2010 Woodstock Film Festival Award Recipients and Presenters on stage. (Photo by David Cunningham.)

(Woodstock, NY) – October 2, 2010 — The 11th annual Gala Maverick Awards Ceremony was held tonight at the historic Backstage Studio Productions Arts & Entertainment Complex in Kingston, NY. The festival, which began Wednesday, September 29, will close Sunday, October 3, after celebrating 11 years of exceptional independent film, panels, concerts, events and parties, with the best of the best in the indie film world. 

Emceed by Academy-award nominated writer/director and Woodstock resident Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia), the ceremony presenters included Jonathan Gray, Leon Gast, Heidi Ewing, Petra Epperlein, John Anderson, Amos Poe, Ryan Pierce Williams, Bill Plympton, Sabine Hoffman, Craig McKay, Molly Thompson, Ron Mann, Amy Dotson, Barbara Kopple and others. 

Lee Marvin BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE AWARD: 
WINNER: Stranger Things, directed by Eleanor Burke and Ron Eyal 
Honorable Mention: 3 Backyards, directed by Eric Mendelsohn

Maverick Award for BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY: 
WINNER: Marwencol, directed by Jeff Malmberg. 

Maverick Award for BEST ANIMATION: 
WINNER: Music Scene, directed by Anthony Sheppard 
Presented by animators Signe Baumane and Bill Plympton.

The Diane Segilman Award for BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY: 
WINNER: Roscoe Holcomb: From Daisy Kentucky, directed by John Cohen.

The Diane Seligman Award for BEST SHORT NARRATIVE: 
WINNER: Hirosaki Players, directed by Jeff Sausa
HONORABLE MENTION: Junko Shamisen, directed by Solomon Friedman

The Diane Seligman Award for BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM: 
WINNER: God of love, directed by Luke Matheny;
HONORABLE MENTION: Some boys don't leave, directed by Maggie Kiley

The Haskell Wexler Award for BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: 
WINNER: Inuk,  Cinematography by Xavier Liberman and Franck Rabel; directed by Mike Magidson 
The award was presented by Wolfgang Held

The James Lyons Award for BEST EDITING of a FEATURE NARRATIVE: 
WINNER: Norman,  edited by Robert Hoffman; directed by Jonathan Segal; 
HONORABLE MENTION: 3 Backyards, edited by Morgan Faust and Jeffrey K. Miller; directed by Eric Mendelsohn

The James Lyons Award for BEST EDITING of a FEATURE DOCUMENTARY: 
WINNER: One Lucky Elephant, edited by Kate Amend and Tchavdar Gerogiev; directed by Lisa Leeman
HONORABLE MENTION: The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan, edited by Kimberley Hassett and Eben Bull;
directed by Henry Corra.

The James Lyons Awards for BEST EDITING were presented by renowned editors Sabine Hoffman and Craig McKay.

HONORARY MAVERICK AWARD Writer/director Bruce Beresford (Breaker Morant, Tender Mercies, Driving Miss Daisy, Mao’s Last Dancer, Peace, Love & Misunderstanding); Presented by Tess Harper (award previously announced).

HONORARY TRAILBLAZER AWARD Marketing and Distribution guru Bob Berney (There Will Be Blood, Monster, La Vie En Rose, The Passion of the Christ, Whale Rider, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Pan's Labyrinth, Mongol); Presented by industry legend Bingham Ray with additional taped tribute by director Guillermo del Toro (award previously announced).

HONORARY EXCELLENCE IN ACTING AWARD
Keanu Reeves (The Matrix, The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee, Walk In The Clouds, Something’s Gotta Give)  Presented by actor/director Vera Farmiga (award previously announced).

The Woodstock Film Festival has an outstanding group of industry leaders who make up the jury for each category of competition:

Feature Narrative Jurors John Anderson, Amy Dotson, and Griffin Dunne. 
Feature Documentary Jurors: Barbara Kopple, Molly Thompson, and Leon Gast. 
Documentary Short Films Jury: Ron Mann, Heidi Ewing, and Petra Epperlein. 
Narrative Short Films Jurors: Jonathan Gray, Ryan Piers Williams, Joshua Zeman, and Cary Hugo. 
Student Short Films Jurors: Amy Devra Gossels, Isil Bagdadi, and Amos Poe. 
Animated Short Films Jurors: Signe Baumane and Bill Plympton.
Cinematography Juror: Haskell Wexler, A.S.C.
Feature Documentary Editing Jurors: Sabine Hoffman, Sloan Klevin, and Sam Pollard.
Narrative Editing Jurors: Sabine Hoffman, Malcolm Jamieson and Craig McKay.

The Maverick Award Trophies are designed and handcrafted by artist Steve Heller, who shows his work at his Fabulous Furniture gallery in Boiceville, NY.

Luminaries attending WFF 2010 included Edie Falco, Adrian Grenier, Vincent D’Onofrio, Edward Burns, Vera Farmiga, Tess Harper,  Larry Fessenden, Bruce Beresford, Bob Berney, Barbara Kopple, Signe Baumane, Bill Plympton, Bingham Ray, John Sloss, Doreen Ringer Ross, Lemore Syvan, Ted Hope, John Anderson, Gary Springer, Heidi Ewing, John Murphy, Ray Kurzweil, Martine Rothblatt, Joslyn Barnes, Jeanne R. Berney, Jonathan Gray, Katherine Carpenter, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Mari-Jo Winkler, Michael Tucker, Richard Abramowitz, Ron Mann, Thelma Adams, Amy Dotson, Elena M. Paul,  John Sebastian, Eva Radtke, Jon Bowermaster, and many other stellar indie filmmakers.

The Gala Maverick Awards Ceremony was co-sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of Ulster County and 120dB Films, with beverages provided by Barefoot Wines and Stella Artois.

The Sponsors for the 2010 Woodstock Film Festival are: 

Gold Sponsor: 120 dB Films 
Silver Sponsors: A&E IndieFilms; Time Magazine 
Superstar Sponsors:; BMI; Ketel One Vodka, Lowel Light; SyFy; Teany Beverages; 100.1 WDST 
Award Sponsors: The James Lyons Estate; Pamela Marvin, Panavision (NY)
Event Sponsors: Barefoot Wine & Bubbly; BSP; Café Bustelo; Emergen-C; Emerson Resort & Spa; Kurzweil Technologies; Mary Giuliani; New World Home Cooking; Oriole9; Palm Beer; Terasem Motion InfoCulture
Foundation Support: ETC; The Klock Foundation; Alfred Lee and Peter Mayer Foundation; The Perry & Martin Granoff Family Foundation; The Derald H. Ruttenburg Foundation; Ulster Savings Charitable Foundation.

FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL SUPPORT: New York State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Grant.

ABOUT THE WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL: 
The Woodstock Film Festival is a not-for-profit, 501©(3) organization whose mission is to present an annual program and year-round schedule of film, music and art-related activities that promotes artists, culture, inspired learning, and diversity. WFF premieres exceptional films; hosts emerging and established filmmakers; presents A-list concerts, parties and panels, and creates stimulating, innovative year-round programming WFF’s sister organization, The Hudson Valley Film Commission, promotes sustainable economic development by attracting and supporting film, video and media production throughout the region. 

Created in 2000 by Meira Blaustein and Laurent Rejto, WFF is located in the Hudson Valley Catskills, surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, just two hours from NYC. The historic arts colony offers a relaxed, receptive atmosphere, which filmmakers consistently cite as perfect for the creative interaction necessary for a great film festival. WFF is a festival for and by filmmakers, and was born through a passion for cinema that could only be the brainchild of active filmmakers and dedicated supporters of ‘fiercely independent’ film. 

Hailed by Indiewire as "A true American Maverick Among Fests," and one of the TOP 50 film festival in the world, the Woodstock Film Festival has been 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."

WFF/HVFC CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: This year the Woodstock Film Festival, in partnership with our sister organization, The Hudson Valley Film Commission, has launched a Capital Campaign to purchase the building currently used as our Box Office to serve as a year-round Film Center. Located in the center of Woodstock, it will not only become the home base for the festival, but will create a much-needed center for creativity in film, by providing space for film workshops, film production, special events, jobs, and casting for local productions, among other purposes. The festival is proud to embark upon this new adventure, and urges you to support our capital campaign.

For more information visit www.woodstockfilmfestival.com or call (845) 679-4265.

About the Woodstock Film Festival:
The Woodstock Film Festival is a not-for-profit, 501©(3) organization whose mission is to present an annual program and year-round schedule of film, music and art-related activities that promotes artists, culture, inspired learning, and diversity. WFF premieres exceptional films; hosts emerging and established filmmakers; presents A-list concerts, parties and panels, and creates stimulating, innovative year-round programming WFF's sister organization, The Hudson Valley Film Commission, promotes sustainable economic development by attracting and supporting film, video and media production throughout the region.

Created in 2000 by Meira Blaustein and Laurent Rejto, WFF is located in the Hudson Valley Catskills, surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, just two hours from NYC. The historic arts colony offers a relaxed, receptive atmosphere, which filmmakers consistently cite as perfect for the creative interaction necessary for a great film festival. WFF is a festival for and by filmmakers, and was born through a passion for cinema that could only be the brainchild of active filmmakers and dedicated supporters of 'fiercely independent' film.

Hailed by Indiewire as "A true American Maverick Among Fests," and one of the TOP 50 film festival in the world, the Woodstock Film Festival has been 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."

Tags: Woodstock Film Festival