Feature: Meira Blaustein, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Woodstock Film Festival

Meira Blaustein is not only a filmmaker in her own right but also the co-founder and executive director of the Woodstock Film Festival. Her work keeps her on the move—across the country and around the world—all the time. We are so happy she was able to make time to talk to us about the festival and other related projects.

Hi, Meira! Thank you for granting this interview. You (and Woodstock Festival co-founder Laurent Rejto) started the festival over twenty years ago, from scratch, with no money, no real connections, nothing more than a shared dream and a belief in yourself. Now the Woodstock Film Festival is one of the top festivals not only in this country but worldwide. Emerging filmmakers and superstars alike come to Woodstock each October to receive awards and sit on panels to discuss their work. Did you imagine you would have this kind of success? Was “chance” any part of it, or was it all persistence and high energy?

To tell you the truth, while I dreamt that it would be everything it is and more, mostly I just wanted to get through the first year and see if it could survive. The beginning was so miraculous and really did happen as a result of sheer love, community support, and non-stop work and dedication. However, there is something special about Woodstock—and not just its namesake, the iconic concert, or the fact that it is America’s oldest colony of the arts. There is something here, in the area, that attracts creative people and keeps them coming back again and again. That may be the biggest component in the making of the Woodstock Film Festival, followed by the never-ending commitment of all the people involved, and again, the amazing community support.

You can’t possibly watch all the films that are submitted to you each year. How does the selection process work?

We have a large team of volunteer screeners, 20 plus of them, who watch the film submissions and help narrow things down. They grade and evaluate, and we discuss. They are incredibly important, and I couldn’t do it without them! Honestly though, I always end up watching far more films than I want or plan to; it’s just the way it is.

What do you look for in a good independent film?

That is hard to pin down because there are always those intangibles, but generally speaking, we look for compelling stories that are driven by passion and vision, that are unique, well-crafted, and genuine.

In addition to running the festival, overseeing film panels, scouting films at other festivals, and consulting with scriptwriters, producers, directors, and actors, you also have worked to help people in Bhutan to establish their first-ever film festival. What was that experience like?

When I was asked by producer Ginny Galloway if I would help launch Bhutan’s first international film festival, my first thought was, Bhutan is a long way from Woodstock! Not only is it far as the crow flies, but also in a cultural sense. TV and Internet-only arrived in the region in 1999. Moreover, Bhutan, which is a Buddhist monarchy that boasts having the happiest people in the world, is located in one of the world’s most remote regions (at the foot of the Himalayas between India and China). The area is so mountainous that there are only eight pilots worldwide skilled enough to fly there safely!

I said yes—I couldn’t resist that kind of adventure—and I came on board as the official Head Consultant of the festival, with the Woodstock Film Festival as the official Advisor.

The work started well before I left Woodstock, with correspondence between myself, Ginny, my co-programmer Emmy award-winning filmmaker Lisa Russell, and the various Bhutanese participants—a challenge made more difficult because of language differences. We worked on program development, fashioning an identity and infrastructure for the festival, and garnering industry support and publicity on an international level. Getting from New York to Bhutan was another challenge. It took a couple of days with some “Twilight Zone”-like stops along the way. And I could write a book on the journey through the mountains from the airport to my hotel alone. But once I settled in, surrounded by young men and women from Bhutan, Nepal, India, England, and the U.S., all of us drinking tea with yak milk and staying up until four each morning, I knew I was just where I was supposed to be.

We had over 100 local participating artists at the festival, and another 100 plus international artists, from England, Germany, South Africa, India, the U.S. and elsewhere. There were dancers, musicians, beatboxers, filmmakers, photographers, inspirational speakers and more. The Bhutanese films we showed were of particular interest as they were so different from their Western counterparts. The film “Kushuthara: Pattern of Love,” was about how a couple whose marriage failed in a past life meet again in this life. Another, “Zero Waste Bhutan: The Choice is Ours” is about a seventh-grade student who is startled by a lecture about plastics to take action to eliminate garbage and plastics in Bhutan.

My time in the country was filled with contradictions: the sight and sounds of the thousands of stray dogs who filled the streets, the ancient temples I visited, and the appearance of their majesties the Royal King and Queen of Bhutan, both very special people. Ginny summed up the event this way: “Whereas other world-class international festivals are about showcasing artists’ work, this goes one step further. It is about bridging cultures through a sharing of artistic disciplines.” I left Bhutan with my heart and my mind filled to the rim and with hopes for returning next year.

*Readers can read an extended account of Meira’s time in Bhutan at https://www.indiewire.com/

And next, you went to the Faroe Islands, correct?

Yes. I was invited to serve on the jury at Geytin, their annual film competition, and while the trip to the Faroes is long and the weather in December there is harsh, I, of course, was happy to accept and go. It is such a stunningly beautiful, untouched place, and the Faroese are incredibly hospitable and nice. Upon my arrival, I learned that the Faroese had been making films well before I got there, but their opportunities were limited. I sat down with some of the filmmakers and tried to be of help as we workshopped their projects. I also met with some of the politicians and worked with them in terms of developing the support the film industry there requires. It’s a remote area and can get quite isolated, but it’s also an incredible place and the people there absolutely amazing. I completely fell in love! I thoroughly enjoyed working with my co-jurors as we watched all the films in competition and determined a winner. And a bit of trivia: two of the young filmmakers whose films were in competition and who I worked with there ended up coming to the Woodstock Film Festival with their films, which was an absolute joy.

Tell us about the Woodstock Film Festival’s Youth Film Lab. How does that work and how can young people get into it?

The Youth Film Lab is truly one of the most joyous things that we do and I look forward to the third annual event, to take place this summer. Thankfully the Lab is underwritten by an anonymous donor, so participation in the Lab is free (and we offer free, yummy lunch to all students and teachers). We put the word out early to area schools, community centers, libraries, and of course through word of mouth, and once we reach our application deadline, our program director and I meet with all the applicants and make our decision as to who will end up participating.

The Lab takes place over three weeks and is loosely broken down to preproduction, production, and postproduction. The students break up into three groups and each group makes a film. We have up to 15 teenage students, three professional teachers, three teacher assistants, and up to seven visiting professional mentors. The mentors are from different fields in the industry: directors, actors, cinematographers, sound designers, editors, composers, casting directors, etc. They have included Academy award-winning actor Melissa Leo, Academy award-winning filmmaker Roger Ross Williams, casting director Ellen Chenoweth, cinematographer Michael Simmonds, filmmaker/NYU professor Janet Grillo, filmmaker Alex Smith, editor Sabine Hoffman, and many more. At the end of the Lab, we show the finished three films to family and friends. Later on in the year, we show the films again at the film festival.

The letters I have received from the parents of attendees are filled with gratitude for the changes they see in their kids’ level of confidence. It’s very rewarding for those of us who work to make this happen.

Thank you for your time. Please provide links readers can use to learn more about you and to keep up with Woodstock Film Festival news.

https://woodstockfilmfestival.org

https://www.meirablaustein.com

*First photograph courtesy of the Woodstock Film Festival

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