The 34th annual Hamptons International Film Festival returns October 2 to 12, with screenings and events taking place across the Hamptons.
The festival will open with the East Coast Premiere of “I Play Rocky,” directed by Peter Farrelly. The film tells the true story of an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky — he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. Told “no” at every turn, Sylvester Stallone (played by Anthony Ippolito) bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. Ippolito will also receive one of the festival’s FLYTE Breakthrough Performer Awards.
This year’s Centerpiece screenings include the U.S. premiere of Tim Blake Nelson’s “The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd,” which will screen Saturday, October 3, starring Amanda Seyfried and Scoot McNairy, and Noah Segan’s “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,” will screen on Saturday, October 10, starring John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, and Tatiana Maslany.
Amanda Seyfried will be joining the festival for a conversation at East Hampton Middle School on Sunday, October 4. Based on actual events, the film tells the story of a teacher in an abusive marriage who takes a job leading creative writing classes at a maximum-security prison and begins to fall for a charismatic inmate.
John Turturro will join the festival on Sunday, October 11, for a special conversation at Guild Hall. Turturro gives one of the year’s most exceptional performances as Harry in “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York,” an old-school hustler and classic native New Yorker who moves through life greasing palms, relying solely on his wits and connections. As times change, his daily pickpocket take of cash and wristwatches is replaced with credit cards and cell phones — and on one unfortunate night, cryptocurrency and a handgun — setting off a cat-and-mouse fight for survival.
Jesse Eisenberg will attend the festival in conversation Saturday, October 10, at Guild Hall. Eisenberg wrote and directed “The Debut,” which will screen on Friday, October 9. The film stars Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey, and Eisenberg. Eisenberg returns with a playful love letter to the vibrant, larger-than-life world of community theater. When Mona Friedman (Moore) is cast in a bit part at her local theater, she transforms from a shy, unassuming housewife into a zealous method actor willing to do anything to protect the artistic integrity of her marginal role — even if it means waging war against the show’s domineering director (Giamatti).
Ron Howard will attend the festival for a conversation on Saturday, October 10, at Guild Hall. Howard’s film “Avedon” will have its East Coast Premiere at HIFF. In “Avedon,” Howard traces the life and legacy of an artist who used photography to reinvent the world around him. From world leaders to pop culture icons and international supermodels, Richard Avedon’s influence is the blueprint for our image-driven world. His photographs didn’t just reflect culture; they shaped it. Drawing on unprecedented access to his personal archives — including never-before-seen stills, intimate behind-the-lens footage, and new interviews with his closest collaborators — “Avedon” explores how his singular eye both reflected and reshaped the visual language of the 20th century, and why even the most iconic image is only half the story.
“Each year, HIFF aims to bring audiences not just the best films from around the world, but the opportunity to hear from the artists that create them. This year’s slate reflects the variety of viewpoints and interests that contemporary filmmakers have highlighted in each of their unique projects. We are thrilled that our ‘Conversations With’ series—featuring Amanda Seyfried, Jesse Eisenberg, John Turturro, and Ron Howard—once again gives our audiences a rare, intimate window into the work, creative process, and experiences behind some of this year’s most exciting films,” said HamptonsFilm Chief Creative Officer David Nugent.
Additional Spotlight Films include Tony Gilroy’s “Behemoth!,” starring Pedro Pascal, Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor and Will Arnett; the East Coast Premiere of Siân Heder’s “Being Heumann,” starring Ruth Madeley, Madeline Delp, Mark Ruffalo, and Dylan O’Brien; Josh Alexander’s “Sara Bareilles: Good Grief,” featuring Sara Bareilles; the East Coast Premiere of Simon Stone’s “Elsinore,” starring Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman; the East Coast Premiere of Beth de Araújo’s “Josephine,” starring Mason Reeves, Channing Tatum, and Gemma Chan; the International Premiere of Vic Sarin’s “The Lightkeeper,” starring Dominic Cooper, Sarah Gadon, Aidan Quinn, Sarah Bolger; the East Coast Premiere of Guy Nattiv’s “The Liberation,” starring Carrie Coon, Lily James, Bella Ramsey, Odessa Young, and Tracy Letts; the East Coast Premiere of Rachel Morrison’s “Love of Your Life,” starring Margaret Qualley, Aaron Pierre, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Gabriel Basso, and Catherine Keener; James Gray’s “Paper Tiger,” starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller; the North American Premiere of Lance Hammer’s “Queen at Sea,” starring Juliette Binoche, Tom Courtenay, Anna Calder-Marshall, Florence Hunt; the East Coast Premiere of Jennifer Peedom’s “Tenzing,” starring Genden Phuntsok, Tom Hiddleston, Willem Dafoe, Caitríona Balfe, Tenzin Dalha and Thinley Lhamo; the US Premiere of Trudie Styler’s “Up Against It,” starring Antonio Banderas, Eva Birthistle, and Forest Whitaker; and the East Coast Premiere of Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine,” starring John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits, and Parker Posey.
Academy Award nominee Bob Balaban will receive the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award, presented Sunday, October 11.
A longtime East End resident and HamptonsFilm Board Member, Balaban has built a prolific career across film and television, with credits including “Gosford Park,” “Moonrise Kingdom,” “Best in Show,” “For Your Consideration,” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” In addition to his celebrated work as an actor, Balaban has directed films including “Bernard and Doris,” “The Exonerated,” “Georgia O’Keeffe,” and “The Last Good Time,” which received the HIFF Audience Award in 1994.
The festival will also honor Academy Award-winning filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller with the Achievement in Directing Award for their work on “Project Hail Mary,” the 2026 blockbuster starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, and James Ortiz. The film is Amazon MGM Studios’ highest-grossing film of all time and had the second-biggest domestic opening weekend for a non-franchise, original live-action film. Lord and Miller will join the festival on Saturday, October 3, for a special conversation.
The festival will present Jordan Firstman’s “Club Kid” in its Spotlight section on Thursday, October 8, in East Hampton. In addition to directing, Firstman also wrote, produced, and starred in the film. Starring alongside Firstman are Reggie Absolom, Diego Calva, Cara Delevingne, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Colleen Camp. The film will be accompanied by a post-screening conversation with Firstman, who will also receive the festival’s FLYTE Breakthrough Director Award.
Rosalind Eleazar will also receive one of the festival’s FLYTE Breakthrough Performer Awards for her performance in “Misty Green” on Wednesday, October 7. Directed by Chris Rock, Eleazar stars alongside Rock, Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, and Anna Kendrick. Eleazar’s performance has already received early praise and excitement, with many already predicting her as a standout of the season.
The festival also features selections in World Cinema Narratives, World Cinema Documentary, Competition Documentary, The Compassion, Justice and Animals section, and Films of Conflict and Resolution, and a selection of Shorts.
“This year’s HIFF lineup is a true reflection of the breadth and vitality of contemporary cinema that we strive to celebrate and champion,” said Executive Director Bob Feinberg. “We’re especially proud to present the North American premiere of ‘Mouse,’ a film that has its roots in our 2020 Screenwriters Lab — there’s nothing more rewarding than watching a project we championed early come full circle. Audiences can also look forward to our Directing Award and Anatomy of a Scene conversation with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, a special appearance and program from Sara Bareilles, and a screening honoring Bob Balaban that celebrates his extraordinary career. What makes HIFF especially meaningful is the opportunity to experience these films and conversations alongside the artists who created them, and we look forward to another year of discovery, conversation, and celebration in the Hamptons. Cinema creates community, and this festival is proof of that every year.”
Sponsored by Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, with support from the Suffolk County Film Commission, additional titles included in this year’s Views from Long Island section includes the North American Premiere of Lindsey Ryan’s “Capsized,” featuring Rhys Ifans, Lily Rabe, Sarah Catherine Hook, Griffin Gluck, Eli Goss, Joan Stein, Ada Bland, as well as the previously announced World Premiere of Jake Silbermann’s “Barbizon,” featuring Erica Pappas, Jake Silbermann, Michael DeGrandpre, McKenna Parsons, and the World Premiere of Eric Weber and Nick Weber’s “Not Dead Yet,” featuring Richard Kind, Paul Raci, Polly Draper, Tovah Feldshuh, Toby Huss, Seth Herzog, Ed German, and Bill Smitrovich.
The festival will close with Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson’s “Wicker,” screening Monday, October 12. Starring Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Elizabeth Debicki and Peter Dinklage, the film follows an ostracized fisherwoman (Colman) who commissions a husband from the local basketmaker (Dinklage). When her wicker husband (Skarsgård) proves more spectacular than she ever imagined, his soulful spirit and unique prowess awaken something within her, unleashing a wave of jealousy, fascination and upheaval that threatens the very fabric of village life.
Continuing the Festival’s 34-year tradition of showcasing artwork by Hamptons-based artists, this year’s official poster by East Hampton resident Almond Zigmund features “Red, White and Blue” (2025), a 22 x 30-inch monoprint on paper created by Zigmund with master printer Samuel Havens at The Church in Sag Harbor.
“Living and working on the East End has deeply influenced my practice, the complex landscape, the interface of the natural and built environments, as well as the remarkable community of artists who call this place home. It’s an honor to have my work represent this year’s Hamptons International Film Festival — a celebration of creativity that, like visual art, invites us to see the world through alternate perspectives,” said Zigmund.
Visit hamptonsfilmfest.org for the full lineup.