David Strathairn at the Actors Dialogue panel discussion (10/15/2006) - photo copyright © Poughkeepsie Journal

Overview: David Strathairn, as well as actors (and co-stars) Giancarlo Esposito and Griffin Dunne were onhand at the panel discussion Actors Dialogue for the Woodstock Film Festival in Woodstock, NY on October 15, 2006. The panel, which took place at 10 a.m., included audience members from all aspects of the film industry. It was moderated by entertainment journalist Martha Frankel, who asked David and the actors interesting questions about their craft and working in independent filmmaking. Humorous moments: midway through the panel, moderator Martha Frankel inconspicuously took David's placard and crossed out an extraneous 'i'. At another point, after making an off-color analogy about the film industry being self-gratifying, David's mike accidently cut out. He pushed it away and declared that he was being censored.

Quotes from the Actors Dialogue:

• "It doesn't take an army anymore to make a film. It could take just three people; it could take only one. To get the film distributed, that's the hump." -David Strathairn, 2006

• "It's a very slippery slope if you give over your vision to a distributor." -David Strathairn, 2006

• "The perception of independent films is becoming slipperier, as is studio." -David Strathairn, 2006

• "If you're making a movie about elephants, don't go to a studio who has never owned a puppy." -David Strathairn, 2006

• [on WFF] "...it isn't like other festivals." -David Strathairn, 2006

• "[Other film festivals] feel like ocean liners next to this klepper boat. That's not to say the quality isn't on par, this just has a wonderful charm. Being from the Hudson Valley, it feels like your backyard. But it's not. [Other film festivals] tend to mutate, and the idea here is to get together with the community. It's like being in a friend's kitchen. If it's not, Woodstock should be on the National Register for real Americana towns. With this festival, it's sticking its head about the surface." -David Strathairn, 2006

Related Links:
Woodstock Film Festival (off site)