The Woodstock Film Festival named Jessica Edwards its new executive director on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, the same day it wrapped its 27th edition with the announcement of its 2026 Maverick Award winners. Edwards takes over from Meira Blaustein, who co-founded the festival and has run it as executive director since 2000.
For fans of the Hudson Valley festival circuit, the news lands as a double headline: a changing of the guard at the top of one of the region’s best-known independent film showcases, paired with a fresh slate of winners that stretched across narrative features, documentaries and cinematography.
Woodstock Film Festival 2026 Maverick Award Winners
The festival, which ran from Wednesday to Sunday according to Variety, handed out its juried awards as the event closed. The winners include:
- Gigantic Pictures Award for Best Feature Narrative: “Mouse,” directed by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson
- Leon Gast Award for Best Feature Documentary: “Rehearsals for a Revolution,” directed by Pegah Ahangarani
- Haskell Wexler Award for Best Cinematography: “Nuisance Bear,” directed by Jack Weisman and Gabriela Osio Vanden
- NYWIFT Award for Excellence in Directing a Narrative Film: “Rain Reign,” directed by Erika Burke Rossa
- NYWIFT Award for Excellence in Directing a Documentary Film: “Our Dark Horse,” directed by Grace Barry
Additional festival winners named this year included “Washed Up,” directed by Isabel Moncloa Daly, and “They’re Here,” directed by Laura Poitras and Rachel Lauren Mueller, according to Variety.
Blaustein herself received an Honorary Maverick Award at the closing ceremony, recognizing what organizers called her visionary leadership and enduring legacy, as reported by Deadline.
A Leadership Change After More Than 25 Years
Blaustein co-founded the festival in 2000 and has served as executive director since, according to Deadline. Variety noted her more than 26 years of dedication to independent cinema.
Edwards arrives with a background as a filmmaker, distribution consultant and former publicist, and she lives in the Hudson Valley herself. In a statement, she said, “To call this a dream job would be an understatement. I’m honored to build on the founders’ legacy and help shape the festival’s future.
Woodstock’s history is shaped by its creativity, innovation, and independent spirit. I want to carry that spirit forward by bringing filmmakers and industry partners from around the world together with audiences here in the Hudson Valley.”
Blaustein offered her own endorsement of the handoff. “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,” she said. “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. I am confident that she will not only retain the vision of the Woodstock Film Festival, which I have worked so long and hard to build and nurture, but will lead it towards an exciting new growth. I can’t wait to see what the next few years will bring. Welcome, Jessica!”
The festival’s board echoed that sentiment. “From our very first meeting with Jessica, it was clear to us that she was the natural person to succeed Meira and carry forward the extraordinary work Meira has done over more than 25 years,” said Claude Dal Farra, president of the festival’s board, according to Variety. “Jessica understands what makes the Woodstock Film Festival special, its commitment to filmmakers, its independent spirit, and its deep connection to the Hudson Valley, while also bringing the experience, energy, and vision to lead it into its next chapter. On behalf of the Board, we are tremendously excited to welcome Jessica as our new Executive Director, and to work with her on the future of the Festival.”
What It Means For Fans And The Festival’s Future
For festivalgoers and independent filmmakers who rely on Woodstock as a launchpad, the leadership transition comes at a moment when the event’s awards slate continues to highlight a mix of narrative and documentary work, from the directing recognition for Erika Burke Rossa’s “Rain Reign” to the cinematography honor for “Nuisance Bear.” Edwards has signaled that her priority will be connecting filmmakers, industry partners and audiences in the Hudson Valley, language that suggests continuity with the festival’s existing identity rather than a sharp pivot.
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