The Hamptons International Film Festival, presented by the Artemis Rising Foundation, will hold its 33rd edition from October 3 to 13. The festival features a curated lineup of narrative and documentary films, features, and shorts from around the world. The lineup includes 85 feature films and 57 short films.
“As we celebrate the 33rd year of the Hamptons International Film Festival, it’s thrilling to share such a rich and varied lineup with our audiences,” said David Nugent, Artistic Director of the Hamptons International Film Festival. “From powerful premieres and career-spanning conversations to bold new voices breaking through, this year’s program reflects the creativity and diversity that continue to make cinema such a vital art form. We can’t wait to welcome filmmakers and film lovers back to the Hamptons to experience these stories together.”
The festival will open on October 3 with the U.S. premiere of David Freyne’s “Eternity,” with star Elizabeth Olsen in attendance. Olsen will also be joining for an “In Conversation With” on Saturday, October 4, highlighting her dynamic career as an actress and celebrating her performance. The film also stars Miles Teller and Callum Turner and takes place in an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity. Joan (Olsen) is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with (Teller) and her first love (Turner), who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive.
The U.S. premiere of David Michôd’s “Christy” will screen as a Centerpiece Film with Sydney Sweeney attending and receiving the Achievement in Acting award. The film stars Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian, and Ethan Embry and will screen on Saturday, October 4, in East Hampton. Christy Martin (Sweeney) never imagined life beyond her small-town roots in West Virginia — until she discovered a knack for knocking people out. Fueled by grit, raw determination, and an unshakable desire to win, she charges into the world of boxing under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, Jim (Foster).
“Our Centerpiece selection, ‘Christy,’ anchors the festival with its daring artistry and gives us the opportunity to honor the luminous Sydney Sweeney. Through our full lineup of Spotlight Films section, we’re proud to showcase stories and voices that remind us of the vitality, ambition, and emotion that define today’s filmmaking,” said Nugent.
Additional festival honors include Tonatiuh as UBS Breakthrough Performer and Eva Victor as UBS Breakthrough Director. Bernard Telsey, an influential casting director in theater, film, and television, is being honored with the festival’s inaugural Achievement in Casting Award. He will accept the award on Saturday, October 4, at the screening of “Kiss of the Spider Woman” with actor Tonatiuh and director Bill Condon in attendance.
“Our lineup this year represents the spirit of discovery that defines HIFF. With powerful premieres and inspiring conversations, we’re proud to curate programming that invites audiences to experience the artistry, imagination, and diversity of today’s filmmakers. By honoring emerging talents like Tonatiuh and Eva Victor alongside established talents, we are reminded of how vital film remains as an art form. It’s an honor to bring these works to the Hamptons and to celebrate the creative voices shaping the future of cinema,” said Nugent.
The festival will screen Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon,” on Saturday, October 4, starring Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, and Andrew Scott, showcasing legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart, who confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as his former collaborator Richard Rodgers celebrates the opening night of his ground-breaking hit musical “Oklahoma!” Hawke will be featured in a special “A Conversation With Ethan Hawke,” sponsored by Il Buco, on Saturday, October 4, celebrating his expansive career as an actor, writer, and director.
Spotlight programming also includes the East Coast premiere of Kristen Stewart’s “The Chronology of Water.” Stewart’s film shares the story of a woman told through loss, love, and self-discovery as she transforms her pain into art and starts writing a life on her own terms.
HIFF has also included a new partnership with the Southampton Playhouse. The Playhouse will join as an official venue for festival screenings and events, expanding HIFF’s footprint into the Southampton community and offering East End audiences additional opportunities to engage with the festival’s programming.
As part of the festival’s Views From Long Island series, the Southampton Playhouse will host a screening of Warren Elgort’s documentary “Arthur Elgort: Models & Muses” on October 11. Director Warren Elgort and his father, legendary photographer and Southampton resident Arthur Elgort, will attend the screening. The film is an intimate portrait of Arthur’s groundbreaking career, which helped define an era of Vogue through his pioneering candid “snapshot” style of fashion photography. Featuring archival images alongside present-day interviews with cultural icons, including Anna Wintour, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, and Grace Coddington, the film captures both nostalgia and timeless inspiration.
“As a cultural hub for the East End, we are excited to welcome HIFF into our theater,” said Maria Ruiz Botsacos, Southampton Playhouse Executive Director. “Hosting both the World Premiere of ‘Arthur Elgort: Models & Muses’ and a special live presentation of ‘Nosferatu’ allows us to bring world-class storytelling and artistry to our community in an unforgettable way. We look forward to building a lasting partnership with the festival.”
The world premiere of Maria Friedman’s “Merrily We Roll Along,” starring Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez, will close the festival. Director Maria Friedman will be in attendance at the screening on Sunday, October 12, in East Hampton, along with cast members.
“This year’s program reflects the incredible range of contemporary cinema we strive to celebrate. 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.
This year’s Spotlight Films also include Luca Guadagnino’s “After The Hunt,” starring Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg And Chloë Sevigny; Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia,” starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias and Alicia Silverstone; The U.S. Premiere of Nicholas Hytner’s “The Choral,” starring Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam, Mark Addy, and Alun Armstrong; The New York Premiere of Michael Franco’s “Dreams,” starring Jessica Chastain, Isaac Hernández, and Rupert Friend; The New York Premiere of “Matthew Shear’s Fantasy Life,” starring Amanda Peet, Matthew Shear, Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, and Bob Balaban; Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet,” starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, and Joe Alwyn; The East Coast Premiere Of Nia DaCosta’s “Hedda,” starring Tessa Thompson, Imogen Poots, Tom Bateman, Nicholas Pinnock, and Nina Hoss; Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” starring Rose Byrne, Conan O’Brien, Danielle Macdonald, Christian Slater, and A$AP Rocky, with Director Mary Bronstein in attendance; Bradley Cooper’s “Is This Thing On?” starring Will Arnett, Laura Dern, Andra Day, Bradley Cooper, Amy Sedaris, Sean Hayes, Christine Ebersole, Ciarán Hinds, and Scott Icenogle; The U.S. Premiere of “James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg,” starring Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Michael Shannon, Richard E. Grant, Leo Woodall, and John Slattery; The World Premiere of Ari Selinger’s “On The End,” starring Tim Blake Nelson, Mireille Enos, Lois Smith, Anna Chlumsky, and More; Ira Sachs’ “Peter Hujar’s Day,” starring Ben Whishaw and Rebecca Hall; Rebecca Zlotowski’s “A Private Life,” starring Jodie Foster, Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, and Mathieu Amalric; The East Coast Premiere of Max Walker-Silverman’s “Rebuilding,” starring Josh O’Connor, Meghann Fahy, Amy Madigan, Kali Reis, and Lily LaTorre; The U.S. Premiere of “Hikari’s Rental Family,” starring Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira, Mari Yamamoto, Shannon Gorman, and Akira Emoto; Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” starring Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas; The East Coast Premiere of Clint Bentley’s “Train Dreams,” starring Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, William H. Macy, and Kerry Condon; The U.S. Premiere of Rian Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” starring Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, and Mila Kunis.
Visit hamptonsfilmfest.org for the full lineup.