Hamptons International Film Festival

Hamptons International Film Festival

Location	The Hamptons, New York, United States
Founded	1993[1]
Festival date	October
Language	International
Website	http://www.hamptonsfilmfest.org

The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is an international film festival founded in 1993, the festival has since taken place every year in East Hampton, New York. It is usually an annual five-day event in mid-October and is held in theatre venues located in the Long Island area of New York, United States. Approximately 18,000 visitors attend each festival and close to a hundred films are featured each year, including an annual representation of at least twenty countries and an awards package worth over $200,000. HIFF was founded as a celebration of independent film in a variety of forms, and to provide a forum for independent filmmakers with differing global perspectives.^[2] The festival places a particular emphasis upon new filmmakers with a diversity of ideas, as a means to not only provide public exposure for festival content and its creators, but to also inspire and enlighten audiences. The festival has presented films that have subsequently been considered highly successful productions; the 2008 event featured eventual winners of the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Independent Spirit Award "Best Picture" accolades, and the 2011 season consisted of 24 Academy Award nominations.^[3]

The festival is also involved with other events during the remainder of the year, including screenings in other parts of New York State and an annual Screenwriters Lab.^[3]

Special presentations

HIFF primarily showcases short films, documentaries and narrative films and is a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards.^[3] The festival also offers special presentations, including:

• "Breakthrough Performers" program, showcasing new, emerging acting talent (Emily Blunt and Blake Lively have been previous selections).
• "A Conversation With…", presenting a "Q&A" session with a film luminary (past interview subjects include Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Vanessa Redgrave, Frances McDormand, Sidney Lumet, Julian Schnabel, Isabella Rossellini, Gena Rowlands, and Robert Altman).
• "Conflict & Resolution" program, featuring films that explore contemporary global issues of a social and political nature.^[3]

Annual awards

Golden Starfish Prizes

• Narrative Feature Film Award: $145,000 in-kind goods and services
• Documentary Feature Film Award: $3,000 cash
• Short Film Award: $500 cash and qualification for consideration at the Academy Awards in the Live Action or Animation

Sponsored Awards

• The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize in Science and Technology: $25,000 cashh
• The Victor Rabinowitz & Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice: $1,500 cash prize
• Wouter Barendrecht Pioneering Vision Award: $1,000 cash prize
• Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award: $1,000 cash prize
• The Jeremy Nussbaum Prize for Provocative Fiction: $5,000 cash price
• Tangerine Entertainment Juice Fund Award: $1,000 cash prize
• Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant: $6,000
• The Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict & Resolution: 5,000 cash prize

Audience Awards

• Best Narrative Feature
• Best Documentary Feature
• Best Family Feature Film
• Best Short Film^[3]

Notable films

Board of Directors

Screenwriters' Lab

The Hamptons Screenwriters’ Lab is an intimate gathering that takes place each Spring in East Hampton. The Lab seeks to develop new screenwriting talent by introducing established writers to emerging screenwriters, the latter having been chosen by the organizers of the film festival and key industry contacts. The mentors advise in a "one-on-one" laboratory setting, whilst scheduled daily events allow participants to engage with board members, sponsors, the local creative community and other festival supporters. The Lab facilitates the improvement of participating screenwriters' work, as the selected writers consult with industry professionals to attain insight into the mechanisms of the film industry.

Recent mentors include: Michael Cunningham (The Hours, Evening); James Vanderbilt (Zodiac); J. Robin Baitz (People I Know, The Substance of Fire); Whit Stillman (Metropolitan, The Last Days of Disco); Ira Sachs (Forty Shades of Blue, This Married Life); Jeff Sharp (Producer, You Can Count on Me, Evening); Maria Maggenti (The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love); Sabrina Dhawan (Monsoon Wedding, Cosmopolitan); Gregory Widen (Highlander, Backdraft); Mark Christopher (54); Maggie Greenwald (Songcatcher, Ballad of Little Jo); Belinda Haas (Angels & Insects, The Blood Oranges); Lawrence Lasker (Sneakers, WarGames); Michael Weller (Ragtime, Hair, Spoils of War); Chap Taylor (Changing Lanes, National Treasure); and Dylan Kidd (Roger Dodger, P.S.).

The Lab actively seeks a broad selection of screenplays that cumulatively address a diversity of subject matter. The Lab also encourages the submission of fresh, innovative screenplays that explore science, technology, mathematics, invention and engineering as part of its partnership with The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s initiative to further the public understanding of science.

References

External links

• Official website
• Hamptons International Film Festival Facebook page
• Hamptons International Film Festival at the IMDb