The Hamptons

The Board of HamptonsFilm announced today that Richard Gladstein has been appointed as the new Executive Director. A two-time Academy Award®-nominated film producer, Gladstein brings a wealth of experience in film, arts leadership, education and cultural programming. Gladstein will report to HamptonsFilm Co-Chairs Alec Baldwin and Randy Mastro. David Nugent has also been elevated to Chief Creative Officer of HamptonsFilm and will report to Gladstein.

As Executive Director, Gladstein will lead HamptonsFilm and the Hamptons International Film Fest, overseeing strategic planning while creating new and dynamic year-round artistic offerings. He will work closely with the Board of Directors, artistic leadership, and staff to guide the organization’s mission to deepen community engagement, expand industry partnerships and sponsorship, and grow the impact and visibility of the annual festival in October. Gladstein will focus on the organization’s reach, ensuring the continued success of the annual festival as well as its educational and industry and community initiatives throughout the year. His role bridges creative and operational leadership, serving as leadership for the organization.

Gladstein most recently served as Executive Director of Brooklyn College’s Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. He is the President and Founder of the production company FilmColony and is a two-time Academy Award®-nominated producer for Best Picture for THE CIDER HOUSE RULES and FINDING NEVERLAND. He has produced over 30 films, including critically acclaimed THE HATEFUL EIGHT, THE BOURNE IDENTITY, PULP FICTION, RESERVOIR DOGS, JACKIE BROWN, HURLYBURLY and SHE’S ALL THAT, among others. His films have received 27 Academy Award® nominations and earned in excess of US $1 billion worldwide.

He previously served as Dean at the American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory, Executive Vice President & Head of Production at Miramax Films, and Vice President of Production & Acquisitions at LIVE Entertainment. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences and the Producers Guild of America, and served on the PGA’s Board of Directors for eight years. In addition, he has frequently served as a juror for many festivals and awards organizations, including The Gotham Awards.

“I am honored to join HamptonsFilm at such an exciting moment in its evolution”, said Gladstein, Executive Director of HamptonsFilm. The organization and the festival have long been a bright cultural center for the East End community, the industry, and for filmmakers and audiences across the globe, as an organization that champions bold and diverse storytelling. I look forward to helping build on that legacy, working with the team, the board, our partners and sponsors, and the broader film community.”

“We are delighted to welcome Richard as our new Executive Director,” said Alec Baldwin and Randy Mastro, Co-Chairs of HamptonsFilm. “His vision, leadership, and deep commitment to the power of film and entertainment will be instrumental in guiding our organization into its next chapter. We’re confident that under his direction, we will continue to grow our impact, elevate new voices, and strengthen our connection with the community.”

Nugent has had a long tenure with the festival, joining the team in 2007 and expanding from Director of Programming to the organization’s Artistic Director, a role he has held since 2012. Nugent has been responsible for curating the best in global cinema for local Hamptons audiences and beyond. He has been instrumental in leading the development of year-round programming with the SummerDocs Series, Screenwriters Labs and the expansion of the festival to eleven days in length. During his time at HamptonsFilm, Nugent oversaw an 11-year stretch during which HIFF screened the eventual Best Picture winner each year, the only festival in the world with such a distinction.

“It’s been a privilege to shape our artistic vision at HamptonsFilm, and I’m excited to continue that work with an even broader creative mandate,” said Nugent. “I look forward to stepping into this new role at such a transformative time for the organization and working with Richard, whose leadership and passion for film is inspiring.”

HamptonsFilm will host its annual SummerDocs series, returning for its 17th annual edition in partnership with Guild Hall, with screenings of HBO Original Documentary’s MY MOM JAYNE, directed by Mariska Hargitay on July 17th and Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss’ MIDDLETOWN on Friday, August 29th. Many past SummerDocs Series selections have continued down the awards path and have gone on to be shortlisted, receive a nomination, and even win an Academy Award®. Additional HamptonsFilm summer programming includes the annual free outdoor screenings and film camps for students ages 8-18. Find more information, visit the HamptonsFilm website.

Two-time Academy Award® nominee Richard N. Gladstein is a filmmaker and educator, executive director at Brooklyn College’s Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, and president and founder of the production company FilmColony. Cumulatively, Gladstein’s films have received 27 Academy Award® nominations and earned in excess of US $1 billion worldwide.

Gladstein is a frequent collaborator of Quentin Tarantino, as producer of the 70mm western The Hateful Eight and executive producer of Tarantino’s first three films: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown. Gladstein’s two Academy Award® nominations for ‘Best Picture of the Year’ were for producing The Cider House Rules and Finding Neverland. His other produced films include; The Bourne Identity, She’s All That, The Time Being (he also co-wrote the screenplay), Paper Man, Killshot, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, The Nanny Diaries, The Crossing Guard, 54 and Hurlyburly, among others.

Gladstein recently directed and produced a documentary short film entitled Filmology. The film is about where filmmakers and educators find their inspiration and questions the value of attending university and college filmmaking programs.

He is the recipient of awards from the National Board of Review, Critics Choice Awards, and two Boston University Distinguished Alumni Awards. In addition to his Academy Award® nominations, Gladstein has also been nominated for awards from the British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA), The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) and multiple Producers Guild of America (PGA) Best Producer of the Year awards.

Previously, Gladstein served as dean at the American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory and the Marion Knott filmmaker-in-residence at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film & Media Arts. Prior to the formation of FilmColony, he was executive vice president & head of production at Miramax Films, and vice president of production & acquisitions at LIVE Entertainment.

Gladstein frequently speaks publicly about filmmaking, media and higher education at venues such as the Producer’s Guild of America “Produced By” conference, The Beijing Film Academy, The Tel Aviv Cinematheque, as well as at many film festivals and conferences. Frequently he is a juror for festivals and awards organizations, such as the Gotham Awards. He has also testified twice before the US Congress at hearings regarding film piracy and copyright protection.

Gladstein is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Producer’s Guild of America (and a former member of its Board of Directors for 8 years), Leadership Committee of CreativeFuture, and the Board of Mentors at University of Southern California (USC) Peter Stark Producing Program. Gladstein is a long-time advisor and consultant to the Jewish Genetic Disease Consortium (JGDC), the Bloom’s Syndrome Association, and he is the founder and president of the Bloom’s Syndrome Foundation.

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 33rd year in 2025, 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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