia in Chatham, Hudson Valley offers film buffs an exciting long weekend of film screenings and "meet the filmmaker" events. In their twelve year history, they have screened many films that have gone on to garner industry and critic awards and nominations.

    From October 17-21, this year's selections will introduce audiences to an outstanding group of new films before they are released to the general public.

  • From September 14-16, the Big Eddy Film Festival will premiere in Narrowsburg. Like the pool of water in the Delaware River that inspired it's name, the Big Eddy Film Festival will flow against the main current, providing a thoughtful and entertaining viewing experience for the Catskills, Delaware and Hudson River Valleys, and beyond.

    Produced by Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, the arts council for Sullivan County, in collaboration with the newly formed Catskill Film Commission, The Big Eddy Film Festival will present forward thinking feature films, documentaries, and shorts that advance the traditional art of storytelling and take the viewer to unexpected places.

    Themes and subjects of interest are unrestricted, and may include the relationships between humans and their natural environment, the role of the arts in daily life, New York State stories, and unique challenges of contemporary life.

  • Not finished with the popcorn? Save some for the Oscar-qualifying Hamptons International Film Festival. This festival was founded to celebrate Independent film - long, short, fiction and documentary - and to introduce a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to their audiences.

    The festival is committed to exhibiting films that express fresh voices and differing global perspectives, with the hope that these programs will enlighten audiences, provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers and present inspired entertainment for all. The 20th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival will take place October 4-8.

    For more information on what New York State has to offer and a complete list of the state's film festivals, visit www.iloveny.com.

    by Mark Thompson , EDGE Style & Travel Editor

    A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.

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