Making a film is a lot like creating a film festival. It takes courage, determination and no small amount of chutzpah, all qualities Judy Laster, Executive Director of the Woods Hole Film Festival (WoHo), exhibits daily.  A savvy programmer, a sensitive administrator, a determined marketer, Laster is a master collaborator who also understands how to make a good film, which she plans to do as soon and as often as possible.

When she graduated from Bowdoin College, in Brunswick, Maine, at age 21, with a degree in Government, she knew she wanted to be involved in the arts. She was a seasoned producer already, having begun in high school to bring film and music events to a grateful public, but it was 1981, and independent filmmaking was still a whisper in the wind. So, as youth is wont to do, Judy continued her original journey and spent a year working on Capitol Hill and then went to law school.

Law School strengthened Judy’s interest in the arts, and she knew she wanted to pursue that interest, but business first. She took up her practice of the law in Boston before enrolling in film courses at Mass Art as well as the (now defunct) Boston Film and Video Foundation. Armed with the cachet of her law degree and the force of her passion for the media, Judy returned to her home in the Boston area and soon got herself active in the growing Boston film scene.

“I love the excitement that comes from bringing people together for a special reason and giving people a chance to show their work and for audiences to get to see something what they would not otherwise be able to see,” Judy effuses. “There’s a magical moment when everything comes together, and you can feel the electric connection that occurs.”

From the beginning, Judy was interested in both creating films and showing them to an appreciative audience. “I had made a couple of short films – Spaghetti westerns, more or less – in Woods Hole and held some packed screenings for my friends which were great fun.”

Her films did not get in to the existing festivals, a minor annoyance that inspired Judy to found her own.  She and her friend award-winning documentary filmmaker Kate Davis (SOUTHERN COMFORT) joined forces and established the Woods Hole Film Festival.

“Initially, it was sort of a tongue-in-cheek effort,” Judy laughs. But from the start it was clear that Judy and Kate were onto something big.  “Our first Festival was one day, one hour.  It was great – packed to the gills. Five short films a couple of which people still talk about to this day.” From the start, the festival was bigger than either Judy or Kate had envisioned.

A HOST OF DAFFODILS Filmmaker Jane Clark and Judy Laster celebrate at The 2005 Woods Hole Film Festival Awards Night. Photo by Erika Hahn.

Says Laster, “After the first year, it really took on a life of its own, and later, with the participation of David Kleiler, it grew to the next stage and eventually into the current Festival.” Over the next few years, the festival expanded to four and then to eight days. 

Now in its sixteenth year, the festival changed significantly about seven years ago. “We decided to become more than just a community festival and began dedicating the Festival to showing the work of first-time and New England Filmmakers and also to showing work that would be significant to the Cape Cod audiences.”

Laster had visited Woods Hole every summer as a child, and in her adulthood she recognized that Woods Hole, where she now spends every weekend year-round, was a geographic area with a real need for the film festival. “It is an internationally-renowned scientific community that draws people from around the world,” says Judy. But the accessibility of good films was limited. 

Today, the festival is a summer mainstay in the oceanside community. Local residents assert that they look forward to the festival, make their summer plans around it. They know they’ll see interesting films and that they will have access to interesting discussions.

The documentary workshop – Docushop – overseen by Jean Paul Ouellette is one of the programs that locals find so enlightening.

As is the process of filmmaking, the efficient and successful administration of a film festival is a collaborative process. As Laster attests, “The creative process coming to life with the input of a group of people all dedicated to turning an idea into reality is what this is all about. It is truly amazing to take an idea from concept to reality.”

Judy Laster continues to make films. “I have several projects in various stages right now.  I have a short Spaghetti-Western-Damsel–In-Dis-Dress that is the sequel to my earlier one that I plan to make this year. I also have a feature sci-fi comedy musical about a lobster that I hope to launch in the next year or so.” And, of course, she continues to nurture Woho.

There are a lot of film festivals in the northeast these days, even a number on and around Cape Cod. But none is so focused and dedicated to the mission of bringing the work of local filmmakers and screenwriters to local film buffs.

Judy Laster encapsulates the festival’s mission when she says, “We try to put together an event that achieves our objective of helping first-time and New England Filmmakers while at the same time showing films that will be of interest to our audience - two distinct constituencies.”

One of her goals as a festival director is to continue to produce what she sees as a “first class film festival.”  However, she hopes that the festival will grow enough so that some of the programs can be expanded. 

“I would like us to have enough money to be able to fulfill our goals, which are to keep producing a first class festival, but also to expand our Filmmaker in the Schools Program and to continue and expand our documentary workshop.”  That way she can give more to the community she serves, while she pursues her filmmaking aspirations as well.

Laster explains, “Putting together a film festival is similar to producing a film with a couple of major exceptions. In a way, it’s sort of like shooting a film without knowing the script or the actors until you start the shoot.” The preparation for the festival continues throughout the year, she elaborates. “The Pre-Production-to-Production ratio is probably 80:20.”

Judy sighs and considers before going on.  “The work is intense and invigorating, and there are many different people to deal with to make it all work out. In this way it is similar to making a film. It is very gratifying if we can put together a festival that has a lasting impact in terms of inspiring aspiring filmmakers to continue their work. With a festival, the audience is an integral component of the experience, but with a film, unless you get the chance to travel with the film, that aspect is missing.”

Now that the Woods Hole Film Festival has taken on a life of its own, Laster believes she may have more opportunities to focus on the filmmaking she put aside in order to put her focus on nurturing the festival. “Currently, I am slowly getting back into it with my recent short film AUTOMATIC DRIP, which I did with Charlie Burke, former director of the Northampton Film Festival. I have a few more shorts and features yet to make.”

Once again it’s the collaboration Judy Laster is most satisfied with, and she is determined to carry on in the uncertain and unpredictable world of film production just as she will in the equally uncertain and unpredictable world of the film festival. “We have a great production team that has worked together for a number of years and each year gets better. We put together a first-class product.”

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Carla Stockton is herself a filmmaker and frequent contributor to IMAGINE. You can reach her at carlaatimagine@yahoo.com.