Saugerties-based filmmaker Jessica Edwards, a documentary programmer for the Woodstock Film Festival, will become its executive director at the end of the year, succeeding co-founder Meira Blaustein.
The festival announced Edwards’ appointment at its Maverick Awards ceremony on Oct. 18 at Oz Farm in Saugerties, where Blaustein received a special Honorary Maverick Award.
Blaustein, who has led the festival since its launch in 2000 and also serves as head programmer, plans to stay on as an adviser while consulting with other film festivals and producing movies.
Beyond its annual festival, the nonprofit offers year-round screenings, mentoring, and educational programs for filmmakers, students, and audiences.
“Make sure there’s a lot of Diet Coke in the fridge because I’m going to need it to do this job,” Edwards said at the awards ceremony. “Let’s get to work.”
She said she wants to bring filmmakers and industry partners from around the world together with Hudson Valley audiences.
“My vision for the festival is to create opportunities for people to meet, share ideas, and discover films together—connections that I hope will support filmmakers and inspire the next generation of cinema lovers,” she said.
Edwards has worked with the festival in recent years, drawing praise from Blaustein.
“I have had the pleasure of working with Jessica at the Woodstock Film Festival over the past few years, and I have nothing but the greatest respect for her,” Blaustein said in a statement. “As a filmmaker, a distribution consultant, and a former publicist, Jessica brings with her deep understanding, creative vision, and vast and strong contacts in the film industry. As a resident of the Hudson Valley, she knows and loves the region and its community.”
Edwards’ debut feature-length documentary, “Mavis!,” about soul and gospel singer Mavis Staples, made its HBO debut in 2016.
As an independent film publicist, Edwards worked with filmmakers including Sofia Coppola, David Lynch, the Coen brothers, and Gus Van Sant. Her LinkedIn profile describes her as a documentary filmmaker, programmer, and distribution strategist with experience in virtual reality.
A Canadian, she holds a master’s degree in media studies from The New School in New York City and a bachelor’s degree in cinema from Concordia University in Montreal.
Blaustein discussed her decision to leave in a September interview with The Overlook.
“It feels to be the right time,” she said. “We had a great run and the festival is only going to continue to grow from here.”
Born and raised in Israel, Blaustein developed an interest in cinema as a teenager. She worked at the Poughkeepsie-based Hudson Valley Film Festival from 1995 to 1999 before deciding to start her own festival.
She initially considered New Paltz, but relationships she built in Woodstock helped establish the festival there. She co-founded it in 2000 with her then-husband, the late Laurent Rejtö.
At the ceremony, “Rain Reign,” directed by Erika Burke Rossa, received the Laurent Rejto Made in the Hudson Valley Award. “Mouse,” by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson, won best narrative feature, and “Rehearsals for a Revolution,” by Pegah Ahangarani, won best documentary feature.
John W. Barry is a reporter for The Overlook. Reach him at john@theoverlooknews.com.
