The 2025 Hudson Film Festival announces an eclectic lineup of diverse and award-winning films, showcasing new voices in global cinema, local Hudson Valley films and creators, and introducing new programming initiatives for youth education, and broadened community partnerships. Among the expanded 17 films screened and special events over the course of the festival, 3 events are free for the community: the festival’s first ever free Youth Film Workshop, its first ever free Short Film Showcase, and the return of its popular Free Family Screening. All-Access passes and individual tickets for the expanded 4-day festival are on sale now, running Thursday, August 7 through Sunday, August 10, 2025.
Of the announcement, Hudson Film Festival & Hudson Valley Film Institute co-founders John Maybee, Sarah Peters, and Sonia Marcela Freeman said, “In its third year, the Hudson Film Festival deepens its commitment to diverse programming, intentional partnerships throughout the community, and accessible arts education. This year’s lineup showcases an exceptional slate of films representing both the Hudson region and international perspectives, reflecting the festival’s belief in the unifying power of cinema. In launching our first ever free youth-focused film workshop, the Hudson Valley Film Institute is delivering on its promise to open pathways and provide accessible arts education for young people to consider careers in film & television here in their own community. By fostering collaboration, the festival aims to serve as a bridge—connecting cultural resources and creative networks to deliver a meaningful arts experience for the people of Hudson.”
The festival opens on Thursday, August 7 with the Hudson Valley premiere of East of Wall (dir: Kate Beecroft; Winner, 2025 Sundance Audience Award: NEXT), and continues with Hudson Valley premieres of The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick (dir: Pete Ohs), Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) (dir: Rohan Kanawade; Winner, 2025 Sundance World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic), and Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story (dir: Michael Mabbott, Lucah Rosenberg-Lee; Winner, Peabody Award: Documentary).
Rounding out the 2025 slate are acclaimed documentary Folktales (dir: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady) about teenagers who attend an outdoor school challenging themselves to chart their own path to adulthood, a Spotlight screening of Hudson Valley-produced laugh-out-loud comedy Between the Temples (dir: Nathan Silver), and a Free Shorts Film Showcase. The festival’s short film programming highlights a diverse array of acclaimed and award-winning narrative and documentary short films from around the world, including A Swim Lesson (dir: Rashida Jones, Will McCormack), Au Revoir Mon Monde (dir: Estelle Bonnardel, Florian Maurice, Quentin Devred, Baptiste Duchamps, Maxime Foltzer, Astrid Novais), Bad for a Moment (dir: Daniel Soares), Debaters (dir: Alex Heller), Loving Silence (dir: Nick Perlman), Marion (dir: Joe Weiland, Finn Constantine), My Memory-Walls (dir: Axel Robin), Ragamuffin (dir: Kaitlyn Mikayla), The Cat Man Eshete (dir: Laura Checkoway), and The Reality of Hope (dir: Joe Hunting).
The festival continues its popular Free Family Film screening with Encanto (dir: Byron Howard, Jared Bush, Charise Castro Smith), in partnership with Olana State Historic Site and the Hudson Area Library.
Events include the Opening Night Party on Thursday, August 7 at Spark of Hudson, and a special After Party on Friday, August 8 at The Half Moon. Stay tuned for more event announcements.
The festival’s new programming will include its first ever free youth-focused film workshop on Saturday, August 10 in partnership with Stockade Works and Spark of Hudson. Hudson Film Festival Presents: SWAY Youth Film Workshop by Stockade Works will lead an engaging, hands-on film and television workshop for middle school students (grades 6–8), challenging young creatives to think across genres and engage in collaborative problem solving. This 3.5-hour immersive session—part of the SWAY (Stockade Works for Access Youth) initiative—will introduce students to key behind-the-scenes roles in film and TV, including Camera, Sound, Grip, and Electric. Working in small groups and guided by professional industry professionals, students will learn how to storyboard, direct, and shoot short scenes across different genres. By the end of the workshop, each group will have contributed to a short, edited video compilation that will be screened at the festival – serving as both a creative showcase and a student work sample.
Of the partnership, Stockade Works Executive Director Susie Sofranko said “We’re thrilled to partner with the Hudson Film Festival to bring this hands-on experience to local middle schoolers. At Stockade Works, giving people the chance to explore what happens behind the scenes on a film crew is at the heart of what we do. For these students, our goal is to spark curiosity, build real skills, and show that a professional future in media is not only fun and exciting, but also a place where they belong should they choose to pursue this path.”
This workshop project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of The Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by CREATE Council on the Arts.
The 2025 Hudson Film Festival is supported by Hudson arts venues, community organizations and businesses. Venue partners are Story Screen Cinema Hudson and Time & Space Limited. Community partners are Basilica Hudson, The Half Moon, Hudson Area Library, Olana State Historic Site, OutHudson, Spark of Hudson and Stockade Works. The festival is also supported by the City of Hudson. Additional partners will be announced.
All-Access passes and individual tickets for the expanded 4-day festival are now available at www.HudsonFilmFestival.org/tickets. More details for all screening and events are available at www.HudsonFilmFestival.org.
For press passes, inquiries regarding the Hudson Film Festival, Hudson Valley Film Institute, or to find out how to get involved, please email contact@hudsonfilmfestival.org.
The complete schedule can be found at https://www.HudsonFilmFestival.org and below. Dates and programming are subject to change. Stay tuned for more event announcements.
Thursday, August 7
Opening Night Film: East of Wall
Free Short Film Showcase
Opening Night Party
Friday, August 8
Documentary Screening: Folktales
Spotlight Screening: The True Beauty of Being Bitten by a Tick
After Party
Saturday, August 9
Hudson Film Festival Presents: SWAY Youth Film Workshop by Stockade Works
Spotlight Screening: Between the Temples
International Screening: Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears)
Sunday, August 10
Free Family Screening: Encanto (presented with Olana State Historic Site and Hudson Area Library)
Documentary Screening: Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story
ABOUT HUDSON FILM FESTIVAL
Hudson Film Festival is a 501c3 non-profit in Hudson, NY that presents an accessible and inclusive annual film festival and year-round programming that showcases global cinema, and provides filmmaking, arts education and mentorship opportunities for the Hudson Valley community and its artists.
The annual film festival serves as a platform to champion and showcase global and local underrepresented films, filmmakers, artisans and talent. The festival and special events directly contribute to the greater mission of the Hudson Valley Film Institute to provide educational opportunities for burgeoning artists in the region and year-long community based film and arts programming.
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