The Woods is a 2011 film written and directed by Matthew Lessner and starring Toby David and Justin Phillips. The script was written by Lessner with contributing writer Adam Mortemore, and additional dialogue by David and Phillips.

The Woods
Directed byMatthew Lessner
Written byMatthew Lessner
Produced byMatthew Lessner
Jett Steiger
Max Knies
StarringToby David
Justin Phillips
CinematographyWyatt Garfield
Edited byMatthew Lessner
Music byLydia Ainsworth
Production
companies
Monte Lomax Productions
Greencard Pictures
Team G
Kickstarter
Release date
  • January 21, 2011 (2011-01-21) (Sundance)
[1]
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUnder $10 million

The film was co-produced by 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.[2] The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.[3] The Woods premiered in New York at the BAMcinemaFest held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[4] The Woods premiered internationally at the Cologne Conference in Cologne, Germany.[5]

Premise

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A group of young Americans, 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 Wi-Fi, 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

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  • Toby David as Daniel
  • Justin Phillips as Dean
  • Nicola Persky as Maggie
  • Adam Mortemore as Lucas
  • Brian Woods as Tanner
  • Anne-Sophie as Nadia
  • Lauren Hammersmith as Genevieve
  • Amanda Furches as Annakate
  • Chris Edley as Bryce

Production

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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.[6]

Music

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The film features songs by [7]

Film Festival/ Film Conference screenings

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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
7 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
1 March 2012 The Queens World Film Festival Jackson Heights, New York USA
26 October 2012 Impakt Festival Utrecht, The Netherlands
16 November 2013 Clair-Obscur Filmfestival Basel, Switzerland

University/ College screenings

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Date Institution Location
1 April 2011 Swarthmore College Swarthmore, Pennsylvania USA
31 May 2011 University of Chicago Chicago, Illinois USA

Miscellaneous screenings

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Date Location Event
1 October 2011 Vienna, Austria WALDflimmern, die 1. Filmschau zum Wald
8 October 2011 Linz, Austria WALDflimmern, die 1. Filmschau zum Wald
15 October 2011 Salzburg, Austria WALDflimmern, die 1. Filmschau zum Wald
3 November 2011 Los Angeles, California USA Downtown Independent, Film Finds
02-8 March 2012 Brooklyn, New York USA reRun Theater, 1 Week New York Theatrical Release

References

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  1. ^ "Sundance Film Festival 2011: The Woods". sundance.slated.com. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  2. ^ Miller, Daniel. "SUNDANCE: How 'The Woods' ' Unique Financing Model Could Shake Up the Festival". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. ^ "Sundance 2011: New Frontier Lineup". 2 December 2010.
  4. ^ "The Woods". Archived from the original on 2011-06-25. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  5. ^ "The Woods - Cologne Conference 2011". www.cologne-conference.de. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08.
  6. ^ "Roseburg native's film shot in Lookinglass to premiere at Sundance Film Festival". 2010-12-28. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  7. ^ "Exclusive: Listen To Sun Araw's Neil Young Cover 'Thrasher' From Sundance Film 'The Woods' > The Playlist". blogs.indiewire.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-11.
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