Woodstock Film Festival Names Jessica Edwards as Executive Director

Jessica Edwards has been named executive director of the Woodstock Film Festival, succeeding co-founder Meira Blaustein as the 27th annual event ended. The appointment begins a leadership transition at a festival focused on independent cinema and closely connected to New York’s Hudson Valley.

Edwards is a filmmaker, distribution consultant and former publicist who lives in the Hudson Valley. Blaustein and board president Claude Dal Farra said she understands the festival’s independent spirit and can lead its next stage; Edwards said she hopes to bring filmmakers, industry partners and audiences together. Blaustein received an Honorary Maverick Award for more than 26 years of dedication, and festival winners included “Mouse”, “Rehearsals for a Revolution”, “Washed Up” and “They’re Here”.