Documentary Film "Randy Parsons: American Luthier" Ready to Rock at Woodstock

Sept. 20, 2012 - PRLog -- Seattle filmmaker David Aldrich is proud to announce the New York Premiere of his award-winning documentary short film "Randy Parsons: American Luthier” at the 2012 Woodstock Film Festival. "Randy Parsons: American Luthier” will screen Friday and Saturday at the Kleinert James Art Center in Woodstock, NY. The filmmaker will be in attendance and available for Q&A. Tickets are available at http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com

The 13th Annual fiercely independent Woodstock Film Festival will take place Wednesday October 10 through Sunday October 14 in the historic arts colony of Woodstock and neighboring towns of Rhinebeck, Rosendale, Saugerties and Kingston, in the Hudson Valley Catskills, just two hours from NYC. WFF is showcasing 19 World Premieres, 6 US Premieres, 3 North American Premieres, 10 East Coast Premieres and 15 New York Premieres.

Since its inception in 2000, WFF has firmly established itself as one of the foremost regional independent film festivals, being named by Indiewire as one of the top 50 festivals in the world.  WFF has a reputation for screening some of the most exciting short films of the genre, and this year is no exception. The WFF 2012 Shorts Program includes: A Winter Passing, Animation, Eyes of a Child, Foreign Affairs, Hiccups, Hudson Valley Shorts, Music Videos, Short Docs and Teen Films, as well as shorts shown before features.

Aldrich’s documentary short will screen in WFF's extremely popular music program -- Focus on Music -- which includes insightful music documentaries, groundbreaking music videos, and stunning narratives about musicians' struggles. Aldrich's short documentary showcases the journey and talents of Randy Parsons, whose hand-crafted guitars stand out as works of art in an industry where major manufacturers have moved to computer-controlled mass production techniques. The days of a highly-skilled worker making an instrument from beginning to end have largely passed, but Parsons' insistence on using hand tools and traditional techniques has given him a distinct advantage: Parsons can build anything his customers dream up, and he doesn't have to recalibrate million dollar machines to do it.

"American Luthier" recounts Parsons' transformation from aspiring musician to guitar-maker. The guitar had been Parsons' identity since he was a child, but after studying classical and jazz guitar in college, he realized that he would never make a living as a musician.  So he gave it up -- and then one day he had a vision of how the guitar would come back into his life. Now he's creating instruments that are highly sought after works of art by musicians such as Jack White and Jimmy Page. "This is a film about someone who gave up their passion for playing guitars and discovered that they had a passion for making guitars. Audiences have been inspired by Parsons' story and his commitment to preserve the art of making guitars." says Aldrich.