The Hamptons International Film Festival Announces Full 2020 Slate

Details

Category: Entertainment News

Published on Thursday, 17 September 2020 09:49

Written by Janet Walker

2020 Hamptons International Film Festival Lineup:

OPENING NIGHT FILM

WITH DRAWN ARMS

dir. Glenn Kaino, Afshin Shahidi (USA), 2020

World Premiere A59434

While the national anthem played during the 1968 Olympics, gold medal-winning champion Tommie Smith proudly raised his fist in the air; this act of silent protest has become one of the most recognizable images in the history of sports. Almost fifty years later, Smith has partnered with artist Glenn Kaino to help explore and expand his legacy. In the process, the duo travel around the country, meeting with key figures who were inspired by Smith's sacrifice and working on new art projects designed to connect Smith's intention to a new generation. The untold story of his sacrifice becomes a cautionary tale of how we must work together to keep each other's stories alive, and a reminder of how much, but also how little, has changed for athletes who are using their voices to make a difference. Also screening in the Films of Conflict & Resolution section.

CLOSING NIGHT FILM

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI... 

dir. Regina King (USA), 2020

On one incredible night in 1964, four icons of sports, music, and activism gather to celebrate one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. When underdog Cassius Clay, soon to be called Muhammad Ali, (Eli Goree), defeats heavy weight champion Sonny Liston at the Miami Convention Hall, Clay memorialized the event with three of his friends: Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom, Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge).

Based on the award-winning play of the same name, ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI... is a fictional account inspired by the historic night these four formidable figures spent together. It looks at the struggles these men faced and the vital role they each played in the civil rights movement and cultural upheaval of the 1960s.  More than 40 years later, their conversations on racial injustice, religion, and personal responsibility still resonate.  An Amazon Studios Release.

SPOTLIGHT FILMS

AMMONITE

dir. Francis Lee (UK/Australia/USA), 2020 

U.S. Premiere

Mary (Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet), a gifted paleontologist long overlooked by patriarchal scientific societies in 19th-century England, works alone, searching for common fossils on the rugged coastline to sell to tourists. When a wealthy visitor entrusts Mary with the care of his grieving wife Charlotte (Academy Award® nominee Saoirse Ronan), she cannot afford to turn his offer down. Despite the initial clash between their social classes and personalities, the pair soon develop an intense bond, compelling them to determine the true nature of their relationship. A powerful follow-up to his award-winning GOD'S OWN COUNTRY, Francis Lee's AMMONITE is a vivid and raw love story that honors the lives of pioneering women unappreciated in their own time.  A Neon Release.

THE FATHER

dir. Florian Zeller (UK/France), 2020

Roguish, feisty, and staunchly in denial about his ailing memory, 80-year-old Anthony (Academy Award® winner Anthony Hopkins) defiantly lives alone in his London flat and rejects each and every caretaker his dutiful daughter, Anne (Academy Award® winner Olivia Colman) attempts to hire. But she cannot continue to care for him alone, and Anthony's grasp on reality and his sense of self soon begin to unravel, casting him as the unreliable narrator of his own story. Seamlessly adapted from his award-winning play of the same name, and anchored by two spectacular performances, Florian Zeller's astonishing directorial debut is a deeply moving, uncompromisingly empathetic contemplation of how illness can strip away everything from those afflicted and those who are closest to them.  A Sony Pictures Classics Release.

MINARI

dir. Lee Isaac Chung (USA), 2020 

East Coast Premiere

A tender and sweeping story about what roots us, MINARI follows a Korean-American family as they relocate to a tiny Arkansas farm in search of their own American Dream. Amidst the instability and challenges of this new life in the rugged Ozarks, the dynamics of the family home change completely with the arrival of their sly, foul-mouthed, but incredibly loving grandmother. A breakout at this year's Sundance Film Festival, and anchored by a heartfelt lead performance by Steven Yeun (BURNING, The Walking Dead), director Lee Isaac Chung's MINARI shows the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.  An A24 Release.

NINE DAYS

dir. Edson Oda (USA), 2020
East Coast Premiere

Living in a lonely outpost in an unknown, metaphysical realm, Will (Winston Duke) is tasked with observing those going about their days on Earth. When an unexpected tragic event leaves a vacancy for a new life, Will must carefully whittle five prospective candidates down to one worthy soul: the winner has the opportunity to be born, while the others lose that chance forevermore. But Will soon faces his own existential challenge in the form of Emma (Zazie Beetz), a free-spirited candidate unlike the others, and he is forced to reckon with his own tumultuous past. An extraordinary feature debut, Edson Oda's brilliant and haunting piece grapples with the enormous complexity of the human condition.  A Sony Pictures Classics Release.

NOMADLAND

dir. Chloé Zhao (USA), 2020

In the aftermath of the economic collapse and with no opportunities left in her small Nevada town, Fern (Academy Award® winner Frances McDormand) packs her van and embarks on a peripatetic life, outside the norms of conventional society. As she drives along the dusty highways of the American West in her beaten-down RV, she encounters a community of like-minded individuals (many played by real-life nomads) who eventually become her mentors and friends. Inspired by Jessica Bruder's nonfiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, director Chloé Zhao's (THE RIDER) latest film is a sweeping tale of displacement, a dust-brushed depiction of people drifting away, further and further towards the outskirts of society.  A Searchlight Release.

SOUND OF METAL

dir. Darius Marder (Belgium/USA), 2019

East Coast Premiere

During a series of adrenaline-fueled one-night gigs, itinerant punk-metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) begins to experience intermittent hearing loss. When a specialist tells him his condition will rapidly worsen, he thinks his music career—and with it his life—is over. His bandmate and girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) checks the recovering heroin addict into a secluded sober house for the deaf, in hopes it will prevent a relapse and help him learn to adapt to his new situation. But after being welcomed into a community that accepts him just as he is, Ruben has to choose between his equilibrium and the drive to reclaim the life he once knew. Utilizing startling, innovative sound design techniques, director Darius Marder takes audiences inside Ruben's experience to vividly recreate his journey into a rarely examined world.  An Amazon Studios Release.

WANDER DARKLY

dir. Tara Miele (USA), 2020

East Coast Premiere 

In WANDER DARKLY, a traumatic accident leaves a couple, Adrienne (Sienna Miller) and Matteo (Diego Luna), in a surreal state of being that takes them on a disorienting journey through the duality of their shared moments.  By reliving fond recollections from the beginning of their romance while also navigating the overwhelming truths of their present, they must rediscover the love that truly binds them together. Writer/director Tara Miele offers a profound new perspective on the delicate nature of relationships with this emotionally moving story about a couple who must reflect on their past in order to face their uncertain future.

VIEWS FROM LONG ISLAND

HARRY CHAPIN: WHEN IN DOUBT, DO SOMETHING

dir. Rick Korn (USA), 2020

World Premiere

Harry Chapin, the award-winning songwriter behind beloved hits such as 'Cats in the Cradle' and 'Taxi,' defined his life through his storytelling and his humanitarian work. In this deeply moving portrait, documentarian Rick Korn chronicles the Long Island icon's extraordinary journey—from his rise to fame to his tragic, untimely death. Through intimate archival footage and interviews with his famous friends and fans—including Billy Joel, Pete Seeger, Pat Benatar, Bruce Springsteen, and many more—HARRY CHAPIN: WHEN IN DOUBT DO SOMETHING celebrates the legacy of an artist and activist who tirelessly dedicated himself to others, and offers an inspiring call to follow in his footsteps.  A Greenwich Entertainment Release.

THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS 

dir. Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw (Italy/USA/Greece), 2020

Simultaneously intimate and visually opulent in its storytelling, THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS exquisitely portrays a simpler but endangered way of living in harmony with nature. The White Alba Truffle, the world's most expensive ingredient, has remained for centuries an elusive and prized possession. Extremely rare and difficult to find, the only ones who have mastered the secret of the hunt are a dwindling community of aging Italian men and their specially-trained dogs. Masterfully crafted by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw (THE LAST RACE, HIFF 2018), this whimsical and charming documentary is an enthralling exploration of a ritual suspended in time.  A Sony Pictures Classic Release.

COMPASSION, JUSTICE, AND ANIMAL RIGHTS

STRAY

dir. Elizabeth Lo (USA), 2020

Through the eyes of three stray dogs (Zeytin, Nazar, and Kartal) wandering the streets of Istanbul, STRAY explores what it means to live as a being without status or security. As they search for food and shelter, the dogs embark on inconspicuous journeys through Turkish society that allow us an unvarnished portrait of human life. Disparate lives intersect when they each form intimate bonds with a group of young Syrians who share the streets with them. Whether they lead us into bustling streets or decrepit ruins, the gaze of these strays act as windows into the overlooked corners of society: women in loveless marriages, protesters without arms, refugees without sanctuary. The film is a critical observation of human civilization through the unfamiliar gaze of dogs and a sensory voyage into new ways of seeing.  A Magnolia Pictures Release.

AIR, LAND & SEA 

I AM GRETA

U.S. Premiere

dir. Nathan Grossman (Sweden), 2020

Back in 2018, 15-year-old Greta Thunberg organized a one-person protest for climate action by setting up camp in front of the Swedish Parliament building with a simple sign: "School Strike for Climate." Just one year later, she finds herself at the forefront of a global movement borne of her activism, invited to speak at high-profile institutions across the world, from European Parliament to the 2019 UN Climate Summit in New York. Showcasing candid, never-before-seen footage, Nathan Grossman's documentary tracks both her meteoric rise to prominence from a shy student to a two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, and the indelible impact she has had on a new generation of climate change activists.  A HULU Release.