Founded 1993 Language International | Festival date October | |
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The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is an international film festival founded in 1993, the festival has since taken place every year in East Hampton, New York. It is usually an annual five-day event in mid-October and is held in theatre venues located in the Long Island area of New York, United States. Approximately 18,000 visitors attend each festival and close to a hundred films are featured each year, including an annual representation of at least twenty countries and an awards package worth over $200,000. HIFF was founded as a celebration of independent film in a variety of forms, and to provide a forum for independent filmmakers with differing global perspectives. The festival places a particular emphasis upon new filmmakers with a diversity of ideas, as a means to not only provide public exposure for festival content and its creators, but to also inspire and enlighten audiences. The festival has presented films that have subsequently been considered highly successful productions; the 2008 event featured eventual winners of the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Independent Spirit Award "Best Picture" accolades, and the 2011 season consisted of 24 Academy Award nominations.
Contents
- Special presentations
- Golden Starfish Prizes
- Sponsored Awards
- Audience Awards
- Screenwriters Lab
- References
The festival is also involved with other events during the remainder of the year, including screenings in other parts of New York State and an annual Screenwriters Lab.
Special presentations
HIFF primarily showcases short films, documentaries and narrative films and is a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards. The festival also offers special presentations, including:
Golden Starfish Prizes
Sponsored Awards
Audience Awards
Screenwriters' Lab
The Hamptons Screenwriters’ Lab is an intimate gathering that takes place each Spring in East Hampton. The Lab seeks to develop new screenwriting talent by introducing established writers to emerging screenwriters, the latter having been chosen by the organizers of the film festival and key industry contacts. The mentors advise in a "one-on-one" laboratory setting, whilst scheduled daily events allow participants to engage with board members, sponsors, the local creative community and other festival supporters. The Lab facilitates the improvement of participating screenwriters' work, as the selected writers consult with industry professionals to attain insight into the mechanisms of the film industry.
Recent mentors include: Michael Cunningham (The Hours, Evening); James Vanderbilt (Zodiac); J. Robin Baitz (People I Know, The Substance of Fire); Whit Stillman (Metropolitan, The Last Days of Disco); Ira Sachs (Forty Shades of Blue, This Married Life); Jeff Sharp (Producer, You Can Count on Me, Evening); Maria Maggenti (The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love); Sabrina Dhawan (Monsoon Wedding, Cosmopolitan); Gregory Widen (Highlander, Backdraft); Mark Christopher (54); Maggie Greenwald (Songcatcher, Ballad of Little Jo); Belinda Haas (Angels & Insects, The Blood Oranges); Lawrence Lasker (Sneakers, WarGames); Michael Weller (Ragtime, Hair, Spoils of War); Chap Taylor (Changing Lanes, National Treasure); and Dylan Kidd (Roger Dodger, P.S.).
The Lab actively seeks a broad selection of screenplays that cumulatively address a diversity of subject matter. The Lab also encourages the submission of fresh, innovative screenplays that explore science, technology, mathematics, invention and engineering as part of its partnership with The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s initiative to further the public understanding of science.