By Fran Montagnino
Woodstock, New York is an idyllic setting to attend a film festival. The 2021 Woodstock Film Festival is ongoing at the time of this writing from Sept. 29 – Oct. 4. Many of the restaurants here are vegan friendly and have outdoor seating. The artistic scene is very visible. There is a museum and galleries in the town, including the Byrdcliffe Guild, where panel discussions are held. Local musicians and drumming circles play on “The Green” in the center of the town and at local venues such as the Colony.
The film festival showcases different genres every year, hosts awards, panels, and speakers.
Still from Daughter of a Lost Bird
This year I headed out to see Daughter of a Lost Bird, a documentary feature at the Bearsville Theater.
The film is a poignant story about a Native woman adopted into a white family, who reconnects with her Native identity and meets her birth mother, April. We follow Kendra Mylnechuk Potter on her journey to the Lummi Nation and watch as her newly discovered relationship with April develops amidst the history of the Lummi tribe.
There are various creative achievements in the film. The hug between April And Kendra is most notable and deepened by the subtle beat in the background, creating an emotional and quiet poetic moment. The intercutting of black and white archival footage from the Lummi people along with the dialogue of April and Kendra deepens the emotional effect of the film and history of Lummi tribe. The consistent use of close-ups throughout the film visually enhances the relationship the viewer experiences with Kendra and April, as well as our understanding of the Lummi people.
April Kowalski and Brooke Pepion Swaney
(photo credit: Fran Montagnino)
The cinematography, editing, and musical composition interweave deftly throughout the film, which was directed by Brooke Pepion Swaney, an NYU alum. The film, along with Swaney, her creative staff, and April Kowalski received a standing ovation at the Bearsville theater screening I attended! They were on hand afterward to answer audience questions, and April Kowalski standing next to Brooke Pepion Swaney told the audience this was the first time she had seen the film. She also said that it was an unbelievable honor to be in the place the story was told. It was an emotional moment for both attendees and filmmakers.
I walked out of the theater, took off my mask, took a deep breath and walked across the parking lot to Nancy’s of Woodstock Artisanal Creamery, where I had a delicious almond milk cappuccino.
Brooke Swaney received the New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) Award Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking for Daughter of a Lost Bird at the 2021 Woodstock Film Festival. The NYWIFT Award for Excellence in Narrative Filmmaking at Woodstock went to Rachel Winter for The Space Between. NYWIFT Board Member Kim Jackson presented both awards in person at the festival’s closing awards ceremony.
Learn more about the Woodstock Film Festival at https://woodstockfilmfestival.org/
Fran Montagnino
Fran Montagnino is a writer, producer, creative consultant, and an American dreamer – and potential host – who has been part of the vibrant cultural landscape of New York for many years. Her academic background is in Television and Film. She is a summa cum laude graduate of the New York Institute of Technology and has studied at Columbia University. She has worked on and been associated with various projects in both fiction and non-fiction genres and is currently working independently on treatment ideas for television and film.
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Delfine Paolini
Welcome to NYWIFT, Delfine Paolini! Delfine is a multifaceted filmmaker whose critically recognized work explores themes of life and loss. Her unique and powerful visions draw from an intimate familiarity of cinematic storytelling, philosophy, and a deeply thoughtful reflection of self. Her feature debut, A Wonderful Way with Dragons, has won numerous international awards. Its distinct style and emotional evocations are reflective of Delfine’s creative journey. Coming from a background of photography, she is highly attuned to expressive visuals. Community and mentorship have remained essential values to Delfine, who has faced both hurdles and victories on her directorial path. Delfine’s resolve and creative momentum have led to the development of multiple exciting projects. She is a director to watch; her upcoming films Le Rouge Originel, Reds Hearten, and Sky, Zyprexa, Night will continue to push boundaries and explore the profound power of the film medium. In our interview, Delfine discusses her background and inspirations.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Sophia Baldassari
Let’s welcome screenwriter, script supervisor, and playwright Sophia Baldassari to NYWIFT! She was most recently an Associate Producer on the Radio Silence thriller LOSER, directed by Colleen McGuinness. Her plays and pilots have been developed/produced at Luna Stage, George Street Playhouse, the McCarter Theatre Center, Haddonfield Plays and Players, and Manhattan Repertory Theatre, and have received accolades from the O’Neill Center Young Playwrights, Theatremania Young Playwrights, Beardance International Playwriting Festival, the Neil LaBute New Theatre Festival, the Austin Film Festival, among others. She’s studied Writing at Sarah Lawrence and Egyptology at the University of Oxford, an experience she used to write a buddy comedy about the mummy of a Pharaoh’s 29th Favorite wife. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America East, The New York Script Supervisors Network, and IATSE Local 111. In our interview, we discussed uniting accessible and female driven stories with comedy and surrealism, the structural switches between playwriting and screenwriting, and the unexpected comedy of life in ancient Egypt. Let’s dive in!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Nadia Voukitchevitch
Welcome to NYWIFT, Nadia Voukitchevitch! Nadia is an award-winning filmmaker with over two decades of experience across film, television, and branded content. She is the founder Nadia Films, a creative content production company and boutique agency that produces globally focused, multicultural, and multilingual work across media. Through Nadia Films and its newly launched division, The Creative Collective, Nadia brings together collaborative teams of creators to craft meaningful, commercially viable work rooted in powerful storytelling. Her projects often intersect with social impact, advocacy, and cultural history, reflecting a deep commitment to human rights, women’s voices, and education-driven narratives. In our interview, she reflects on her filmmaking journey, the responsibility of telling stories rooted in lived experience, and the projects she’s most excited to bring to life next.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Erin Kelly
Welcome to NYWIFT, Erin Kelly! Erin is an entertainment insurance professional with a background in film and television production. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a degree in Film Production, she began her career working on documentary and television projects, including the feature documentary Knuckleball and CBS’s Entertainment Tonight. In 2016, Erin transitioned into entertainment insurance and now serves as Underwriting Manager for the Film/TV/DICE segment of the Entertainment Department at Intact Insurance Group. Based in New York City, Erin remains deeply connected to the industry as a self-described “film school kid” at heart and an avid moviegoer. In our interview, she shares insights on her journey from production to entertainment insurance, the risks facing today’s productions, and the lessons she’s learned along the way.
READ MORE
Comments are closed