(Long Island, N.Y.) Each year filmmakers, moviestars and celebrities from around the globe participate in the International Hamptons Film Festival. Entering its 17th year, The Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to provide a forum for independent filmmakers to express their ideas, creativity and vision. The Festival is traditionally held for five days in mid-October in theatre venues from Montauk to Southampton attracting approximately 15,000 visitors annually. Twenty countries are represented and one hundred films are showcased each year with an awards package worth over $200,000. The festival continues to play a part in the awards season, with the 2008 edition featuring eventual Best Picture winners of the Academy Award, Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award.
In addition to short films, documentaries and narratives, the Festival offers special presentations such as; a Breakthrough Performers program, which showcases up-and-coming acting talent. Past participants include Emily Blunt, Blake Lively, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Vanessa Redgrave, Frances McDormand, Sidney Lumet, Julian Schnabel, Isabella Rossellini, Gena Rowlands, and Robert Altman. The festival maintains a presence year round with other events as well such as screenings out east and in the city, and its annual Screenwriters Lab. The Lab recently wrapped its 9th edition, develops emerging screenwriting talent by pairing established writers with up-and-coming screenwriters.
The Hamptons International Film Festival has received a great deal of prestigious recognition, with the 2008 edition featuring the East Coast premiere of the eventual Academy Award winner for Best Picture “Slumdog Millionaire.” The festival’s awards success in 2008 included highlights such as the 8 total Academy Awards for Slumdog Millionaire including Best Picture, Editing, Writing, Cinematography, Direction and the Golden Globe for Best Picture.
This year at the Hamptons film Festival I had the pleasure of interviewing movie star Pierce Brosnan who recently produced and starred in an independent film “The Greatest” directed and written by Shana Feste. The film premiered on Opening night at the Festival.
“The Greatest” portrays Actors Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan as a married couple mourning the death of their teenage son in Shana Feste’s powerful directorial debut. When Bennett Brewer (Aaron Johnson) is suddenly killed as a result of a truck colliding with his car, his mother Grace (Sarandon) becomes obsessed about learning what his last spoken words were. She patiently waits for the man they were spoken to (Michael Shannon) to come out of his accident-induced coma. Meanwhile, her math professor husband Allen (Brosnan), is immobilized by his inability to express his grief, and their surviving son (Johnny Simmons) is sliding into drug use that might be more than recreational. This dysfunctional family is not prepared for a sudden new member of the family, Rose (Carey Mulligan), the girl who was with Bennett when he died, and who is carrying his unborn child. “The Greatest” explores the ways in which love can persist and life can re-assert itself in the face of seemingly all-consuming tragedy.
After the premiere I was delighted to interview Director and Writer of the film “The Greatest” Shana Feste. Shana explained that she proposed and submitted the script to Pierce Brosnan and he loved it. “Once he was on board in helping to produce film, the financing of the film became much easier,” she expressed.
Shana Feste’s involvement in the arts began when, at age 11, she toured with the Young Professionals Actors program in the play “Dear Gabby.” She continued her training at the Santa Monica Playhouse theatre program, studied screenwriting at the University of Texas in Austin and attended the producing program at AFI. Feste worked as a researcher for Robert Towne and an assistant to an agent while preparing to direct her first screenplay “The Greatest.”
Among the many events, premieres and parties that I attended I truly enjoyed “Conversations with Sharon Stone.”
Sharon Stone is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actress and humanitarian. Her diverse body of memorable work has established her as a versatile presence in the world of Hollywood, independent film, and television. While perhaps best known for standout performance in 1992’s top-grossing “Basic Instinct,” Stone has received critical acclaim for her work in Albert Brooks’ “The Muse” Jim Jarmusch’s “Broken Flowers” Sidney Lumet’s “Gloria” and Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” (for which she received an Academy Award-nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Actress). The Hamptons Film Festival was honored to proudly welcome this American film icon as a mentor to their up-and-coming Breakthrough Performers and recipient of this year’s Achievement in Acting Award. Ms. Stone participated in their annual “Conversation With” discussion series. Sharon spoke candidly about her struggles in Hollywood before she became a Star and was extremely well received by Hamptonites and the press.
This years Festival Award Winners included:
Golden Starfish Award for Best Narrative Feature:
“The Misfortunates,” directed by Felix van Groeningen
Special Jury Award for Outstanding Achievement by an Actor:
Paprika Steen, APPLAUSE
Golden Starfish Award for Best Documentary:
“Long Distance Love,” directed by Magnus Gertten and Elin Jonsson
Special Jury Award
MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN, Lucy Bailey & Andrew Thompson
Golden Starfish Award for Best Short:
“Dust Kid,” directed by Jung Yumi
Best Film of Conflict & Resolution:
“Rabbit a la Berlin,” directed by Bartek Konopka
Audience Award for Best Narrative Film:
“The Young Victoria,” directed by Jean-Marc Vallee
Audience Award for Best Documentary:
“Waking Sleeping Beauty,” directed by Don Hahn
Audience Award for Best Short:
“This is Her,” directed by Katie Wolfe
Zicherman Foundation Award for Best Screenplay:
Felix van Groeningen for “The Misfortunates”
Kodak Award for Best Cinematography:
Ruben Impens for “The Misfortunates”
Kanbar Indie Award:
Antonio Campos for “My Adventures in Ladies’ Undergarments”
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Prize:
“Agora,” directed by Alejandro Amenabar
Roc Skincare Gold Standard in Filmmaking Award for a feature female director:
Cheryl Hines for “Serious Moonlight”
Wouter Barendrecht Award for Pioneering Vision
BIG RIVER MAN, John Maringouin
Congratulations to all winners!
