Film: “Smash His Camera” @ Bearsville Theater, 6/4/10

The Woodstock Film Festival is hosting a one-night-only screening of one of this year’s top independent documentary films at 8pm on Friday at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock.

The film “Smash His Camera” was directed by Woodstock’s own Academy Award winning director Leo Gast (“When We Were Kings”) and edited by Woodstock’s Doug Abel.

The film – which documents the notorious life of pioneer paparazzo Ron Galella – garnered Gast the Best Director Award at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Both Gast and Galella will be in attendance for the screening on Friday.

In these days of internet blogs and TMZ, we accept the paparazzi as an unavoidable part of celebrity life, but things were different back in Galella’s heyday of snapping unguarded celebrity snapshots at places like Studio 54. Galella was sued by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (twice) and had his jaw broken by Marlon Brando.

French-inspired cuisine for pre-screening cocktail party and the post-screening paparazzi party reception will be provided by Touché Restaurant.

Tix are $25 (screening and post-film reception) and $50 (pre-film party, screening and post-film reception). Patron tix are also available for $100, $250 and $500. Doors open for the pre-film party at 7pm.