The Woodstock Film Festival presents independent cinema in the Hudson Valley towns of Woodstock, Saugerties, Rosendale and Kingston, New York. Founded in 2000 by Meira Blaustein and Laurent Rejto, it is run by a not-for-profit organization that also holds year-round screenings, a Youth Film Lab for local teenagers and a Filmmakers Residency on a Catskills farm.
The five-day festival combines features and short films with panels and live music. Films about art, music, activism or the environment are considered for Woodstock Legacy programming, and a Made in the Hudson Valley category covers work shot or produced in the region. Juried prizes, including the Ultra Indie Award, are presented at the Maverick Awards on the closing day. The festival qualifies short films for the Academy Awards. The dates for the 2026 edition, the 27th, are 14–18 October 2026.
Awards and prizes
Juried competitive awards are presented at the Maverick Awards ceremony on the final day of the festival. Categories include Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, the Ultra Indie Award, the Changemaker Award, the Laurent Rejto Made in the Hudson Valley Award, the Haskell Wexler Award for Best Cinematography, Best Short Narrative, Best Documentary Short, Best Animated Short, Best Student Short, Best Editing for narrative and documentary features, and Audience Awards for narrative and documentary features. Some awards carry cash prizes or industry services. Best Narrative Short, Best Animated Short and Best Documentary Short are Academy Awards qualifying prizes. The festival also presents honorary Maverick Awards.
Festival rules
Submissions are accepted through FilmFreeway in these categories: narrative feature, documentary feature, short narrative, short documentary, animated short, student short, student animated short, and Made in the Hudson Valley (features and shorts filmed or produced in the region).
All films must be Hudson Valley premieres; a New York State premiere is strongly preferred. Films that screened at another U.S. festival more than one year before the festival are not eligible. Films already released theatrically, broadcast on television or made available online are not accepted; retrospective or archival titles may be considered as exceptions. All rights must be cleared, and a complete screening history is required. Press kits are not needed. Work-in-progress cuts are accepted if the film is finished at least four weeks before the festival. Submission questions go to entries@woodstockfilmfestival.org.
