Woodstock Film Festival Filmmaker Meet Up: Short Cuts

  • Thursday, May 7

Showtimes updated on Tuesday evenings
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Woodstock Film Festival Filmmaker Meet Up: Short Cuts

Short film screenings with filmmakers & networking in Take 3

Calling all Hudson Valley and NYC filmmakers—directors, producers, writers, editors, and cinematographers! Join the Woodstock Film Festival and Jacob Burns Film Center for an energizing evening of networking and idea-sharing, plus insights from featured filmmakers as they speak about their craft and creative process.

The program spotlights short films from the Woodstock Film Festival. WFF’s shorts program is Oscar®-qualifying, making it a great platform to explore and celebrate short-form storytelling. Featuring the “King of Indie Animation,” Bill Plympton, alongside acclaimed documentarian Geeta Gandbhir (Academy Award nominee for The Perfect Neighbor), and filmmaker Harris Doran, the program will include screenings followed by a talkback with the filmmakers. After the discussion, continue the conversation at a networking reception in the Take 3 Wine Bar & Café, where you can meet WFF Programmers to learn more about the submissions process, as well as other ways to get involved.

About the Woodstock Film Festival:

What began 27 years ago as a passion project between film lovers has grown into one of the country’s top indie film festivals and a thriving, year-round nonprofit arts organization in the Hudson Valley.

Year-round, WFF presents curated independent screenings, filmmaker conversations, artist talks, educational initiatives, and creative community partnerships. Each fall, the annual festival (October 14–18, 2026) brings five days of unforgettable cinema to Woodstock, Kingston, Saugerties, and Rosendale, featuring bold films, industry panels, live events, and meaningful filmmaker engagement. Found out more at woodstockfilmfestival.org.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Woodstock Film Festival Shorts Q&A Panel with filmmakers Woodstock Film Festival Shorts Q&A Panel with filmmakers Woodstock Film Festival Shorts Q&A Panel with filmmakers

Woodstock Film Festival Shorts Q&A Panel with filmmakers

Thursday, May. 7 2026, 6:00

  • Bill Plympton, widely known as the “King of Indie Animation,” is a two-time Academy Award®–nominated animator celebrated for his groundbreaking hand-drawn short films. He received Oscar® nominations for Your Face (1987) and Guard Dog (2005), and his shorts have been showcased on MTV and at festivals worldwide. In addition to filmmaking, Plympton spent many years as a prolific illustrator and cartoonist, with work appearing in major publications including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair. Plympton has created numerous animated features and music videos for artists including Madonna, Weird Al Yankovic, and Kanye West. His recent short Whale 52 (2024) screened at the Woodstock Film Festival, continuing his long-standing relationship with WFF, where he also served as the original animation programmer and also designed two official festival posters (2002, 2023).
  • Geeta Gandbhir is an Emmy, Independent Spirit, and Peabody Award–winning director and a two-time Academy Award® nominee this year, recognized in two documentary categories. Her work spans acclaimed films including: The Perfect Neighbor (which premiered at the 2025 Woodstock Film Festival), The Devil is Busy, Born in Synanon, Reclaimed, and Lowndes County and The Road to Black Power Gandbhir also co-directed the short documentary How We Get Free, which was featured at the 2023 Woodstock Film Festival. A valued member of the WFF community, she also participated in the 2025 panel “Defining Success in Documentary Filmmaking.”
  • Harris Doran (pronounced like Duran Duran) is a Sundance and Berlin Award-winning filmmaker based in NYC. He was nominated for the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Award for producing Kokomo City, executive produced by Lena Waithe, which won both the NEXT Innovator Award and the Audience Award at Sundance, followed by the Panorama Audience Award at Berlin. The film was theatrically distributed by Magnolia Pictures and is now streaming on Showtime/Paramount+.

Tickets: $11 (members), $16 (nonmembers)

Buy Tickets


Coming Soon

Blue Heron

Opens 5/8

Silent Friend

Opens 5/15—Preview screening and filmmaker Q&A on May 4

The Jacob Burns Film Center is proud to receive generous support from:

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