WELCOME
WIND-UP:
1. to change direction; bend; turn; meander / to make a mechanism operational by tightening the mainspring with a key / to haul or hoist by means of a winch
At the beginning of the summer we set out to stir up the storied Williamstown Film Festival, turning it on its side. First, we changed the name to embrace the separated-at-birth towns, North Adams and Williamstown. Second, we believed sparks could fly by co-mingling creators of nonfiction, from docs and podcasts to performance and long-form journalism. We decided to toss in some live music too.
This is an experimental year in which we road-test our festmaking schemes. If this succeeds, you can say you were there the very first year when we concocted an idea together and started to make it go.
So thanks for taking a meander with us this weekend. Now, if you don’t mind, can you help us by tightening that key? This thing needs a hoist.
Wound up, Paul Sturtz & Sandra Thomas
HISTORY
Since 1999,the Williamstown Film Festival has brought the finest contemporary films, directors and actors to the pastoral hills of the Berkshires. Each Film Festival season aimed to honor film’s history while concurrently celebrating the present cultural moment.
Wind-Up Fest, Williamstown Film Festival 2.0, shifts the focus to a core of world-class documentary films and their makers, while re-envisioning the festival as a celebration of nonfiction in all of its forms in a truly northern Berkshires experience, incorporating venues across Williamstown and North Adams. It is an enchanted expedition to the fiery core of nonfiction, guided by the world’s most compelling creators of documentaries, podcasts, long-form journalism, live performance and storytelling.
Board of Directors
Joe Finnegan – President
Peter Thomsen – Vice President
David Nickoll – Vice President
Jane Patton – Treasurer
Eric Kerns – Clerk
Board Members: Roger Clark, Jonathan Cluett, Stephen Hannock, Joan Hunter, Kristen Johanson, Sue Killam, Jeff Kleiser, Diane Pearlman, Jim Shepard, William Strong
TEAM
Paul Sturtz
It was his big idea! Would you expect any less from someone who was on Indiewire's short list of visionaries that are changing the course of film? He is inspired by this place: the northern Berkshires, North Adams and Williamstown, the factories and the culture, the nature and the hope. This is just the start of his big idea. He is also the co-director of the True/False Film Fest in Columbia, MO.
Sandra Thomas
She brings creative vision to life! From venues to fundraising, community outreach to website, event coordination to party planning, she has her hand in every part of the fest. After running Images Cinema for 12 years, she has a pretty good sense that audiences around here are going to love Wind-Up.
Rebecca McBrien
She was our B-HIP intern this summer and now she is on staff as our operations coordinator. From managing social media to coordinating with venues, recruiting volunteers to hosting our Weekly Wind-Ups, Becca is on the job!
Emily Watts
You might know her from Unsilent Night, North Adams Makerspace, or her role as executive director of the Chamber of Commerce. She’s multi-talented and multi-employed, working with the fest on both programming and publicity, marketing and outreach.
Jennifer Crowell
She walked into the room and said, "I'd like to help!" How could we refuse that offer? Jen's knowledge of bands and production means that we have a skilled professional managing the late night music showcases! Rock on!
Kate Shawver
She recently moved from NYC with her partner, Derek Leuridan, to open a web design studio in the Berkshires. Kate and her team designed and built the website and are excited to be a part of Wind-Up Fest's first launch!
Katie Kovacs
A recent transplant to the northern Berkshires, Katie has been working nights and weekends on our new look. Logo, posters, and print are all thanks to her creative flair. We might tap into her budding DJ skills during the fest.
May Beattie
May is joining us as our Guest Services coordinator. She will be attending to the travel, hospitality, and daily needs of our visiting artists who are traveling here from as far away as France to as close as North Adams.
Tim McEvoy
For the past 8 years, Tim has been on the tech staff at MASS MoCA. He's now the Technical Director at Mt. Holoyoke College's Dance Department. He's spending the weekend with us, coordinating our tech needs across media and venues. Whew, what a relief!
Greg Babush
A seasoned festival techie, Greg and his DCI-compliant projector are coming to the northern Berkshires and transforming the movie going experience across venues. He has been working film festivals for over 10 years including Telluride, MountainFilm, True/False, Ashland Independent Film Festivals, and Palm Springs and now Wind-Up!
PARTNERS & IN-KIND SUPPORT
