# The Woods (2011 film)

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 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. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. The Woods premiered in New York at the BAMcinemaFest held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The Woods premiered internationally at the Cologne Conference in Cologne, Germany.

## Premise

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

* 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

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.

## Music

The film features songs by
* Dirty Projectors
* Sun Araw
* Lucky Dragons
* Ananda Shankar
* Indian Jewelry
* Lydia Ainsworth

## Film Festival/ Film Conference screenings

| 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

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

## Miscellaneous screenings

| 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 |