Woodstock Film Festival - Maverick Award Honorees

Maverick Award Honorees

The Honorary Maverick Award is given each year to a fixture in the world of film, typically veteran directors, actors or industry professionals who have left their permanent mark on entertainment. Past recipients have included:

Director Jonathan Demme (2012), Director Tony Kaye (2011), Director Bruce Beresford (2010), Director Richard Linklater (2009), Comedian, Director Kevin Smith (2008), Producer Christine Vachon (2007), Filmmaker Barbara Kopple (2006), Actor Steve Buscemi (2005), Director Mira Nair (2004), Actor Woody Harrelson (2003), Actor Tim Robbins (2002), D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus (2001), Filmmaker Les Blank (2000)

The Meera Gandhi Giving Back Award was initiated in 2011. The award honors those who fight to give back to the world and have championed a cause or charity throughout their careers. Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers, The Kids Are All Right, Shutter Island) received the first annual Giving Back Award in 2011 for his anti-fracking efforts in New York State. The 2012 award went to actor Tim Blake Nelson (Lincoln, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Leaves of Grass). The monetary element of the award was given to the 52nd Street Project, a theater program for the children of the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood allowing them to experience acting, orchestrating their own performances and expressing their creativity in a healthy manner.

Trailblazer recipients have included professionals in the entertainment industry who have made an impact in their craft. Past recipients have included Robin Bronk CEO of the Creative Coalition (2011), marketing and distribution guru Bob Berney (2010), Ted Hope (2009), James Schamus (2008), Ted Sarandos (2007), Jonathan Sehring (2006), John Sloss (2005).