Hudson Valley Film Festival

With its eclectic programming and exhibition formats, this spring’s Hudson Valley Film Festival in Rhinebeck, New York, gleefully pushed the boundaries of expectation, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.

The festival traditionally champions screenwriters, and this year was no exception with several screenplay readings, a panel discussion with five screenwriters, and a special tribute to the prolific Richard LaGravenese (The Fisher King, The Bridges of Madison County). The discussion, which was moderated by John Pierson with his typical blend of easy charm and healthy badgering, offered an interesting survey of five personalities and positions vis-a-vis the industry. Amos Poe staked out the avant-garde corner, invoking Jean-Luc Godard at least twice and insisting on considering filmmaking not as the making of individual films but as a politicized activity. Tony Gilroy somewhat apologetically represented Hollywood, while Laurie Weltz – taking up the middle of the spectrum as the new writer/director (and the one female on the panel) — described the writing of her first feature, Wrestling With Alligators, as the culmination of several years working every other job on a film set.

Weltz’s film screened on Saturday, which was dubbed "Independents Day" along with four other new independent features. The lovely debut boasts excellent performances by Joely Richardson and Aleska Palladino, a strong story tackling issues of sexuality, propriety, and coming of age as a woman in 1959, and an impressive visual design. Weltz’s background in the various aspects of film production shows in the film’s sense of grace, control, and confidence; although the film has not yet been picked up for distribution, it deserves an audience beyond the festival circuit.

Sunday was devoted to shorts, and while projection difficulties marred the screenings, curator Meira Blaustein put together several strong programs, each of which featured examples of some of the best short work around. One of these astounding shorts was Gort Na gChamn (Field of Bones) by Irish filmmaker Carol Moore. Borrowing a poem from Cathal O. Searcaigh, Moore tells a story of searing violence with an exquisite palette and a perfectly choreographed camera. Set in 1940, the film charts a father’s brutality and a daughter’s resistance in a way that is both sparse — the film has no dialogue — and yet overwhelming visually and emotionally.

Another short gem was Sylvie Bringas and Orly Yadin’s animated true story, Silence, about Little Tana who survives the horror of the Holocaust and a concentration camp only to be silenced by a family afraid of what she may say when she finds herself free. Narrated by the survivor herself, the film is a wonderful mix of animation styles that perfectly capture the different vibes of each section of the girl’s life.

The festival concluded with a tribute to Richard LaGravenese with friends and colleagues offering often amusing testimony to the screenwriter’s gifts. A party followed the tribute, but the carefully planned event, which was supposed to have taken place in a tent on one of the large lawns surrounding a large Hudson Valley estate, was disrupted by a wild storm. Strong winds and rain drove everyone inside, the power went out, trees were knocked down, and there was plenty of meteorological Coming at the close of the weekend, the storm also highlighted some of the festival’s strengths and weaknesses. For the most part, the party proceeded uninterrupted thanks to the efforts of numerous volunteers and festival supporters. Indeed, a strong sense of local support underlies the festival, as does an interest and respect for film in all its myriad forms. However, there were places where things slid just slightly out of control, perhaps for reasons, like the storm, that are really beyond anyone’s control. However, things like problematic projection or a sense of confusion here and there can be eliminated. The festival seems ready to be bigger, but doesn’t yet seem to have the necessary resources. Next year’s festival will in some ways have to different — executive director Denise Kasell, who has been a powerful driving force at HVFF, recently left to take over the Hamptons festival. Hopefully, the festival, which already has so much going for it, will continue to do what it does best, exploring its characteristic mix of screening formats and programming choices, while ironing out minor difficulties.

Chicago Underground Film Festival by Ray Pride
ResFest ’98 by Eugene Hernandez
Nantucket Film Festival by Mark Rabinowitz
Newport International Film Festival by Mary Glucksman
Sydney Film Festival by Henry Lewes
Hudson Valley Film Festival by Holly Willis