Academy Award winning Scarsdale High School alum Barbara Kopple (class of 1964) will be premiering her new documentary A Force of Nature at the 2011 Woodstock Film Festival held this month. Her latest film follows Ellen Ratner, a journalist whose passion leads her to the American South after Hurricane Katrina and South Sudan after years of violence to help those most in need.

I was also recently announced at the Toronto International Film Festival that Barbara had been invited to take part in Cinelan’s short documentary project, which has been partially funded by GE. You can check out more details on the project here.

Barbara has already won two Academy Awards for her films Harlan County, USA (1976) and American Dream (1991). She has also directed popular fictional stories in recent years, including episodes of Oz and Homicide: Life on the Street, as well as the 2005 film Havocstarring Anne Hathaway.

For more information on the Woodstock Film Festival, and how to catch Barbara’s film, you can look up the contact information at the festival's website.