The Woods (2011 film)
Encyclopedia
The Woods is a 2011 film written and directed by Matthew Lessner
. The script was written by Matthew Lessner
with contributing writer Adam Mortemore, and additional dialogue by Toby David and Justin Phillips.
The film was co-produced by Matthew Lessner
, Jett Steiger and Max Knies, and made history as the first film to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival
that used Kickstarter
for production financing. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival
. The Woods
premiered in New York at the BAMcinemaFest held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
. The Woods
premiered internationally at the Cologne Conference
in Cologne
, Germany.
Matthew Lessner
Matthew Lessner is an independent award-winning filmmaker who lives and works between New York City and Los Angeles.-Biography:Born in Walnut Creek, California, Lessner was raised in Roseburg, Oregon, where he attended Roseburg High School...
. The script was written by Matthew Lessner
Matthew Lessner
Matthew Lessner is an independent award-winning filmmaker who lives and works between New York City and Los Angeles.-Biography:Born in Walnut Creek, California, Lessner was raised in Roseburg, Oregon, where he attended Roseburg High School...
with contributing writer Adam Mortemore, and additional dialogue by Toby David and Justin Phillips.
The film was co-produced by Matthew Lessner
Matthew Lessner
Matthew Lessner is an independent award-winning filmmaker who lives and works between New York City and Los Angeles.-Biography:Born in Walnut Creek, California, Lessner was raised in Roseburg, Oregon, where he attended Roseburg High School...
, Jett Steiger and Max Knies, and made history as the first film to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
that used Kickstarter
Kickstarter
Kickstarter is an online threshold pledge system for funding creative projects. Kickstarter has funded a diverse array of endeavors, ranging from indie film and music to journalism, solar energy technology and food-related projects.-Model:...
for production financing. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. The Woods
The Woods (2011 film)
The Woods is a 2011 film written and directed by Matthew Lessner. The script was written by Matthew Lessner with contributing writer Adam Mortemore, and additional dialogue by Toby David and Justin Phillips....
premiered in New York at the BAMcinemaFest held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Brooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
. The Woods
The Woods (2011 film)
The Woods is a 2011 film written and directed by Matthew Lessner. The script was written by Matthew Lessner with contributing writer Adam Mortemore, and additional dialogue by Toby David and Justin Phillips....
premiered internationally at the Cologne Conference
Cologne Conference
The Cologne Conference is an international Film and Television Festival that takes place annually in Cologne, Germany. With about 5000 visitors, the Cologne Conference is considered as the best attended festival of its kind worldwide...
in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Germany.
Plot
The Woods follows a group of young Americans who, disillusioned by the world's many problems, move to the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with hopes of creating their own utopian society. Despite their idealistic goals of revolution, the group comes ill prepared for their new life, bringing a wide assortment of consumer electronics, recreational vehicles and snack foods. After catastrophic events in the outside world sever their electricity and wifi, and their leader's once-inspiring rhetoric fails to hold them together, the group is forced to find a way to live in harmony with the natural world.Cast
- Toby David as Daniel
- Justin Phillips as Dean
- Nicola Persky as Maggie
- Adam Mortemore as Lucas
- Brian Woods as Tanner
- Anne-Sophie as Nadia
- Lauran Hammersmith as Genevieve
- Amanda Furches as Annakate
- Chris Edley as Bryce
Production
The film was filmed over 30 days in Oregon. To make the film, the director and cast lived in a tent-city in the forest.Music
The film features songs by- Dirty ProjectorsDirty ProjectorsThe Dirty Projectors aka David Longstreth includes Amber Coffman , Angel Deradoorian , Brian McOmber , Nat Baldwin , and Haley Dekle during live performances...
- Sun Araw
- Lucky DragonsLucky DragonsLucky Dragons is an experimental music group consisting of Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Rara. Based in Los Angeles, California, the band are noted for their unusual sound, described as having the ability to make "'everyday sounds' become alluringly other"....
- Ananda ShankarAnanda ShankarAnanda Shankar was a Bengali musician best known for fusing Western and Eastern musical styles. He was married to Tanusree Shankar.-Early life:...
- Indian JewelryIndian jewelryIndian Jewelry is a band from Houston, Texas that is known for its droning vision music and seizure-inducing stage show. Since forming in 2002 the band has gone through several touring incarnations as Hong Kong, the Turquoise Diamonds, BENZENE LOTION RASH, the Corpses of Waco, Electric Fuck All,...
- Lydia Ainsworth
Film Festival/ Film Conference Screenings
| Date | Venue | Location | Premiere Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 January, 2011 | Sundance Film Festival | Park City, Utah USA | World Premiere | |
| 24 February, 2011 | Portland International Film Festival | Portland, Oregon USA | ||
| 26 June, 2011 | BAMcinemaFest | Brooklyn, New York USA | New York Premiere | |
| 16 July, 2011 | Maine International Film Festival | Waterville, Maine USA | ||
| 26 August, 2011 | White Sands International Film Festival | Las Cruces, New Mexico USA | ||
| 26 September, 2011 | Cologne Conference | Cologne, Germany | International Premiere | |
| 07 October, 2011 | Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | ||
| 10 November, 2011 | Stockholm International Film Festival | Stockholm, Sweden | ||
| 10 November, 2011 | Napa Valley Film Festival | Napa, California USA | ||
| 15 November, 2011 | American Film Festival | Wrocław, Poland | ||
University/ College Screenings
| Date | Institution | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 01 April, 2011 | Swarthmore College | Swarthmore, Pennsylvania USA |
| 31 May, 2011 | University of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois USA |
Miscellaneous Screenings
| Date | Location | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 01 October, 2011 | Vienna, Austria | WALDflimmern, die 1. Filmschau zum Wald |
| 08 October, 2011 | Linz, Austria | WALDflimmern, die 1. Filmschau zum Wald |
| 15 October, 2011 | Salzburg, Austria | WALDflimmern, die 1. Filmschau zum Wald |
| 03 November, 2011 | Los Angeles, California USA | Downtown Independent, Film Finds |