In celebration of the launch of the inaugural awards dinner, the Hamptons International Film Festival will fete actress Emily Blunt, independent film production company Killer Films, documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles, and longtime festival board chairman Stuart Match Suna.
The gala dinner will take place in East Hampton, New York on Sunday October 11 and proceeds will benefit the festival’s year-round programming initiatives, the annual Screenwriters’ Lab, and the longtime summer initiatives; SummerDocs and the Student Filmmaking Workshops.
"The Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to celebrate independent voices in cinema, and it is in that spirit that we choose to fete this extraordinary group of individuals, each of whom has made a remarkable impact on independent film culture," said festival executive director Anne Chaisson.
During the dinner Blunt ("Sicario," "The Young Victoria," "Devil Wears Prada") will be presented with the Variety Creative Impact in Acting Award. Blunt was previously honored by the festival when she was recognized as one of HIFF's rising stars in 2005.
Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, who founded the New York-based production company Killer Films in 1995, will be honored with the HIFF Industry Award for 20 years of innovative, risk-taking movies and for championing unique voices in independent cinema. Killer Films produced the highly acclaimed "Carol," "Still Alice," "Far From Heaven," "Boys Don't Cry," "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and "Kids."
Documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles will receive a posthumous tribute. Maysles passed away in March 2015 leaving a rich cinematic legacy, including "Grey Gardens," "Gimme Shelter," "Salesman" and "Iris," with the latter winning HIFF’s Audience Award for Documentary in 2014. Maysles' final film "In Transit" will be featured in the festival's World Cinema Documentary program this year.
Suna will be honored for his 18 years as HIFF board chairman. Under his leadership, the Festival expanded into Southampton, Montauk, Sag Harbor, and Westhampton, and evolved into a year-round cultural organization dedicated to championing film culture. After this year’s festival, Suna will become Chair Emeritus, handing the chairman reins over to longtime board members Randy Mastro and Alec Baldwin. Baldwin will present the award to Suna.
U.S. & World
The 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival runs Oct. 8–12 and opens with the Dan Rather memogate drama "Truth."
Ticketing and additional information can be found at hamptonsfilmfest.org.
