The 33rd Hamptons International Film Festival

On October 3rd, the 33rd Hamptons International Film Festival presented by Artemis Rising Foundation will once again return, this year with an opening night selection starring Elizabeth Olsen. Eternity, directed by David Freyne, also stars Miles Teller and Callum Turner and takes place in an afterlife where souls have one life in which they can choose where to spend eternity. Olsen will join an “In Conversation With” on Saturday, October 4, highlighting both her career and her performance in the film. Eternity’s U.S. premiere will be at The Hamptons International Film Festival. 

“The spirit of the festival,” says David Nugent, who has been the Chief Creative Officer of HamptonsFilm since 2007, “is to remind people of the vitality of cinema, and the sense of community that exists when we leave our house or apartments and gather to experience films together.” The festival, which runs from the 3rd through the 13th, will feature narrative, documentary, and shorts screenings, as well as tributes to artists and other added programming. 

This year, the festival will spotlight several major films, Nugent says, including Sorry, Baby, the debut from American director Eva Victor, a Sundance Film Festival standout. “Victor is due to receive the UBS Breakthrough Director Award,” Nugent says, calling them a “new major talent.” “I think our audiences will really connect with this film and with the talent that Eva has.” The film, a dark comedy that explores modern love, will be screened specially for the festival. Originally screened at Sundance in January, the film was met with critical acclaim. 

Although the festival has no overarching theme, the goal is to “present the best films of the year from around the world,” Nugent says. One of these includes The Voice of Hind Rajab, a drama from Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, which recounts the true story of the five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed on January 29, 2024, during a standoff in Gaza. 

The film received a remarkable 23-minute standing ovation during its September premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, as well as prolonged clapping and political chants regarding the Israeli occupation of Gaza. Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Brad Pitt, Alfonso Cuarón, and Jonathan Glazer have all joined on as executive producers of the film, bringing the film even more attention and recognition. 

The Eyes of Ghana, directed by Ben Proudfoot and first screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, is, Nugent says, another remarkable international selection. The documentary chronicles the life and work of Ghanaian cameraman Chris Hesse. Hesse, now in his 90s, is passing along his love and legacy to another filmmaker, Anita Afonu. Proudfoot, who is Canadian, is a two-time Oscar winner, for documentaries in 2021 and 2023: The Last Repair Shop and The Queen of Basketball. 

The Hamptons International Film Festival is packed with other spotlight events, too. Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon, a comedic biography that premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, will be screened on October 4th. The film stars longtime Linklater collaborator Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, and Andrew Scott and showcases the life and times of lyricist Lorenz Hart (of Rodgers and Hart). Hawke will discuss the film in “A Conversation with Ethan Hawke,” sponsored by Amagansett’s Il Buco that same day, discussing his own long career in acting, writing, and directing. 

HamptonsFilm Executive Director Richard Gladstein offers praise, too, to Nugent and the programming team, for “curating a group of dynamic and distinct films.” “I’m excited our festivalgoers will have the opportunity to engage with stories and storytelling spanning all genres,” Gladstein says, “in narrative and documentary, from around the globe.”

Kiss of the Spider Woman, which stars Diego Luna, Jennifer Lopez, and Tonatiuh, and which centers around two cellmates in an Argentine prison who bond over romance and fantasy, will screen in the festival’s Spotlight section. Tonatiuh will be honored, too, with the festival’s UBS Breakthrough Performer Award. The film premiered at Sundance this past winter. 

“Our lineup this year represents the spirit of discovery that defines The Hamptons International Film Festival,” Nugent says. “We’re proud to curate programming that invites audiences to experience the artistry, imagination, and diversity of today’s filmmakers. Nugent cites Tonatiuh and Victor as two artists who represent the breadth and diversity of the festival, and all the different voices it strives to represent in the world of filmmaking. 

The festival will close, on Sunday, October 12, with Merrily We Roll Along. The filmed production of the Broadway musical will make its world premiere at The Hamptons International Film Festival. Directed by Maria Friedman, it stars Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez. The Broadway production, a Tony Award-winner, was filmed during its sold-out run in July of 2024. Charting the unravelling of a once-unbreakable friendship between composer Franklin Shepard; playwright-lyricist Charley; and writer Mary, the narrative, told in reverse, telescopes back to the trio’s youth, and highlights some of Stephen Sondheim’s most compelling musical work. “To close with Merrily We Roll Along feels both joyous and poignant, a film that encapsulates the spirit of looking back and moving forward.” said Nugent.

HamptonsFilm, home to the Hamptons International Film Festival, was founded in 1992 to celebrate art and film, and to introduce international films and filmmakers to an East End audience. A non-profit organization offering year-round screenings, a screenwriter’s lab, a summer documentary showcase, and educational opportunities for film lovers and filmmakers. The Hamptons International Film Festival, taking place annually, showcases the year’s top films in contemporary and international cinema, and awards prizes in cash and goods of over $130,000.