HIFF: EVE & THE GSA SHORTS

Lauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara and Olivia Thirlby in EVE


Director Natalie Portman working with Lauren Bacall and Ben Gazzara
on location at the Firebird Restaurant in New York
for the scene illustrated in the top photo above.
First, a slight digression...

...Those little star-like things on the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) logo are apparently Golden Starfish. And so,the acronym is translated as the "Golden Starfish Award Shorts". (Note: See the post below for more about "Golden Starfish".)

Back to the films...

There were five shorts shown in the program:

Fingers is a simple film about a young musician who travels to Nashville to play a gig.

I Am So Proud of You is a hand-animated, manually photographed story of a life, which alternates between sardonic wit and depressingly dark humor.

JerryCan is a little bit of Austrailian boys' nasty mischief gone even worse than they planned.

Glory At Sea is a mess of a movie, but once you realize -- not made clear in the film itself -- that it is kind of a metaphor for the disaster in New Orleans; that it is made in New Orleans, with survivors of Katrina, with detritus from the storm, the film becomes more interesting. Indeed the mess of the movie becomes, itself, a metaphor for the mess that was Katrina.

All these films above are interesting short films. They feel like short films. Short films often feel like "short films".

The fifth film in the program, however, is not a "short film". It is a film. It is also a minor masterpiece. It is perhaps the best short film I've ever seen. The film is beautifully shot and edited, and brilliantly written and directed, by Natalie Portman (the actress).

Eve is the story of grandma who goes on a date with a widower. Her granddaughter, who has come over to visit and talk about her mother (Eve), ends up as chaperone and chauffeur, and otherwise somewhat ignored. Grandma is played superbly by Lauren Bacall, and the widower by Ben Gazzara. The iconic performers give iconic performances that make this an iconic film, a celebration of the power of life as people age.

(I thought of Vicki Christina Barcelona (VCB) , when I saw this film. VCB uses the iconic personalities and iconic performances of Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, and Scarlett Johansson to make an iconic film about a summer romance abroad.)

Eve (the grandma's daughter, the young woman's mother) appears in the film only as a photograph. That is a brilliant device. "Eve" is the perfect name for the film and the photograph is the perfect place for her to appear. The film is in some profound sense not just about the date, but also about the entire backstory and subtext and life that precedes the film. Eve, the missing mother/daughter provides a link to that world.

Interestingly, according to the producer, Eve was not the original title, nor was the photo of the mother in the original script. I think that illustrates why in film (as opposed to theater) it works so well to have the writer and director be the same person. In theater, every performance is a different interpretation of the script, so a director needs to let the actors free themselves from the words and own the characters. In a film, the script is just a suggestion, or notes, or a crib sheet. The film is the film. So a director can work with the material as the edit is being constructed and continue to sculpt the project until it is in its final form. The film is the only performance that counts. When the writer and director are the same person, that performance can be perfected.

With a rich and beautiful story, outstanding cinematography, and brilliant writing, directing, and acting, Eve is (one of the few times I've ever said this about a short) a film not to be missed!

HIFF 2008 DAY 1

The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) opened Wednesday Oct 15 with Valentino: The Last Emperor (and then a party at the beautiful Gurney's Inn). With its parties, premieres, previews, panels, prizes and generally relaxed and pleasant presence, HIFF can be one of the most enjoyable of the major festivals. Here are a few random images from this year's festival:


Greg Kinnear stars in Flash of Genius, the winner of the Sloan Prize, and the subject of a panel discussion on Friday.
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The director, Patrick Read Johnson, with the editor of 77.
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Kate Pearson, from the Documentary Channel.
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Pete Schuermann, the director of Haze.
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Matt Tynauer, the director of Valentino: The Last Emperor.
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Hannah Herzsprung, the charming and beautiful star of Werther, last year a "rising star," this year returns as a risen star (specifically a "shooting star").Hannah is fast becoming an actress of major stature, with great success this past year.She appears this December with Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winsletin The Reader.
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Plum TV at work.
All photos by Eric Roffman for QPORIT.
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HIFF 2008 - HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

THE 16TH ANNUAL
HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
OCTOBER 15-19, 2008

Jake Abel ~ Marc Abraham ~ Bibi Andersson ~ Bob Balaban ~ Alec Baldwin ~ Jacqueline Bisset
Anne Boden ~ Charlie Cox ~ John Francis Daley ~ Jamie Dornan ~ Bob Drew ~ Dominick Dunne Giancarlo Esposito ~ Erik Fischl ~ Ryan Fleck ~ Will Frears ~ Mamie Gummer ~ Maryam Hassouni~Chris Hegedus ~ Hannah Herzsprung ~ Rian Johnson ~ Taylor Kitsch ~ Kate Mara
Frances McDormand ~ Anamaria Marinca ~ John Cameron Mitchell ~ Joakim Nätterqvist
Austin Pendleton ~ D.A. Pennebaker ~ Amy Redford ~ Eran Riklis ~ Barbara Sarafian
Stellan Skarsgard ~ Christophe Van Rompaey ~ Herb and Dorothy Vogel ~ Bruce Weber
Rhys Wakefield ~ Gahan Wilson ~ Naomi Wolf

Among those expected to attend…

The HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is proud to announce the films, programs and special events which will make up the 2008 season. Now in its 16th year, this East Coast favorite comes to life against the fall back-drop as talent, industry and audiences participate in what has now become one of the leading international film festivals of the world. The 2008 Hamptons International Film Festival runs from WED OCT 15 through SUN OCT 19, 2008, in East Hampton, New York with additional venues in Southampton, Sag Harbor and Montauk.

This year’s Festival features 122 films including - 14 World Premieres, 23 North American Premieres, 18 US Premieres, 15 East Coast Premieres and 15 New York Premieres.

PRIZES: The heart of the Hamptons International Film Festival has always been its Golden Starfish Award and the films in the competitions for Best Narrative Feature (over $185,000 in goods and in-kind services), Best Documentary Award ($5,000 in cash) and Short Film Award ($5,000 in cash). The Hamptons International Film Festival also awards the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize in Science and Technology ($25,000 in cash); the Kodak Award for Cinematography ($6,000 of goods and in-kind services); the Brizzolara Family Award for Films of Conflict and Resolution ($5,000 in cash); the Zicherman Family Foundation Award for Screenwriting ($5,000 in cash); Best Undergraduate and Graduate Student Films (five $1,000 cash awards); the Heineken Red Star Award; the Lifetime Movie Network Everywoman Filmmaker Award and the ¡Sorpresa! Youth Film Competition (a one-week scholarship to the New York Film Academy); new this year, RoC® Gold Standard Award for Female Feature Director and Caroline’s Comedy Emerging Talent Award ($7,500).

OPENING NIGHT: On Wednesday, October 15th, the Hamptons International Film Festival is proud to open its 16th season with Matt Tyrnauer’s Valentino: The Last Emperor, chronicling the final days of the titular designer’s 45-years at the helm of his fashion dynasty. Tyrnauer’s unprecedented access paints an intimate portrait of a master artist struggling to preserve his craft within a business empire and forced to adapt to the changing pressures of modern commerce.

CLOSING NIGHT: HIFF is honored to screen the Sony Pictures Classics film SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK (Us Premiere), starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Dianne Wiest, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Emily Watson, Hope Davis and Michelle Williams. Phillip Seymour Hoffman leads an ensemble cast as a theater director losing control of both his life and his ambitious production in this directorial debut from Oscar-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich, Adaptation).


PROGRAMS AND SPECIAL EVENTS:

A Conversation With… Each year, the Festival presents A Conversation With…
Past guests have included Robert Altman, Gena Rowlands, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and more. This year the Hamptons International Film Festival is thrilled to announce two conversations. “A Conversation with…” Oscar© Winning actress Frances McDormand (Fargo, Burn After Reading) moderated by Elvis Mitchell and Jacqueline Bisset (Joan of Arc, An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving) moderated by Alec Baldwin.

Hamptons/indieWIRE ‘Industry Toast’
Founder and Co-Chairman of Fortissimo Films Wouter Barendrecht will be honored at this year’s Industry Toast: an intimate Festival event celebrating his energy, vision, and acumen, which enhances the industry and propels the art of film to greater heights. Master of Ceremonies, John Cameron Mitchell will join colleagues and friends to raise a glass to Mr. Barendrecht. Past Toastees include: Sony Picture Classics Co-President Marcie Bloom, Picturehouse President Bob Berney and Producer Ted Hope.

Breakthrough Performers:
The Hamptons International Film Festival and OK! Magazine will continue the popular Rising Stars Showcase, welcoming three North American actors to highlight their talents and films at the 2008 Festival. This year the Festival is expanding this program for the first time to officially include three actors from the Shooting Stars program, an initiative of European Film Promotion. In all, six very talented and exciting young actors will be on hand to help light up the screens and adorn the red carpets at the 2008 Hamptons International Film Festival.

Rising Stars (US)
Jake Abel (Flash of Genius), Kate Mara (Stone of Destiny) and Taylor Kitsch (Gospel Hill)

Shooting Stars (Europe)
Hannah Herzsprung (Werther), Maryam Hassouni (Dunya & Desie) and Anamaria Marinca (Boogie)

Once again, we invite Festival-goers to see in advance, and access in depth, the work in independent films that will turn some of today’s finest actors into tomorrow’s stars. The Breakthrough Performers program is directed by Lina Todd.


THE GOLDEN STARFISH NARRATIVE COMPETITION:

· ’77 (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Patrick Read Johnson - with John Francis Daley, Colleen Camp, Austin Pendleton. Part autobiography, part fever-dream, ’77 is the inspired true story of a young man’s cinematic awakening, and a cinephile's delight.
· BOOGIE (Romania, North American Premiere) Dir. Radu Muntean – with Dragos Bucur, Anamaria Marinca, Mimi Branescu, Adrian Vancica. This Romanian film follows a young husband and father of a three year-old on a weekend holiday. When he runs into a couple of high school buddies, Boogie longs to relive his past days of freedom, yet needs to come to terms with his new responsibilities.
· DANCERS (Denmark, North American Premiere) Dir. Pernille Fischer Christensen – with Trine Dyrholm, Anders W. Berthelsen, Birthe Neumann. When dance instructor Annika falls in love with shy electrician Lasse, she begins receiving a series of malicious, anonymous phone calls that slowly reveal her boyfriend’s dark past. Ignoring her mother’s wishes, Annika’s continues with a relationship that potentially threatens her staid, comfortable life.
· MY MOTHER, MY BRIDE, AND I (Germany, US Premiere) Dir. Hans Steinbichler – with Matthias Brandt, Monica Bleibtrau, Maria Popistasu. In the German film My Mother, My Bride and I the loaf-like Erwin, a 41 year old man who has never left his mother’s embrace, takes a young, fawn-like bride in Romania, much to mother’s dismay, and then must decide what he is willing to risk to keep her.
· TROUBLED WATER (Norway/Sweden, North American Premiere) Dir. Erik Poppe - with Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen, Trine Dyrholm, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Trond Espen Seim. Jan Thomas has served his eight year term for the murder of a young boy, and is released back into society a rehabilitated man. He begins to believe that he has truly left his past behind him – but now a boy is missing, and someone has been watching Jan.
· VASERMIL (Israel, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Mushon Salmona – with David Taplitsky, Adiel Zamro, Nadir Eldad. This Israeli drama depicts the lives of disaffected and struggling teenage boys confronting the volatile elements of clashing cultures and generations. When a football coach takes the boys in hand, they learn new meanings for the term ‘streetwise,’ and are confronted with choices that chart the course of their futures.

Golden Starfish Narrative and Shorts Competition jurors include: Elvis Mitchell (Film Critic, Host of “The Treatment”), Chistoph Terhechte (Director of International Forum of New Cinema, Berlin International Film Festival), Victoria Burrows (Casting Director – Burrows / Boland Casting)


GOLDEN STARFISH DOCUMENTARY:

· HERB AND DOROTHY (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Megumi Sasaki. What happens when a librarian and postal worker fall in love with art? They amass one of the most important private collections in the country. Sol LeWitt, Robert and Sylvia Mangold, Chuck Close, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude all celebrate the true story of Herb & Dorothy Vogel.
· LOOT (USA) Dir. Darius Marder. Lance Larson, modern day treasure hunter, sets off on a globetrotting journey to find riches buried over sixty years ago by two WWII veterans. LOOT finds philosophy in these men's stories, and in a journey that becomes far more about life than loot.
· MUST READ AFTER MY DEATH (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Morgan Dews. An unconventional couple made over two hundred home movies, transcribed their telephone conversations and tape recorded many hours of self and family analysis. Morgan Dews has taken all these primary sources and crafted a suspenseful film about the fate of a deeply conflicted, nonconformist American family.
· NURSERY UNIVERSITY (USA, US Premiere) Dir. Marc H. Simon, Matthew Makar. NURSERY UNIVERSITY evokes the world of the elite New York City ‘feeder preschools,’ supposed conduits to the very highest of higher education, as anxious parents, administrators and elementary school admissions consultants sweat out the complex, high-pressure process of the annual gleaning of the preschoolers.
· THE RED RACE (China/Germany, NY Premiere) Dir. Chao Gan. With a keen emphasis on composition and rhythm, Director Chao Gan astutely presents the harsh life of kindergarten-aged gymnasts at China’s Lu Wan District Youth Athletic School, where grueling training and ferocious competition break down children in order to build up the next Olympic champions.

Golden Starfish Documentary Competition jurors include: Claudia Landsberger (Managing Director, Holland Film), Kate Pearson (SVP Programming, The Documentary Channel), Rachel Grady (Director, Oscar Nominated Jesus Camp)


GOLDEN STARFISH SHORTS:

· EVE (USA, North American Premiere) Dir. Natalie Portman – with Lauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara, Olivia Thirlby. A teenager's purposeful visit to her feisty grandmother is unexpectedly waylaid by the latter’s lively social life.
· FINGERS (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Danny Mooney – with Ben Daniels, Tim Brennen, Hayes Hargrove, Denna Glasser. A softspoken but passionate guitarist hitchhikes from Ohio to Nashville on weekends to play at a hole-in-the-wall bar’s open mic night. Interest from a record executive promises to change his life, but the offer, like so much about this deceptively simple film, is not what it seems.
· GLORY AT SEA (USA) Dir. Benh Zeitlin – with Henry D. Coleman, Chantise Colon, Levy Easterly, Chris Lewis, Geremy Jasper, Mama Jo, Jimmy Lee Moore. Equal parts fairy tale, parable, and classical myth, Benh Zeitlin's widely-lauded GLORY AT SEA is the moving story of a group of bereaved New Orleanians who band together and set sail to reclaim their lost loved ones.
· I AM SO PROUD OF YOU (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Don Hertzfeldt. Dark family secrets cast a shadow over Bill's recovery in this second chapter to 2007's Sundance-award winning short EVERYTHING WILL BE OK.
· JERRYCAN (Australia, US Premiere) Dir. Julius Avery – with Tristan Burke, Walter Currie. It's just another boring, unsupervised day when Nathan and his friends decide to blow something up. From inception to conclusion, the decision will have ramifications that ripple through the young boys' social structure.


SPOTLIGHT FILMS:

· AN OLD FASHIONED THANKSGIVING (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Graeme Campbell – with Jacqueline Bisset, Kristopher Turner, Tatiana Maslany, Helene Joy, Paula Boudreau. A feisty turn of the century teenager, Mathilda Bassett struggles to find herself while also trying to reunite her estranged mother and grandmother. Based on a story by Louisa May Alcott.
· ARN THE KNIGHT TEMPLAR (Sweden, North American Premiere) Dir. Peter Flinth – with Joakim Nätterqvist, Sofia Helin, Stellan Skarsgård, Simon Callow, Bibi Andersson. An epic story of a warrior bound by honor, faith, and an unflinching devotion to his star-crossed lover.
· DOMINICK DUNNE: AFTER THE PARTY (Australia, North American Premiere) Dir. Kirsty de Jarvis and Timothy Jolley – with Dominick Dunne, Graydon Carter, Joan Didion, Griffin Dunne, Robert Evans. Dominick Dunne is a famous story teller who has dedicated himself to chronicling the trials of the rich and powerful, bravely confronting the high and mighty. Who better than a celebrity writer to chronicle the affairs of the rich and infamous?
· GOSPEL HILL (USA) Dir. Giancarlo Esposito – with Danny Glover, Taylor Kitsch, Julia Stiles, Angela Bassett, RZA, Samuel L. Jackson. In the town of Julia, the residents of the black neighborhood of Gospel Hill are being forced out of their homes to make way for a multimillion-dollar golf course.
· LEMON TREE (Israel, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Eran Riklis – with Hiam Abbass, Rona Lipaz-Michael, Ali Suliman, Tarik Kopty, Doron Tavory. A Palestinian woman’s cherished lemon grove is endangered when the Israeli Minister of Defense and his kind-hearted wife move in next door and deem the area unsafe. The two women find themselves reluctantly implicated in a dispute that mirrors the vast complexity of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
· SHADOWS IN THE SUN (UK, North American Premeire) Dir. David Rocksavage – with Jean Simmons, James Wilby, Jamie Dornan, Ophelia Lovibond, Toby Marlow. Jean Simmons plays Hannah, the ailing matriarch of a family on the verge of disintegration. With the help of a mysterious stranger, Hannah is able to offer her descendants another chance at happiness.
· STONE OF DESTINY (Canada/UK, US Premiere) Dir. Charles Martin Smith – with Charlie Cox, Kate Mara, Billy Boyd, Robert Carlyle, Stephan McCole. The true story of four earnest Scottish university students who on Christmas Eve of 1950 undertake one of the most audacious heists of the 20th century: to free the Stone of Destiny—symbol of Scottish sovereignty—from its 650-year imprisonment in Westminster Abbey, and return it to its rightful home.
· SUGAR (USA, East Coast Premeire) Dir. Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck – with Jose Rijo, Walki Cuevas, Algenis Perez Soto, Santo Silvestre. A young Dominican baseball player is recruited to play for an American minor league team in a small town in Iowa. With high hopes, but only minimal knowledge of the USA, he heads to the Midwest to chase his dream and face inevitable challenges.
· THE ARTIST’S EYE: BRUCE WEBER – Many of Weber's classic commercials, music videos, and shorts, alongside a selection of other short form works never before seen by the public.
· THE BLACK BALLOON (Austrailia, US Premiere) Dir. Elissa Down – with Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Gemma Ward, Erik Thomson, Toni Collette. All Thomas wants is a normal adolescence but his autistic brother, Charlie, thwarts his every opportunity.
· THE BROTHERS BLOOM (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Rian Johnson – with Rachel Weisz, Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo. The Brothers Bloom is a whirlwind of action, deception and romance as the best con men in the world swindle millions with complex scenarios of lust, intrigue and the most complex literary-inspired setups imaginable.
· THE GUITAR (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Amy Redford – with Saffron Burrows, Isaach de Bankolé, Paz de la Huerta, Mia Kucan, Adam Trese, Janeane Garofalo. Melody Wilder is haunted by a guitar she admired as a child but was never allowed to own. When she is diagnosed as terminally ill, she buys a guitar, and transforms her personality. THE GUITAR confronts mortality and the unpredictability of life.
· THE RETURN OF THE WAR ROOM (USA) Dir. Chris Hegedus, D A Pennebaker – with Paul Begala, Frank Luntz, Lisa Caputo, James Carville, Dee Dee Myers, Mary Matalin, George Stephanopoulos. Get an inside look at how the hard-hitting Clinton campaign of 1992 forever changed the game of politics.


WORLD CINEMA FEATURES:

· A PRESIDENT TO REMEMBER: IN THE COMPANY OF JOHN F. KENNEDY (US) Dir. Robert Drew. Producer Robert Drew continues his legacy of groundbreaking documentary films with this sweeping yet intimate retrospective on John F. Kennedy’s life and career as President of the United States, all captured in the direct “vérité” style that makes his work so immediate and real.
· BLACK ICE (Finland/Germany, North American Premiere) Dir. Petri Kotwica – with Outi Manpaa, Ria Kataja, Martti Suosalo, Ville Virtanen, Sara Paavolainen. Saara, a happily married woman and surgeon, discovers that her husband, an architecture professor, is cheating on her with a student. Saara sets out on the complicated journey to discover the truth – and plotting her revenge.
· CHILDHOODS (US) Dir. Fritz Lang, Orson Welles, Jacques Tati, Jean Renoir, Alfred Hitchcock, Ingmar Bergman. In homage to filmmaking greats Fritz Lang, Orson Welles, Jacques Tati, Jean Renoir, Alfred Hitchcock and Ingmar Bergman, CHILDHOODS pieces together a fictionalized story from the early years of each.
· DUNYA & DESIE (Netherlands, North American Premiere) Dir. Dana Nechustan – with Eva van den Wijdeven, Maryam Hassouni, Christine van Dalen, Theo Maassen. Eighteen year-old girlfriends Dunya and Desie could not seem more different - one a reserved Moroccan from a traditional Muslim family, the other a Dutch native sporting skimpy clothes and mistaking sex for true love. This entertaining road movie explores cross-cultural identity in a shrinking world. Also, the Netherlands entry for Foreign Language Oscar Film.
· EMPTY NEST (Argentina/Spain/France/Italy, US Premiere) Dir. Daniel Burman – with Oscar Martinez, Cecilia Roth, Arturo Goetz. Bored playwright Leonardo must battle his indifferent children, the urge to be unfaithful and more, in this comedic twist on love, lust and the mysteries of marriage.
· HARVARD BEATS YALE 29-29 (USA, US Premiere) Dir. Kevin Rafferty – with Tommy Lee Jones, Brian Dowling, Frank Champi, Vic Gatto, J.P. Goldsmith. Forty-two seconds to go, Harvard is down by fifteen points, it's the last game of the season and both teams are undefeated. Follow along in this documentary with original commentary, as well as insightful and funny interviews from actual players as Harvard Beats Yale.
· HAZE (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Pete Schuermann - Haze tells the story of Llynn Gordie Baily, who died during a fraternity initiation event. The epidemic of college alcohol abuse is examined – and the hidden culture of extremism and violence that goes along with it.
· LUKE AND BRIE ARE ON A FIRST DATE (USA, North American Premiere) Dir. Chad Hartigan – with George Ducker, Meghan Webster, Keegan DeWitt. Luke and Brie are a young couple embarking on that all-important first date. Throughout the night, earnest Luke does his best to defend his big night from a who’s who of interlopers, hoping that his charm and wit will help him win the girl in the end.
· MOSCOW, BELGIUM (Belgium, US Premiere) Dir. Christophe van Rompaey – with Barbara Sarafian, Jurgen Delnaet, Johan Heldenbergh, Anemone Valcke, Sofia Ferri. This Belgian import features a romantic triangle between Matty, a world-weary mother of three, her charming but philandering husband, and the hot-tempered, younger truck driver. An unlikely, but very winning romantic comedy.
· THE END OF AMERICA (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg. In this profound and eye-opening film, Award-winning documentarians Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg accompany Naomi Wolf as she discusses America’s dangerous passage towards a society of fear and surveillance, and chronicles her journey to raise awareness about our threatened democracy.
· ONE DAY YOU’LL UNDERSTAND (France/Germany, US Premiere) Dir. Amos Gitai – with Jeanne Moreau, Hippolyte Girardot, Emmanuelle Devos, Dominique Blanc. Jeanne Moreau stars as Rivka, the elegant, elusive mother who refuses to dwell on the past, and Hippolyte Girardot as Victor, the son whose obsession with it threatens to unbalance his life.
· OUR CITY DREAMS (USA, North American Premiere) Dir. Chiara Clemente – with Swoon, Ghada Amer, Kiki Smith, Marina Abramovic, Nancy Spero. A portrait of five women artists who span different decades and represent diverse cultures - but who all work and live in New York City today.
· PICASSO AND BRAQUE GO TO THE MOVIES (USA, US Premiere) Dir. Arne Glimcher – with Martin Scorsese – narrator, Julian Schnabel, Chuck Close, Lucas Samaras, Eric Fischl. Arne Glimcher's documentary introduced and co-produced by filmmaker Martin Scorsese – examines the work of Pablo Picasso and George Braque, in the light of how strongly the new technology of the motion picture influenced their work.
· SLEEP DEALER (USA/Mexico) Dir. Alex Rivera – with Luis Fernando Pena, Leonor Varela, Jacob Vargas. In this political take on the cyberpunk genre, Mexico is cut off from the United States. In virtual reality, workers pilot machines that not only construct buildings—but also patrol borders and fire guns at humans.
· SONG OF SPARROWS (Iran, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Majid Majidi. In this tale set in Iran, Karim works on an ostrich farm and lives contentedly in a small house with his wife and three children. When a runaway ostrich flies the coop, Karim unsuccessfully tries to lure the bird back by roaming the desert in a self-fashioned ostrich costume.
· TERRIBLY HAPPY (Denmark, North American Premiere) Dir. Henrik Ruben Genz – with Jakob Cedergren, Kim Bodnia, Lene Maria Christensen, Lars Brygmann. When exiled Copenhagen cop Robert Hansen encounters the seductive Ingelise during a stint as a constable in a rural village, he becomes preoccupied with rescuing her from her brutish husband, even if it means sinking to the level of the local frontier justice in this dark comic thriller.
· THE BEETLE (Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Yishai Orian. Yishai adores his 40-year-old VW Beetle, even though it barely moves over the hills of Jerusalem. Through interviews with the vehicle’s former owners, cultural politics and personal stories merge into a fond tribute to the iconic car.
· THE ENGLISH SURGEON (UK, NY Premiere) Dir. Geoffrey Smith – with Henry Marsh, Igor Kurilets, Marian Dolishny. Dr. Henry Marsh, a world renowned brain surgeon, deals not only with lack of help and medical supplies in the villages of the Ukraine, but also with his conscience – and very human limitations - as he struggles to save lives.
· THE ROAD AHEAD: THE FIRST GREEN LONG MARCH (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Ryan Wong. In China, as in many places, the cause of environmental protection needs a lot of help. The key is awareness, and the youth movement at the core of this documentary film is determined to overcome attitudinal, bureaucratic, economic and generational obstacles as they spread their message.
· THE WRESTLER (USA) Dir. Darren Aronofsky – with Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood. Master filmmaker Darren Aronofsky triumphs with this stunning and quintessential portrait of an aging professional wrestler struggling to come to terms with his life’s choices at the twilight of his career.
· TWO LOVERS (USA, North American Premiere) Dir. James Gray – with Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Isabella Rossellini, Elias Koteas. Leonard lives at home with his parents in Brooklyn. He goes from being lonely and forlorn to suddenly being torn between two lovers, one chosen for him by his parents, and one who comes into his life out of nowhere and changes it forever.
· WERTHER (Germany, North American Premiere) Dir. Uwe Janson – with Stefan Konarske, Hannah Herzsprung, Aaron Hildebrandt, David Rott, Fritz Roth. A film adaptation of the most passionate, perhaps also the most dangerous traditional text in the German language, about the struggle for uncompromising love.
· WHAT NO ONE KNOWS (Denmark, North American Premiere) Dir. Soren Kragh-Jacobsen – with Anders W. Berthelsen, Maria Bonnevie, Ghita Norby, Marie Louise Ville, Henning Jensen. At mid-age, Thomas is a mess— an unhappy bumbler, but when his sister dies suddenly, Thomas makes the mistake of asking questions, and stumbles into a tangle of personal and political secrets. What seemed routine family dysfunction leads to discoveries of sinister doings at the highest levels.


FILMS OF CONFLICT AND RESOLUTION IN COMPETITION:

· FOR MY FATHER (Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Dror Zahavi – with Shredi Jabarin, Hili Yalon. Terek is a young Arab traveling to be a suicide bomber in Tel Aviv, but everything changes when his bomb doesn’t function.
· HEART OF FIRE (Germany/Italy, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Luigi Falorni – with Letekidan Micael, Solomie Micael, Seble Tilahun, Daniel Seyoum, Mekdes Wegene. In Heart of Fire, director Luigi Falorni interprets the dramatic true story of Senait G. Mehari coming of age as a child soldier during the Eritrean civil war.
· SNOW (Bosnia/ Herzegovina/Germany/France/Iran, US Premiere) Dir. Aida Begic – with Zana Marjanovic, Jasna Ornela Bery, Sadžida Šetic, Vesna Mašic,. When a government delegation comes to a quiet Bosnian town four years after the war, offering the villagers money for their land, the locals find it hard to abandon their homes and the memories they hold so dear.
· WHEN CLOUDS CLEAR (Ecuador/USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Danielle Bernstein – with Robinson Piedra Cultid, Polivio Perez, Marcia Ramirez. When Clouds Clear follows the struggles of Ecuadorian farmers as they try to protect their land against copper-mining companies.
· THE HEART OF JENIN (Germany/Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Marcus Vetter and Leon Geller. In 2005, twelve year old, Ahmed Khatib is shot and killed when an Israeli soldier mistakes his toy gun for a real weapon. Ahmed’s father is then faced with the choice of donating his son’s organs for the benefit of other sick children.

Conflict and Resolution Competition jurors include: Giulia d’Agnolo Vallan (Author, US Programmer, Venice Film Festival), Carsten Siebert (Executive Director, Byrd Hoffman Water Mill Foundation & Robert Wilson), Bob Aaronson (Director of Acquisitions and Distribution at Netflix)


FILMS OF CONFLICT AND RESOLUTION OUT OF COMPETITION:

· FOUR SEASONS LODGE (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Andrew Jacobs – with Hymie Abromowitz, Carl Potok, Olga Bowman, Aron Adelman, Genya Boyman. In the quiet Catskill Mountains there is a community where Holocaust survivors have been gathering for decades, a place to get away and be surrounded by people who share a past full of pain and a yearning to enjoy the days that remain.
· KASSIM THE DREAM (USA) Dir. Kief Davidson. This is the story of Kassim "The Dream" Ouma, born in Uganda, kidnapped by the rebel army and trained to be a child soldier at the age of 6. His fight for survival would take him all the way to the boxing world championships and more
· TAKING ROOT: THE VISION OF WANGARI MAATHAI (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Lisa Merton. This inspirational documentary follows the life and work of Wangari Maathai, the first environmentalist and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

ALFRED P SLOAN AWARD:

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Award:­
For the 9th consecutive year, the $25,000 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Prize in Science and Technology for a feature-length film that explores science and technology themes in fresh, innovative ways and depicts scientists and engineers in a realistic and compelling fashion will be presented at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

This years recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan award is Marc Abraham’s, FLASH OF GENIUS, a Universal Pictures release, written by Philip Railsback, based on the New Yorker article by John Seabrook and starring Greg Kinnear, Alan Alda, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney and Jake Abel (one of this year’s HIFF Rising Stars). Based on the true story of a college professor and part-time inventor Robert Kearns' (Greg Kinnear) long battle with the U.S. automobile industry, FLASH OF GENIUS tells the tale of one man whose fight to receive recognition for his ingenuity would come at a heavy price. But this determined engineer refused to be silenced, and took on the corporate titans in a battle that nobody thought he could win.

The Hamptons/Sloan feature Film Prize comes from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s program in public understanding of science and forms part of a broader effort to stimulate leading artists in film, television, and theater to create more credible works about science and technology. The program aims to enhance people’s lives by providing a better understanding of the increasingly scientific and technological environment in which we live. It also strives to convey some of the challenges and rewards of the scientific and technological enterprise, and of the lives of the men and women who undertake it.


ISRAEL AT 60:

This year, the Hamptons International Film Festival will celebrate Israel's 60th Anniversary with a program focusing on films and filmmakers from contemporary Israel. LEMON TREE (Israel, East Coast Premiere) directed by Eran Riklis, will be the Opening Night Film of the Israel at 60 Program, and East Hampton's Vered Gallery will host a Israel at 60 Reception following the film. Other films in the program include THE BEETLE (Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Yishai Orian; FOR MY FATHER (Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Dror Zahavi; ONE DAY YOU’LL UNDERSTAND (France/Germany, US Premiere) Dir. Amos Gitai; THE HEART OF JENIN (Germany/Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Marcus Vetter; VASERMIL; (Israel, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Mushon Salmona. Also part of the program, the Festival will be presenting the game PeaceMaker, an interactive video game inspired by real events in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. PeaceMaker™ offers Hamptons festival-goers the opportunity to practice leadership skills and sustain peace in the Middle East by way of a virtual setting, and game makers Asi Burak and Eric Brown will attend the festival to offer tutorials and game tips. Additionally, the Israel at 60 filmmakers, game makers and invited guests will participate on a panel to to discuss the current state of the film and media industry in contemporary Israel.

THE ARTIST’S EYE:

We are pleased to inaugurate this new annual program by honoring legendary artist, filmmaker, and Montauk native Bruce Weber. As a visual artist, Weber's work has been exhibited in over 60 gallery shows and museums around the world, and his photographs are in the permanent collections of London's Victoria and Albert Museum as well as in the Photography Division of the City of Paris. Weber is perhaps best known for his popular, much-imitated advertising campaigns for brands like Calvin Klein, Banana Republic, Ralph Lauren, and Abercrombie & Fitch, and for his award-winning music videos for Chris Isaak and the Pet Shop Boys. Weber is also the director of 10 short and feature films, earning awards from the International Documentary Association, and an Academy Award nomination for his classic documentary on jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, LET'S GET LOST. The Hamptons is privileged to showcase some of Weber's classic commercials, music videos, and shorts, alongside a selection of other short form works never before seen by the public. The screening will be followed by an intimate conversation between Weber and Rajendra Roy, Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of the Department of Film at the Museum of Modern Art and former Hamptons Film Festival Artistic Director to discuss his past and upcoming films (including his long-awaited documentary on Hollywood's epitomical iconic bad-boy Robert Mitchum) in an intimate conversation sure to be as revelatory as his work itself.


FILMS FOR FAMILIES:

Sponsored by The Hallmark Channel, this fun-filled program great films that the whole family can enjoy together! ’77 Dir. Patrick Read Johnson; AN OLD FASHIONED THANKSGIVING Dir. Graeme Campbell; FLASH OF GENIUS – Dir. Marc Abraham STONE OF DESTINY Dir. Charles Martin Smith; THE BEETLE (Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Yishai Orian; Youth Media and Children’s Shorts.


VIEWS FROM LONG ISLAND:

This popular section presents a group of films made by filmmakers from the area, highlighting the wealth of creativity and film resources on Long Island. HAZE Dir. Pete Schuermann; NURSERY UNIVERSITY Dir. Marc H. Simon & Matthew Makar; PICASSO AND BRAQUE GO TO THE MOVIES Dir. Arne Glimcher; THE ARTIST’S EYE: BRUCE WEBER and East End Shorts.


TO THE POINT -- WOMEN TELLING STORIES THROUGH MEDIA:

This is a joint venture of the Hamptons International Film Festival and New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT). In its fifth year, this series of shorts honors women’s voices and visions through film — narratives, documentaries, animated and experimental and video. No more than 20 minutes long, these works explore the unique, personal stories of women — past, present, and future.


GRAY MATTER SHORTS:

NEXT FLOOR (Canada, NY Premiere) Dir. Denis Villeneuve; RESOLUTION (Russia, North American Premiere) Dir. Pavel Oreshnikov; STAND UP (UK, North American Premiere) Dir. Joseph Pierce; SWEETS (Korea, US Premiere) Dir. Lee Soo-kyung; THE ADVENTURE (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Mike Brune; THE SCAVENGERS (Canada, US Premiere) Dir. Cory Bowles.


COMEDY SHORTS:

CUTE COUPLE (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Courtney Moorehead Balaker; FANTAISIE IN BUBBLEWRAP (USA) Dir. Arthur Metcalf; GOLDTHWAIT FAMILY HOME MOVIES (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Bobcat Goldthwait; HOW I LEARNED TO LOVE RICHARD GERE (UK, World Premiere) Dir. Detsky Graffam; OKTAPODI (France) Dir. Julien Bocabeille, Fraçois-Xavier Chanioux,Olivier Delabarr, Thierry Marchand, Quentin Marmier & Emud Mokhberi; UNREEL SPORTS (Canada/USA, US Premiere) Dir. Adam Brodie; PATH (USA) Dir. E.S. Frushtick.


EAST END SHORTS:

A RELATIONSHIP IN FOUR DAYS (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Peter Glanz; IT WAS A DARK AND SILLY NIGHT (New Zealand/USA) Dir. Steven-Charles Jaffe; SECOND GUESSING GRANDMA (USA) Dir. Bob Giraldi; THE MUFFIN TOP (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Gloria Dios; TWIN LENSES (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Nina Rosenblum; OUT HERE IN THE FIELDS (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Alec Hirschfeld.


CHILDREN'S SHORTS:

ACADEMANIA (USA) Dir. Gina Guerrieri; A SUNNY DAY (Germany) Dir. Gil Alkabetz; ED MEETS HIS MAKER (USA) Dir. Larry Sarezky; HOT DOG (USA) Dir. Bill Plympton; LAST TIME IN CLERKENWELL (USA) Dir. Alex Budovsky; PAPIROFLEXIA (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Joaquin Baldwin; ROJO RED (Colombia) Dir. Juan Manuel Betancourt; SLEEPING BETTY (Canada) Dir. Claude Cloutier.


NYWIFT SHORTS:

FLASHBACK (Sweden, North American Premiere) Dir. Linnea Widén; FLYING LESSON (USA) Dir. Rosane Chamecki, Andrea Lerner, Phil Harder; FORGET MY NAME (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Julia Kots; JUST A MINUTE (Canada, World Premiere) Dir. Allison Beda; LOVE YOU MORE (UK, North American Premiere) Dir. Sam Taylor-Wood; RE-SPITE (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Annette Apitz; THE PIG (Denmark, US Premiere) Dir. Dorte Hoegh.


DOCUMENTARY SHORTS:

ANNE AND THE REVEREND (France, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Francois Uzan; PASSAGES (Canada, US Premiere) Dir. Marie-Josee Saint-Pierre; WE SAW SUCH THINGS (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. James Ponsoldt and Amy Seimetz.


SHORTS BEFORE FEATURES:

ALL SAINTS DAY (USA) Dir. Will Frears; BEGINNING FILMMAKING (US) Dir. Jay Rosenblatt; BLOG STALKER (USA, World Premiere) Dir. Todd Rohal; ONE BRIDGE TO THE NEXT (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Kim Snyder; PAINTS ON CEILING (USA, North American Premiere) Dir. Jeremiah Zagar; SLAPPER (UK, North American Premiere) Dir. Chiwetel Ejiofor; THE GRAFFITI IF MR. TUPAIA (New Zealand, US Premiere) Dir. Christopher Dudman; UNBROKEN (Germany, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Jolanka Hoehn; VOYAGE D’AFFAIRES (France, World Premiere) Dir. Sean Ellis; WHAT WOULD THE DROP KNOW ABOUT THAT (Germany, NY Premiere) Dir. Jan Zabeil; WAIT FOR ME (USA) Dir. Ross Kauffman.


CONFLICT AND RESOLUTIONS SHORTS:

NEW BOY (Ireland) Dir. Steph Green; THE BRIDGE (Austria, US Premiere) Dir. Haris Bilajbegovic; WITH A LITTLE PATIENCE (Hungary, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Laszlo Nemes.

Descriptions and synopses of short films are available on the web-site and the festival catalogue.


STUDENT FILM/VIDEO AWARDS:

· AMERICAN DREAM (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Joseph Mann. When selling lemonade fails to solve her family’s financial woes, young Laura decides to use the cover of a school field trip to rob the local savings and loan.
· CLOUDED (USA) Dir. Ajae Clearway. A classic coming-of-age story takes a powerful turn when Sean’s struggle to understand who he really is explodes the lie that goes to the core of his being, his relationship with his father, and his future as a man.
· ONE MORE GAME WITH YOU (USA, North American Premiere) Dir. Ryan Parma. When John falls in love with a badminton champion, he can’t seem to find the words to speak to her. So he tries singing.
· ROSALIE (USA, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Nicholas Berger. More than 200 feet below sea level, in the desert community of Slab City, a beautiful and mysterious woman built a library out of found objects.
· THE HOLLOW TREE (USA, NY Premiere) Dir. Patrick Steward. Two orphaned children and their fantastical journey in a magical forest.


YOUTH MEDIA PROGRAM:

Curated by Maria Marewski and Emily Bennison through the Children’s Media Project since 1999, The Youth Media Program brings the creative perspectives of videomakers from across the globe to the Hamptons International Film Festival. Although the young people who have created the videos in this Program may well be the videomakers of the future, we celebrate that they are also the videomakers of today in their own right.


CINEMATOGRAPHY MASTER CLASS:

Master cinematographer Ellen Kuras, an unprecedented three-time recipient of Sundance Film Festival's Best Dramatic Cinematography Award, will hold an in-depth discussion on the art of creating cinema. This intimate event provides both filmmakers and film aficionados with a rare view into the creative process. Kuras’ work includes: SWOON, Tom Kalin's acclaimed independent film, Isaac Mizrahi's UNZIPPED, Mary Harron's I SHOT ANDY WARHOL, and Spike Lee's Oscar-nominated 4 LITTLE GIRLS, as well as his features SUMMER OF SAM, and BAMBOOZLED. She was DP on Rebecca Miller's ANGELA and THE BALLAD OF JACK & ROSE, Ted Demme's BLOW, and Harold Ramis' ANALYZE THAT starring Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal. More recent films include ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND and BE KIND REWIND directed by Michel Gondry, HEART OF GOLD, the Neil Young concert film and LOU REED'S BERLIN. She is currently shooting Sam Mendes' film MIDDLEMARCH. THE BETRAYAL (NERAKHOON) is her directorial debut. This event is free and open to the public.


FESTIVAL PANELS:

Alfred P. Sloan Screenplay Reading - Book of Water by Bradford Tatum (standing on fishes, Salt), a participant in the HIFF/Sloan 8th Annual Screenwriters' Lab this past May. Directed by Jay Anania (2006 Festival Attendee with Day On Fire - starring Olympia Dukakis and HIFF Rising Stars Carmen Chaplin and Noah Fleiss), Book Of Water combines historical fact with a vibrant magical realist style to tell the story of the life of Leonardo da Vinci.

Breakthrough Performer Roundtable - Join the international group of Rising and Shooting Stars in an informal and intimate discussion about the craft of acting, how the process compares in different countries, and what their experiences were with each of their films in the 2008 Festival.

Israel at 60 – Join the participants of this year’s Israel at 60 Program to discuss contemporary Israeli film and media. Participants include Eran Riklis, director of Lemon Tree, and Asi Burak, co-creator of the video game PeaceMaker™. Moderated by Nancy Buirski, Documentary Producer and Founder of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Discussion of is Marc Abraham’s FLASH OF GENIUS - Join director Marc Abraham for an in-depth discussion and viewing of clips from our Sloan award winning film Flash of Genius.


TICKET INFORMATION:

Passes and tickets can be ordered on-line through the festival website, http://www.hamptonsfilmfest.org/ or through the new East Hampton Box Office location at Design Within Reach - 30 Park Place, East Hampton. Tickets by phone 1-888-329-6877. Founders Pass $1200; Spotlight Package $350, Southampton Package $150, Film Discovery Package $100,Opening Night Package $100, Closing Day Package $50, Opening Night party $75; Saturday Night Filmmakers’ Reception $75, A Conversation With - $25; Spotlight Films $25; Panel Discussions $10; Films $15; Early Bird Screenings $12, Children 12 and under $8.


FESTIVAL VENUES:

United Artists Theatres - 30 Main Street, East Hampton
Southampton Regal Cinema - 43 Hill Street Southampton
Montauk Movie - 3 Edgemere Road Montauk
The Ross School - 18 Goodfriend Drive, East Hampton
Bay Street Theatre - Corner of Bay & Main (on the Long Wharf, opposite the Windmill), Sag HarborGurneys Inn - 290 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk
Panel Discussions - Alison Restaurant at The Maidstone Arms - 207 Main Street, East Hampton
Festival Headquarters& Press Office - The Huntting Inn - 94 Main Street, East Hampton
Filmmaker & Industry Lounge, Turtle Crossing 221 Pantigo Road


THE SPONSORS THAT MAKE IT ALL POSSIBLE:

American Airlines and Altour International.
Major Sponsor: Saunders Associates.
Host Sponsor: The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.Patron Sponsors: RoC Skincare, Heineken, Fox 5 New York, OK! Magazine, The Hallmark Channel, Silvercup Studios, IndieWire.
Founding Sponsors: WVVH, Hampton Jitney.
Contributing Sponsors: Kodak, Lifetime Movie Network, Indiepix, Nespresso, A&E Indie Films and Traditional Home Magazine.
GSA Sponsors: Arenson Props, Feature Systems, Gotham Sound, Greenburg Traurig, LLP, Hamptons Locations, HomeNYC/Postfactory, Indiepay, JFA Film Production Accounting, K/A/S Lighting, Kits & Expendables, Liman Video Rental, Mark Forman Productions, Mechanism Digital, Motion Picture Enterprises, Inc., On Location Education, Panavision, Qube Cinema, Refinery New York, Wits End Group Inc., Writers Bootcamp.

For further information on the 2008 Hamptons International Film Festival please visit http://www.hamptonsfilmfest.org/.

HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2007

The Closing Night film, August Rush

Trainwreck: My Life As An Idoit

The 2007 Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) runs from October 17th through 21st, 2007, centered in East Hampton, New York with additional events in Southampton, Sag Harbor and Montauk.

Josh Koury has returned for his fifth year of programming with the Festival, joined by David Nugent, who comes as a special consultant from the Newport International Film Festival.

This year’s event features 103 films including - 17 World Premieres, 11 US Premieres, 17 East Coast Premieres and 13 New York Premieres.

The festival has several prize categories:

• Golden Starfish Award and the films in the competitions for Best Narrative Feature (over $185,000 in goods and in-kind services)
• Best Documentary Award ($5,000 in cash)
• Short Film Award ($5,000 in cash)
• The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize in Science and Technology ($25,000 in cash)
• The Kodak Award for Cinematography ($6,000 of goods and in-kind services)
• The Brizzolara Family Award for Films of Conflict and Resolution ($5,000 in cash)
• The Zicherman Family Foundation Award for Screenwriting ($5,000 in cash)
• Best Undergraduate and Graduate Student Films (eight $1,000 cash awards)

and new this year,

• The Lifetime Movie Network Award for Best Female Student Filmmaker ($5,000 in cash)
• The woozyfly.com Best Music Award and
• The ¡Sorpresa! Youth Film Competition (a one-week scholarship to the New York Film Academy).
  
  

Opening night, Wednesday, October 17th, features the World Premiere of Bob Balaban’s Bernard and Doris (US), written by Hugh Costello and starring Susan Sarandon and Ralph Fiennes, which focuses on the twilight years of tobacco billionairess Doris Duke and her relationship with her gay butler, to whom she left her fortune.

Closing the festival on Sunday the 21st is the music-driven drama August Rush (US), starring Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Terrence Howard and Robin Williams. Written by Nick Castle and James V. Hart, directed by Kirsten Sheridan, the film follows a guitarist (Meyers) and cellist (Russell) who fall in love and have a child, yet circumstances tear them apart before their son is born. Years later, the child (Highmore) uses his musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth. August Rush opens nationally November 21.

Among the actors, directors, and other celebrities expected to attend are:

Lauren Ambrose, Bob Balaban, John Cusack, Phil Donahue, Alison Eastwood
Chris Eigeman, Ralph Fiennes, Alex Gibney, Marcia Gay Harden, Hannah Herzsprung Famke Jansen, Harvey Keitel, Yun Jin Kim, Lisa Kudrow, Frank Langella, Blake Lively Sidney Lumet, Sirio Maccione, Al Maysles, Gretchen Mol, Jeff Nichols, Amanda Peet Scott Prendergast, Vanessa Redgrave, Keri Russell, Susan Sarandon, Sean William Scott Lili Taylor, Egbert Jan Weeber, Jess Weixler, Gahan Wilson, Alec Baldwin, and Lauren Bacall.

There will be special "conversations" with legendary actress Vanessa Redgrave, moderated by Alec Baldwin and celebrated director and East End regular, Sidney Lumet, moderated by journalist Adam Green (The New Yorker, Vogue) - on Oct 18th & 19st at the Bay Street Theatre.

I've seen Sidney Lumet's new film, "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead," and it's absolutely terrific. In his mid-eighties, Lumet is at the top of his form!

At Miss Redgrave’s ‘Conversation,’ The Hamptons International Film Festival will honor her with this year’s Golden Starfish Award for Career Achievement in Acting.

Rising Stars: There is a special program for "rising stars," young actors in important new films. There is also a panel with the Rising Stars.

This year’s Rising Stars are Hannah Herzsprung (Four Minutes), Jess Weixler (Teeth), Blake Lively (Elvis and Anabelle), Egbert Jan Weeber (Vivere).

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation hosts a panel discussing issues raised by the film they have selected.


Here is a breakdown of the different sections in the film festival, with some brief notes on the films.


Golden Starfish Narrative Competition:

Elvis and Anabelle (US, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Will Geiger – with Blake Lively & Max Minghella. Elvis is a mortician in his family’s funeral parlor. Anabelle is a beauty queen who has dropped dead. An innocent kiss brings a corpse back to life, and romance ensues.

Just Buried (Canada, US Premiere) Dir. Chaz Thorne – with Jay Baruchel, Graham Greene & Rose Byrne. A young man inherits a nearly bankrupt funeral home from his estranged father. He falls in love with the alluring young mortician, only to find out she's offing people to keep the place in business!

Kings (UK, US Premiere) Dir. Tom Collins. In the mid 1970s, a group of six young men left their homes in the West of Ireland, took the boat out of Dublin Bay and sailed across the sea to England in the hope of making their fortunes and returning home. Thirty years later only one, Jackie Flavin, makes it home - but does so in a coffin. Jackie’s five friends reunite at his wake where they are forced face up to the reality of their alienation as long term emigrants who have no longer have any real place to call home.

Turn The River (US, World Premiere) Dir. Chris Eigeman – with Famke Janssen. As this story of a pool-hustling mother and physically abused son hell-bent on fleeing from their terrible lives builds to its inevitable climax, the two desperate characters must take their one last shot at escape, against the odds, and without regard to the possible consequences.

Valerie (Germany, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Birgit Möller. The camera follows Valerie throughout a week in her life as she stumbles through Berlin trying to scrape her life back together.


Golden Starfish Documentary:

Do You Sleep in the Nude? (US, World Premiere) Dir. Marshall Fine. Featuring celebrity testimonials and footage of Rex Reed's television appearances, this documentary reveals many of the same characteristics of journalism’s enfant terrible that have fascinated the public and frightened celebrities for decades.

Gahan Wilson: Born Dead, Still WEIRD (US, World Premiere) Dir. Steven-Charles Jaffe. This portrait of legendary cartoonist Gahan Wilson offers a fascinating and candid glimpse into the artist’s life and work, simultaneously reveal a nightmarish perspective on modern adult life. Featuring interviews with Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, Hugh Hefner and Stan Lee, among others.

I Am an Animal: This Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA (US, World Premiere) Dir. Matthew Galkin. The most well-known and controversial animal rights organization, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), is as equally reviled as it is esteemed.

Pool Of Princesses (Germany, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Bettina Blümner. Docudrama about three teenage girls struggling for personal identity and freedom in urban Germany brilliantly captures the bittersweet moments of youth as each girl talks of her hopes, desires, and fears.

Resolved (US, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Greg Whiteley. This film will destroy every stereotypical thought you’ve ever had about kids who engage in debating, the reasons they do it, and how level the debate playing field really is, or isn’t.


Spotlight Films:

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (US) Dir. Sidney Lumet – with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei & Albert Finney. "May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead," or so goes the Irish toast from which Sidney Lumet’s latest tour de force borrows its title. (Highly recommended!!! See the story below.)

Body of War (US, US Premiere) Dir. Ellen Spiro & Phil Donahue. This powerful documentary confronts the physiological and psychological effects of war as it follows Tomas Young, a wounded soldier who served in Iraq and is now speaking out against the war.

Grey Gardens: From East Hampton to Broadway (US, World Premiere) Dir. Albert Maysles. A documentary on the transition of Maysles’ 1976 documentary Grey Gardens from film to a Broadway musical.

Kabluey (US, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Scott Prendergast – with Lisa Kudrow, Scott Prendergast, Christine Taylor & Conchata Ferrell. 32-year-old loner Salman is the ne’er-do-well brother-in law of Iraq War bride and mother Leslie. In this poignant satire, Salman tries to save his brother’s family even as the children threaten his life, their mother deceives him, and the world in general abuses him.

Martian Child (US, World Premiere) Dir. Menno Meyjes – with John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Bobby Coleman, Amanda Peet & Oliver Platt. Crushed by the death of his fiancée, a writer adopts a 6-year-old boy in an effort to create a family. The boy, who desperately wants a father, is troubled by the idea that he's from Mars.

My Sexiest Year (US, World Premiere) Dir. Howard Himelstein – with Harvey Keitel, Frankie Muniz, Amber Valletta, Karolina Kurkova & Haylie Duff. The coming-of-age story of Jack Stein, a Brooklyn kid who is sent to Miami to live with his horse race-betting father. As Jack tries to adapt to Florida and to his eccentric father, he meets Marina, a model who sets Jack’s future on course.

Rails & Ties (US) Dir. Alison Eastwood – with Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden & Miles Heizer. Unable to face the possibility of losing his wife to illness, Tom Stark buries himself in his job as a train conductor. But when Tom’s train hits a car on the tracks, a young woman is killed and her son, Davey, is left to cope with the loss of his mother. The accident puts the Starks and Davey on their own collision course. But instead of leading to tragedy, this crossing could mean new hope for a woman who has only one chance left to fulfill her dreams, for a man who must learn to open his heart before it is too late, and for a boy who has never known the true meaning of family.

The Savages (US, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Tamara Jenkins – with Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.

The Shell Seekers (US, World Premiere) Dir. Piers Haggard – with Vanessa Redgrave, Maximilian Schell, Victoria Smurfit & Victoria Hamilton. A tender tale of romance, remembrance and renewal. The Shell Seekers spins a cautionary tale of true love and profound loss, while preferring a harsh lesson for those who know the price of everything but the value of nothing.

Starting Out in the Evening (US, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Andrew Wagner – with Lauren Ambrose, Frank Langella, Lili Taylor & Adrian Lester. Heather Wolfe convinces Leonard Schiller, a past-his-prime writer, that her graduate thesis can resurrect his career. How far will Heather go in her quest to revive a man who’s been her idol? And what will her digging reveal about Schiller’s past?

Table in Heaven (US, NY Premiere) Dir. Andrew Rossi – with Sirio Maccioni, Marco Maccioni, Mauro Maccioni & Woody Allen. Sirio Maccioni, owner of the world-renowned New York restaurant Le Cirque, is the star of this delectable documentary, which chronicles the closing of Le Cirque 2000 in the Palace Hotel and its reopening in midtown’s Bloomberg building. Will the impending move turn out to be a recipe for disaster?

Teeth (US, NY Premiere) Dir. Mitchell Lichtenstein – with Jess Weixler, John Hensley, Josh Pais, Hale Appleman & Ashley Springer. Sure to be one of the most talked-about movies this year, Teeth features an unforgettable performance by rising star Jess Weixler as a teenager who discovers – quite accidentally – that her body can be used as a weapon. Underneath the movie’s sunny, comic surface lurks a darker story about sexual power.

Trainwreck: My Life as an Idoit (US, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Tod Harrison Williams – with Gretchen Mol, Sean William Scott, Deirde O’Connell, Kevin Conway & Jeff Garlin. A dramatic comedy about a self-induced attention-deficit disordered, learning disabled, Tourette's syndrome suffering, balance impaired, ex-alcoholic young man from the Upper East Side of Manhattan and the gold-digging girl who inspires him to try to get it together. Based on the memoir The Little Yellow Bus by Long Island native Jeff Nichols.

The Walker (US) Dir. Paul Schrader – with Woody Harrelson, Lauren Bacall, Lily Tomlin, Ned Beatty & William DeFoe. An escort who caters to Washington D.C.'s society ladies becomes involved in a murder case.


World Cinema Features:

Caramel (Lebanon, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Nadine Labaki. Lebanon’s entry for the 2007 Academy Awards, this romantic comedy is centered on the daily lives of five Lebanese women in Beirut.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France) Dir. Julian Schnabel. This is the story of Elle France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he'd only visited in his mind.

Four Minutes (Germany, NY Premiere) Dir. Chris Kraus – with Hannah Herzsprung. An unlikely bond grows in an all-women's prison between a solitary piano teacher and a troubled but very talented young murderess.

House of Life: The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague (US, World Premiere) Dir. Allan Miller. This documentary tells of The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague, the site of layer upon layer of buried members of the once-vibrant Jewish community of the Ghetto.

Irina Palm (Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, UK and France, NY Premiere) Dir. Sam Eduard Garbarski – with Marianne Faithfull. A middle-aged Maggie must find enough money for her grandson’s lifesaving medical treatment. When a "Hostess Wanted" sign catches her eye, she naively stumbles into a sex club.

Jump! (US, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Helen Hood Scheer. A fervent documentary about stunningly talented young athletes who are devoted to an underappreciated yet attention-deserving sport: competitive jump roping.

Please Vote For Me (China) Dir. Weijun Chen. A classic election drama, although the 60 year-old candidates have been replaced with 7-year-old versions.

The Substitute (Denmark, US Premiere) Dir. Ole Bornedal. The story of a group of Danish 6th graders who discover their new substitute teacher is not merely peculiar, but an extraterrestrial.

Taxi to the Dark Side (US) Dir. Alex Gibney. This film examines the death of an Afghan taxi driver at Bagram Air Base from injuries inflicted by U.S. soldiers. Academy Award Nominee director Alex Gibney takes us from a village in Afghanistan to Guantanamo and straight to the White House.

The Unforseen (US) Dir. Laura Dunn. Executive producers Robert Redford & Terrance Malick. A documentary about the development around Barton Springs in Austin, Texas and nature's unexpected response to being threatened by human interference.

Vivere (Germany, Netherlands) Dir. Angelina Maccarone – with Egbert Jan Weeber. Fate entangles the lives of two sisters and a lonely older woman, after the younger sister runs away from home.

Wade in the Water (US, World Premiere) Dir. Elizabeth Wood and Gabriel Nussbaum. A New Orleans YMCA class put digital cameras in the hands of eighth-grade students whose lives were devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Yella (Germany, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Christian Petzold. Yella is plagued by a mysterious post-traumatic stress disorder, and finds herself teaming up with a handsome, roving banker named Philipp, to unlock a secret to try to put together a new life.



Films of Conflict and Resolution in Competition:

AFR (Denmark, North American Premiere) Dir. Morten Hartz Kaplers. AFR is a mockumentary that questions the public's consumption of modern media. When the Prime Minister of Denmark is killed by a terrorist bombing, all sorts of suspicions emerge. Combining existing press materials of actual political leaders with fictional interviews, Kaplers composes the perfect investigative piece.

AmericanEast (US, North American Premiere) Dir. Hesham Issawi – with Sayed Badreya & Tony Shalhoub. Mustafa is a widowed Egyptian immigrant who dreams of opening an authentic Middle Eastern restaurant with his best friend Sam, who's Jewish. But their religious differences are just the first of many obstacles present in post-9/11 Los Angeles.

Behind Forgotten Eyes (US, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Anthony Gilmore. During World War II over 200,000 Korean women were forced to work as sex slaves by the Japanese Army. Decades later, they are fighting to tell their story before history forgets them.

Soldiers Of Conscience (US, NY Premiere) Dir. Gary Weimberg. An in-depth look at the conscientious objector experience concerning the war in Iraq, Soldiers of Conscience is an important film for anyone attempting to understand human beings engaged in violent conflict. T

To Die In Jerusalem (Israel, US Premiere) Dir. Hilla Medalia. In this powerful documentary we follow a mother who has lost her daughter in a suicide bombing as she meets the parents of her daughter's killer. One hopes that differences could be set aside to grieve, but To Die in Jerusalem shows us just how hard that can be.


Films Of Conflict And Resolution Out Of Competition:

Beyond Belief (US) Dir. Beth Murphy. A journey with two women who lost their husbands on 9/11, and decide to harness something positive through their suffering, in the form of a spiritual and literal journey: charity work in Afghanistan.

India Untouched (India). Dir. Stalin K. Motivated by ancient religious edicts, no amount of governmental encouragement has been able to stem the tragic custom that separates human beings according to their birth.

Steal a Pencil for Me (US) Dir. Michele Ohayon. Jack and Ina are Jewish, they have fallen in love in 1943 and they are prisoners in a concentration camp.


SHORT FILMS:


Golden Starfish Shorts:

• A Letter To Colleen (US, World Premiere) Andy and Carolyn London’s autobiographical animation about the loss of innocence.
• At The End of The Sentence (UK/Scotland, East Coast Premiere) Dir. Marisa Zanotti. Grammar stickler Sue learns of his father's Christmas-time release from prison, and suddenly finds his ordered world complicated by neon lights, lassoing cowboys, and Helena MacReadie's tits.
• The Guitar Lesson (France, NY Premiere) Dir. Martin Rit. A man decides to start a new chapter in his life after seeing an advertisement for guitar lessons in the paper.
• Joyriders (Ireland, US Premiere) Dir. Rebecca Daly. Set against a stark urban Irish landscape, a young girl acts out in response to the loss of her father.
• Milk Teeth (UK, US Premiere) Dir. Tibor Banoczki. The tales of a young boy who follows his sister into a field as she sneaks out to see her boyfriend. Lost in the strange world of the cornfield, the siblings experience fear, love and learn more about themselves and their relationship as brother and sister.
  
  

Shorts Program 1 - Gray Matter:

• Arthur Halpern’s Futures (and Derivatives) (US, East Coast Premiere);
• Robin Fuller’s The Ballad of Mary Slade (UK);
• Signe Baumane’s Verterinarian(Latvia/US, World Premiere);
• Andrew McPhillips’s Blood Will Tell (Canada, US Premiere);
• Bryan Wizemann’s Film Makes Us Happy (US, World Premiere)
  

Shorts Program 2 – Comedy:

• Kurt Kuenne’s Validation (US, NY Premiere);
• Don Hertzfeldt’s Everything Will be OK (US);
• Steve Sullivan’s A Bit on the Side (UK);
• James Griffiths’s The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island (UK, US Premiere)
  

Shorts Before Films:

• Michael Dreher’s Fair Trade (Germany, East Coast Premiere);
• Bob Giovanelli’s Tis the Season (US);
• Jesse Epstein’s The Guarantee (US, NY Premiere);
• Dave Tucker’s Bowl Cut (UK, NY Premiere);
• Chelsea Franklin’s Halloway Park (US, East Coast Premiere);
• Gloria Dios’s All the Livelong Day (US, World Premiere);
• Josh Safdie’s The Back of Her Head (US, NY Premiere)
  

Descriptions and synopses of short films are available on the web-site and the festival catalogue.

Undergraduate and Graduate Student Film/Video Awards:

• Abajee (Pakistan/US) Dir. Maureen Bharoocha. Omer is a young rebellious boy living with his family and his beloved pet rooster in Karachi, Pakistan. When he enters his rooster in a cockfight, the result is one he never thought possible.
• lan and Samir (UK) Dir. Yann Demange. Two brothers share the same father but different mothers and a night out in London reveals hidden tensions.
• Blue Dress (US) Dir. Katie Stern. 12-year-old Hadley is devastated when her older brother goes way to camp for the summer. But when the bookmobile rumbles into town one dusty morning, Hadley discovers a new source of companionship.
• Dear Lemon Lima (US) Dir. Suzi Yoonessi. A lonely 13-year-old girl with a vivid imagination overcomes her first heartbreak on a serendipitous summer day.
• Quincy & Althea (US) Dir. Doug Lenox. With their beloved New Orleans home in ruins, all they want is a divorce.
  
  

Ticket Information:

Passes and tickets can be ordered on-line through the festival website, http://www.hamptonsfilmfest.org/ or through the new East Hampton Box Office location at Design Within Reach - 30 Park Place, East Hampton.

Tickets by phone – 631-747-7978. Founders Pass- $1000; Spotlight Package $350, Southampton Package $150, Film Discovery Package $100, Opening Night Package $100, Starfish Screening Member $100, Opening Night party - $75; Saturday Night Heineken Filmmakers’ Reception $75, A Conversation With - $25; Spotlight Films - $20 - $35; Panel Discussions- $10; Films- $12; Early Bird Screenings - $9, Children 12 and under –$8.


Festival Venues:

• United Artists Theatres - 30 Main Street, East Hampton;
• The Ross School, 18 Goodfriend Drive, East Hampton;
• Hospitality Suite & Press Office at The Huntting Inn - 94 Main Street, East Hampton;
• Southampton Regal Cinema - 43 Hill Street Southampton;
• Montauk Movie - 3 Edgemere Road Montauk;
• Panel Discussions - Bay Street Theatre Long Wharf (at the foot of Main Street) Sag Harbor;
• Daily Festival Lounge: HIFF "Green" Tent, Lawn of the Ladies Village Improvement Society, 95 Main Street;
• Filmmaker & Industry Lounge, Turtle Crossing 221 Pantigo Road
  

No festival can survive without sponsors. Here are some principal sponsors of HIFF:

Presenting Sponsors: American Airlines and Altour International.
Host Sponsors: Fox 5 New York.
Patron Sponsors: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, New Line Cinema, Prudential Douglas Elliman, Regal Entertainment Group; Silvercup Studios, Newsday, 91 East Productions, The Hallmark Channel, OK! Magazine, Heineken, Time Warner Cable Media Sales, VOX Magazine, Woozyfly.com, WVVH Hamptons Television

For further information on the 2007 Hamptons International Film Festival please visit http://www.hamptonsfilmfest.org/ .