N A R R AT I V E S
EAST COAST PREMIERE
SUBMISSION Directed by Richard Levine USA / 2017 / 106 minutes ROSENDALE Theatre
Fri Oct 13 12:30pm
WOODSTOCK Playhouse
Sat Oct 14 6:45m
EAST COAST PREMIERE
EAST COAST PREMIERE
LGBTQ TIME TRAP FOC US
THEY
Directed by Anahita Ghazvinizadeh USA, Qatar / 2017 / 80 minutess ROSENDALE Theatre
Sat Oct 14 12:30pm
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Upstate Films WOODSTOCK
Ted Swenson is a published author working as a creative writing professor, with a comfortable marriage and a passion for his work. But as the guidance he provides to a gifted student intensifies, Submission, based on the best-selling novel Blue Angel by Hudson Valley resident Francine Prose, delves into a deeper story, exploring issues as creative envy and the pressure of personal expectations as Swenson tries to navigate the slippery slope from teacher to Guru, admirer to manipulator.
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Director Richard Levine delivers a suspenseful human drama mixed with a risque blend of comedy making the film entertaining and compelling. Honest and authentic, with gifted leading actors Stanley Tucci and Addison Timlin carrying the film, supported by Kyra Sedgwick and Janeane Garafolo who deliver critical roles, Submission is a biting commentary on political correctness, gender politics and the witnessing of a decent man setting his life aflame. – Monique Ray
Sun Oct 15 4:45pm
In this succinct, enchanting look at modern-day identity issues, writerdirector Anahita Ghazvinizadeh’s They tenderly follows fourteen-year-old J, who goes by the pronoun ‘they,”’during a crucial three-day time span. J lives with their parents in the suburbs of Chicago and is exploring their gender identity, all the while taking hormone blockers to postpone puberty. After two years of medication and therapy, J has to make a decision whether or not to transition. Over a long weekend while their parents are away, J’s sister Lauren and her Iranian friend/partner Araz arrive to take care of they. With a haunting central performance by Rhys Fehrenbacher, the film is refreshingly non-judgmental in a way rarely seen in real life, much less on screen.
– Monique Ray
Q&A PARTICIPANTS: Anahitz Gazvinizadeh, Zoe Sua Cho, Simone Ling
COURTESY OF LUXBOX FILMS
Q&A PARTICIPANT: Richard Levine, Francine Prose
2017 WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL
Directed by Mark Dennis and Ben Foster USA / 2017 / 87 minutes WOODSTOCK Playhouse
Sun Oct 1511:45am
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The Premise: A group of archeology students, searching for their missing teacher, become trapped inside a mysterious cave where time passes at a different pace than in the outside world. The Realization: A time-bending science fiction adventure that is smart, entertaining and grips you from start to finish. Using a simple notion of time passing faster outside than inside the cave, what initially starts out as a straightforward rescue expedition soon becomes a spooky sci-fi mystery fraught with alarming threats and unforeseen twists and turns around every corner, making it impossible to guess what’s coming next. Danger imperils the lives of the characters and threatens their ability to return home. Will they be saved despite their ineptness? With an animated cast portraying the somewhat dysfunctional rescue team, Time Trap is a clever, fast-paced ride packed with imagination and fun. Suitable for children who aren’t easily scared and adults who long to still be kids. – Ben F. Fischer Q&A PARTICIPANTS: Mark Dennis, Ben Foster, Zachary Matz
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
THE TRAVELLER Directed by Hadi Ghandour Lebanon-France / 2016 / 100 minutes
Lebanese-French with subtitles Upstate Films WOODSTOCK
Fri Oct 13 9:00pm
Upstate Films I RHINEBECK
Sat Oct 14 4:00pm
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Adnan is a dreamer at odds with himself: a Lebanese travel agent who can describe the romances of the world to his clients, but has never left his own country. So when the opportunity arises for him to attend a business conference in Paris, he packs his suitcase and flies out, only to find himself tempted by a culture that challenges his sense of loyalty — both to family and nation. Wide-eyed in the City of Love, Adnan is seduced by Paris one moment, then drawn back to Lebanon the next, with worried phone calls from his wife counterbalancing his European enticements. As Adnan wonders where his heart truly lies, we are charmed by his emotional tug-of-war, stuck between a lifetime of caution and his latent yearnings. The Traveller is thoughtful and sweet, and Adnan, played with buoyancy by Rodrigue Sleiman, brings levity as his character stumbles into an unfamiliar world. – Colton Cox Q&A PARTICIPANTS: Hadi Ghandour, Stevan Lee Mraovitch
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