What To See at Woodstock

Contributing notetaker A.M. Peters and I will be in Woodstock, NY, for the 2007 Woodstock Film Festival. Expect to see our notes from a variety of panel discussions, film screenings with Q&As, and hopefully lots of pictures from throughout the weekend.

If you plan to attend the festival, here's some film recommendations sent to me by festival "insiders" Nikki Goldbeck (assoc. director) & Barbara Pokras (reviewer):

Nik's Pics:

Narratives
August Evening
Chicago 10
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
Let them Chirp Awhile

Docs
Begging Naked
Billy the Kid
Black, White & Gray
Constantine’s Sword
The Cool School
Good Ol' Charles Schulz
Iron Ladies of Liberia
Neither Memory Nor Magic
Nomadak TX
Operation Filmmaker
Terror’s Advocate
War/Dance

Best of Babs:

BILLY THE KID
Haunting. Intense. Fascinating case study of a
special kid.

HOW TO COOK YOUR LIFE
Contempletive Buddhism 101. Sensual, intelligent. Perfect for Buddhist-oriented community like Woodstock.

STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME
One of the more interesting Holocaust stories.

FREEHELD
Very moving. Brought tears to my eyes. Terrific gay-themed doc.

OSWALD’S GHOST
Robert Stone sets his sights on the assassination of John F. Kennedy. This multilayered piece paints a much larger picture of a democracy in name only.

BEGGING NAKED
Elise Hill, a teenage runaway escaping an abusive suburban family and slipping, purposefully, into life as a sex worker in the pre - Guilliani Times Square peep show district.

DARK MATTER
Science thriller based on a true story. Small role for Meryl Street.

MOVING MIDWAY
In dissecting the "myth of the plantation," this filmmaker blends Southern history and culture against the backdrop of a changing world. Watching "The Midway" inching it’s way a new home is pretty amazing.

NOMADAK, TX
Stunning visual, musical journey.

OPERATION FILMMAKERYoung Iraqi filmmaker tries to adapt to life in the west. Terrific.

BLACK, WHITE AND GRAY
Sam Wagstaff, brilliant curator and collector, was the driving force behind Robert Maplethorpe. Terrific.

CONSTANTINE’S SWORD
A former priest explores the destructive side of religion. A "must see."

HIPPIE MASALA
Ever wondered what happened to the hippies who went to India? Some of them stayed!

THE COOL SCHOOL
A well drawn history of the Los Angeles art scene.

THE CAKE EATERS
Slow moving family drama.