The Hamptons

HamptonsFilm announced today the 32nd annual edition of the Hamptons International Film Festival presented by Artemis Rising Foundation will screen Marielle Heller’s NIGHTBITCH as its Closing Night film on Sunday, October 13, with festival programming continuing through Monday, October 14. The festival will also host Jesse Eisenberg’s A REAL PAIN and the US Premiere of John Crowley’s WE LIVE IN TIME as Spotlight presentations, sponsored by Audi, with WE LIVE IN TIME lead Andrew Garfield attending the festival and participating in an “A Conversation With…” event as well. HIFF also announced the lineup of features for this year’s Views from Long Island Signature Program lineup. The 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival will run as an expanded, eleven-day event from October 4 through October 14.

The 32nd edition of HIFF will present the East Coast Premiere of Searchlight Pictures’ NIGHTBITCH as the Closing Night Film on October 13, sponsored by UBS. From writer/director Marielle Heller and starring Academy Award nominee Amy Adams and Scoot McNairy, the film follows a woman (Adams) who pauses her career to be a stay-at-home mom when her new domesticity takes a surreal turn. Heller is scheduled to attend the festival and participate in a post-screening Q&A.

Additional programming includes Spotlight features A REAL PAIN and WE LIVE IN TIME. Searchlight Pictures’ A REAL PAIN, directed by Academy Award nominee Jesse Eisenberg and starring Eisenberg and Emmy Award winner Kieran Culkin, sees mismatched cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. Culkin will attend and participate in a post-screening Q&A. A24’s WE LIVE IN TIME, directed by John Crowley, stars Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh in a decade-spanning, deeply moving romance between Almut (Pugh) and Tobias (Garfield), who are brought together in a surprise encounter that changes their lives. Andrew Garfield is expected to participate in a post-screening Q&A.

Andrew Garfield will also sit for an “A Conversation With…” event on Sunday, October 6th. Garfield is a Tony and Golden Globe Award-winning and Emmy and Academy Award-nominated actor, best known for his roles in THE SOCIAL NETWORK, HACKSAW RIDGE, TICK, TICK… BOOM!, UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN, and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and its sequel. On the stage, Garfield is also noted for his work in revival productions of Death of a Salesman and Angels in America. Garfield will next star alongside Julia Roberts in Luca Guadagnino’s thriller AFTER THE HUNT, as well as in Ben Gregor’s THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE, based on the British children’s book series of the same name.

“We feel incredibly fortunate to bring not only some of the most talked-about films of the season to this year’s edition of the festival, but also many of the talented voices at the helm of these projects as well,” said HamptonsFilm Artistic Director David Nugent. “It is always a treat when we are able to enrich the moviegoing experience for our audiences with these uniquely intimate conversations with artists and filmmakers.”

In addition, HIFF announced the lineup of features for this year’s Views From Long Island Signature Program, focused on local filmmakers, the area’s unique landscapes, and the important social and political issues facing Long Island communities. Presented with support from the Suffolk County Film Commission, the program will screen the World Premieres of Evan Ari Kelman’s BARRON’S COVE, in which a grieving father with a history of violence kidnaps the child responsible for his son’s tragic death, igniting a frenzied manhunt fueled by a powerful politician— the father of the kidnapped boy; and Sam Pezzullo and Christopher Bouckoms’ THE PREMIERE, a largely improvised comedy following Sam, a painfully narcissistic and delusional theater producer who attempts to make a musical version of his favorite movie, SCREAM, at a local Sag Harbor theater. The previously announced CHRISTMAS EVE IN MILLER’S POINT will also screen as part of the section.

The 32nd annual Hamptons International Film Festival will run October 4-14, 2024, with in-person screenings and events taking place across the Hamptons. HIFF thanks this year’s festival sponsors: new Presenting Sponsor Artemis Rising; returning sponsors Premiere Sponsor Audi; Signature Sponsors UBS and King & Spalding; official Media Partners WNBC, The Atlantic, The East Hampton Star, The Purist, and Variety; Contributing Sponsors Naturopathica, Silvercup Studios, Netflix, Assemble Media, and Dragon Hemp; and foundation supporters New York State Council on the Arts and Suffolk County Film Commission.

CLOSING NIGHT FILM
Sponsored by UBS

NIGHTBITCH
East Coast Premiere
dir. Marielle Heller (USA), 2024
A woman (Amy Adams) pauses her career to be a stay-at-home mom, but soon her new domesticity takes a surreal turn. A Searchlight Pictures release.

SPOTLIGHT FILMS
Sponsored by Audi

A REAL PAIN
dir. Jesse Eisenberg (USA), 2024
Mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. A Searchlight Pictures release.

WE LIVE IN TIME
US Premiere
dir. John Crowley (UK), 2024
Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) are brought together in a surprise encounter that changes their lives. Through snapshots of their life together—falling for each other, building a home, becoming a family—a difficult truth is revealed that rocks its foundation. As they embark on a path challenged by the limits of time, they learn to cherish each moment of the unconventional route their love story has taken, in filmmaker John Crowley’s decade-spanning, deeply moving romance. An A24 release.

VIEWS FROM LONG ISLAND
With support from the Suffolk County Film Commission

BARRON’S COVE
World Premiere
dir. Evan Ari Kelman (USA), 2024
The story follows a grieving father (Garrett Hedlund) with a violent past, whose life is shattered by the tragic death of his young son. Consumed with the need for answers, he kidnaps the child (Christian Convery) he believes is responsible for his son’s death, igniting a frenzied manhunt fueled by the kidnapped boy’s powerful politician father (Hamish Linklater).

THE PREMIERE
World Premiere
dirs. Sam Pezzullo, Christopher Bouckoms (USA), 2024
Drawing inspiration from cringe comedy classics, THE PREMIERE is a largely improvised comedy that blurs the line between fact and fiction, taking the audience on a hilarious and unpredictable ride from start to finish. Sam (played by Pezzullo), a painfully narcissistic and delusional theater producer, attempts to make a musical version of his favorite movie, SCREAM, at a local theater in Sag Harbor, New York, encountering a series of awkward and outrageous scenarios along the way. Supported by a cast of quirky characters and real life locals, the film is both a love letter to and a satirical commentary on the Hamptons that breaks the mold of traditional storytelling, described by the filmmakers simply as a mockumentary about a documentary about making a musical about a movie.

OPENING NIGHT FILM
Sponsored by Audi

MARTHA
East Coast Premiere
dir. R.J. Cutler (USA), 2024
The definitive documentary on Martha Stewart, featuring a series of candid interviews with the icon herself. From her early start on Wall Street to becoming the original influencer, Stewart continues to reinvent herself with each passing decade. A Netflix release.

SPOTLIGHT FILMS
Sponsored by Audi

BAD SHABBOS
dir. Daniel Robbins (USA), 2024
An engaged interfaith couple are about to have their parents meet for the first time over Shabbat dinner when an accidental death gets in the way.

WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY

DAYTIME REVOLUTION
World Premiere
dir. Erik Nelson (USA), 2024
For one extraordinary week in February 1972, the Revolution WAS televised. DAYTIME REVOLUTION takes us back in time to the week that John Lennon and Yoko Ono descended upon a Philadelphia broadcasting studio to co-host the iconic Mike Douglas Show, at that time the most popular show on daytime television, with a national audience of 40 million viewers each week. What followed was five unforgettable episodes of television, with Lennon and Ono at the helm and Douglas gamely keeping the show on track. Acting as both producers and hosts, Lennon and Ono handpicked their guests, ranging from iconic musicians like Chuck Berry, to comic truth teller George Carlin, to radical activists like Yippie founder Jerry Rubin, Black Panther chairman Bobby Seale, and nascent consumer protection guru Ralph Nader. John and Yoko’s version of daytime TV was a radical take on the traditional format, incorporating candid Q&A sessions with their transfixed audience, frank conversations about hot-button issues like police violence and women’s liberation, impromptu conceptual art events, and of course, one-of-a-kind musical performances. A document of the past that speaks to our turbulent present, DAYTIME REVOLUTION is a time capsule reminding us of art’s power to break down barriers, and the bravery of two artists who never took the easy way out as they fought for their vision of a better world. A Kino Lorber release.

A MAN WITH SOLE: THE IMPACT OF KENNETH COLE
World Premiere
dir. Dori Berinstein (USA), 2024
With heart & ‘sole’ and unflinching determination, global fashion icon/social activist Kenneth Cole has put ’cause’ before ‘commerce’ for 40 years. Kenneth’s commitment to HIV AIDS, homelessness, LGBTQIA+ rights, social justice and mental health, has shattered stigmas, ignited social awareness, given voice to the voiceless, built coalitions and inspired action for good.

AIR, LAND + SEA
Sponsored by Dragon Hemp

NOCTURNES
dir. Anirban Dutta, Anupama Srinivasan (USA, India), 2024
In the dark of night, two curious observers shine a light on this secret universe. Together, they are on an expedition to decode these nocturnal creatures in a remote ecological “hot spot” on the border of India and Bhutan. The result is a deeply immersive film that transports audiences to a rarely-seen place and urges us all to look more closely at the hidden interconnections of the natural world. A Grasshopper Film release.

FILMS OF CONFLICT AND RESOLUTION

HOMEGROWN
New York Premiere
dir. Michael Premo (USA), 2024
Homegrown is an unflinching chronicle of Americans at war with each other. Three right-wing activists—a newly politicized father-to-be in New Jersey, an Air Force veteran organizing conservatives in New York City, and a charismatic activist from Texas—crisscross the country in the summer of 2020, campaigning for Donald Trump and building a movement they hope will outlast him. When they become convinced that the election is stolen, they take their fight to the streets. The result is a chilling portrait of a growing movement pushing American democracy to the brink.

VIEWS FROM LONG ISLAND

CHRISTMAS EVE IN MILLER’S POINT
North American Premiere
dir. Tyler Taormina (USA), 2024
On Christmas Eve, a family gathers for what could be the last holiday in their ancestral home. As the night wears on and generational tensions arise, one of the teenagers sneaks out with her friends to claim the wintry suburb for her own. An IFC Films release.

HamptonsFilm, home of The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF), based in the Hamptons on the Eastern End of Long Island, was founded in 1992 to celebrate the art of film and to introduce a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to our audiences. A non-profit organization with year-round screenings of global narrative and documentary films, an annual Screenwriters Lab, a summer documentary showcase, and extensive educational initiatives, HamptonsFilm offers programs that enlighten, educate, and provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers, while also providing the East End of Long Island with an educational and cultural experience that enriches the lives of its citizens and contributes to the local economy. HIFF, celebrating its 32nd year in 2024, is an annual premiere film event in New York State, and an intimate showcase of some of the year’s best offerings in contemporary cinema from around the world. Awarding prizes to filmmakers in cash and goods and services of over $130,000, each year, with over $5 million awarded in competition funds and services over the decades, our program continues to play an important role during awards season. For eleven consecutive years from 2010 through 2020, the Festival screened the eventual Best Picture winner at the Oscars, making HIFF the only Festival in the world with such a distinction. For more information please visit hamptonsfilmfest.org

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