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

WORLD CINEMA

THE CLIMB

dir. Michael Angelo Covino (USA), 2019 

Best friends Mike (writer-director Michael Angelo Covino) and Kyle (co-writer Kyle Marvin) share a close bond—that is, until a startling confession made on a scenic, mountain bike ride through the South of France threatens to derail their longtime relationship. This revelation launches the pair on an epic, multi-chapter odyssey, as they navigate the ups and downs of their co-dependent, often chaotic, and yet inescapable friendship. Skillfully told through a series of cleverly constructed "single take" scenes, THE CLIMB hilariously chronicles their complicated and unshakable bond with equal parts absurdity and humanity.  A Sony Pictures Classics Release.

CODED BIAS

dir. Shalini Kantayya (USA/UK/China), 2020 

Modern society sits at the intersection of two crucial questions: What does it mean when artificial intelligence increasingly governs our liberties? And what are the consequences for the people AI is biased against? When MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini discovers that most facial-recognition software does not accurately identify darker-skinned faces and the faces of women, she delves into an investigation of widespread bias in algorithms. As it turns out, artificial intelligence is not neutral, and women are leading the charge to ensure our civil rights are protected.

CRAZY, NOT INSANE

dir. Alex Gibney (USA), 2020

U.S. Premiere

Why do we kill? Why do some of us kill, and others resist the temptation? What makes a serial killer? Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis, a psychiatrist who's examined numerous serial killers, including Ted Bundy, sought to answer these questions. Her research videotapes, seen here for the first time, show evidence of multiple personalities formed from childhood trauma. Fascinated by the human capacity for ruthlessness, Lewis is a different kind of homicide detective, less interested in what happened than why.  An HBO Documentary Films Release.

FAREWELL AMOR

dir. Ekwa Msangi (USA), 2019

Ekwa Msangi's captivating debut feature is a poignant, tripartite, intergenerational study of the immigrant experience. After 17 years, an Angolan immigrant in New York City welcomes his wife and daughter when their visas are finally approved. Upon their reunion, the family must contend with the strain that years of separation has had on their relationships. Msangi skillfully illuminates the new familial dynamic and explores all the intricate ways in which people drift apart and discover each other again. A personal look at the layered experience of immigration and assimilation in America, FAREWELL AMOR beautifully explores the nature of memories and the meaning of home.  An IFC Films Release.

FIREBALL: VISITORS FROM DARK WORLDS

dir. Werner Herzog, Clive Oppenheimer (USA), 2020

U.S. Premiere

In his latest attempt to better understand the mysteries of the natural world, the venerable Werner Herzog turns his attention to meteors, comets, and asteroids. Reuniting with co-director Clive Oppenheimer, with whom Herzog previously explored volcanoes in the film INTO THE INFERNO (HIFF 2016), the pair embark on an epic, globetrotting journey to consult with astronomers, archaeologists, and mythologists who reveal the various physical, historical, and cultural impacts these cosmic wonders have had on Earth. A holistic rumination on past, present, and future realms, FIREBALL: VISITORS FROM DARKER WORLDS is a thoughtful exploration of the many ways these celestial curiosities have stirred the human imagination.  An Apple Original Film Release.

GUNDA

dir. Victor Kossakovsky (Norway/USA), 2020

In a remarkable feat of vérité filmmaking, documentarian Victor Kossakovsky gently immerses us in the life of a Norwegian farm through intimate, unspooling encounters with two clever cows, a scene-stealing, one-legged chicken, and the majestic Gunda -- the eponymous mother sow who has recently given birth to a rambunctious bunch of piglets. Shot in sharply textured black-and-white, and eschewing any dialogue or music, Kossakovsky chronicles their joy and their pain with great empathy and respect. Executive produced by Joaquin Phoenix, GUNDA movingly recalibrates our moral universe, and reminds us of the inherent value of life and the mystery of all animal beings.

HERSELF 

dir. Phyllida Lloyd (Ireland/UK), 2020

East Coast Premiere 

In the wake of a physically abusive relationship and a looming housing crisis, Irish single mother Sandra (Clare Dunne) struggles to provide her two young daughters a safe and happy home. Attempting to free herself from her toxic marriage, and determined to create some stability and security for her family, Sandra sets out to build her own house from scratch. With little income and no savings, Sandra must rely on her own ingenuity and the generosity of her friends to make this ambitious dream a reality. Featuring sharp direction from Phyllida Lloyd (MAMMA MIA!, THE IRON LADY), HERSELF is an inspiring tale of a community coming together to support one woman's fight for independence.  An Amazon Studios Release.

ROSE PLAYS JULIE

dir. Joe Lawlor, Christine Molloy (Ireland/UK), 2019

U.S. Premiere

Yearning to know more about her mysterious past, Irish veterinary student Rose (Ann Skelly) travels to London in the hopes of establishing contact with her biological mother Ellen (Orla Brady), a successful television actress. In the process, she unearths the shocking truth about the troubling nature of how she came into this world, setting her on a violent collision course that threatens to destroy her already fragile sense of her own identity. With perfectly calibrated performances and exquisite direction from Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy (MISTER JOHN, HIFF 2013), ROSE PLAYS JULIE is a nerve-racking, slow burn thriller that is as precise as it is unpredictable.  A Film Movement Release.

UNDINE 

dir. Christian Petzold (Germany/France), 2020 

Legend holds that if the water nymph Undine falls in love with a human and he becomes unfaithful, she must kill him and return to the water. Acclaimed auteur Christan Petzold (PHOENIX, TRANSIT) builds on this myth in his heady, mesmerizing tale of love gained and lost, steeped in magical realism. Undine (a fantastic Paula Beer) works as a Berlin city historian. When her boyfriend leaves her, her world seems to tilt off its axis, but when she unexpectedly falls for another man (Franz Rogowski), she dares hope this powerful new romance will finally shatter the curse. Hypnotic and bewitching, UNDINE is a love story unlike any other.  An IFC Films Release.

US KIDS

dir. Kim A. Snyder (USA), 2020

New York Premiere

When a gunman entered the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine's Day 2018, gruesome images of the deadliest high school shooting in US history quickly emerged. In the massacre's aftermath, students unite in their frustration at the inaction of elected officials. Over the next month, their actions grow into the nationwide March For Our Lives movement, the largest youth protest in American history. Peabody Award-winning director Kim A. Snyder (NEWTOWN) follows the teenage activists as they fight for gun control and compel the political system into action. Insightful and rousing, US KIDS chronicles a new generation of youth leaders and their remarkable dedication to enact change.

TRUMAN & TENNESSEE: AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION

dir. Lisa Immordino Vreeland (USA), 2020

East Coast Premiere

Lisa Immordino Vreeland's (LOVE, CECIL, HIFF 2017) latest documentary is an intimate, candid portrait of two luminaries of American literature—Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams. Jim Parsons (voicing Capote) and Zachary Quinto (voicing Williams) lovingly recreate this complicated relationship through the pair's personal writings, encapsulating their early days of friendship as well as the eventual unsparing critiques they famously traded. Compellingly assembled from archival footage and photographs, TRUMAN & TENNESSEE: AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION captures in their own words a fascinating tableau of two brilliant artists who collaborated and collided in their lifelong pursuit of creativity.

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

COLLECTIVE

dir. Alexander Nanau (Romania/Luxembourg), 2019 

East Coast Premiere

After a deadly fire in a Bucharest nightclub killed dozens, Romania's government pledged that the 100+ citizens left injured would receive immediate and substantial treatment. But in the months that followed, those with what seemed like treatable injuries inexplicably died, prompting an unlikely group of journalists to launch an investigation. The scandal they unearth reaches into the highest levels of government, leading to mass protests across Romania and the toppling of the Prime Minister. Following the investigation as it progresses, Alexander Nanau's revelatory documentary is a powerful indictment of governmental corruption and a tribute to those working tirelessly to uncover the truth.  A Magnolia Pictures Release.

I AM A TOWN 

dir. Mischa Richter (USA), 2020 

Nestled at the end of a remote peninsula, and protected by a circling school of great white sharks, lies Provincetown, MA—a historic New England fishing village turned vibrant arts colony. In his documentary debut, local artist Mischa Richter crafts a gorgeous love letter to the free-spirited community his family has called home for nearly 100 years. Interweaving lush 35mm cinematography, poetry, and intimate conversations with the diverse, vivacious inhabitants—from pilgrims and fishermen to drag queens and spirit guides—I AM A TOWN is a lyrical meditation on the personalities that define this seaside community. 

TIME

dir. Garrett Bradley (USA), 2020

Fox Rich is a fighter. The entrepreneur, abolitionist and mother of six boys has spent the last two decades campaigning for the release of her husband, Rob G. Rich, who is serving a 60-year sentence for a robbery they both committed in the early 90s in a moment of desperation. Combining the video diaries Fox has recorded for Rob over the years with intimate glimpses of her present-day life, director Garrett Bradley paints a mesmerizing portrait of the resilience and radical love necessary to prevail over the endless separations of the country's prison-industrial complex.  An Amazon Studios Release.

NARRATIVE COMPETITION 

I CARRY YOU WITH ME

dir. Heidi Ewing (USA/Mexico), 2020

Based on a true love story, Academy Award® nominee Heidi Ewing's (JESUS CAMP) narrative debut unfolds with startling intimacy. Iván and Gerardo are involved in a surreptitious romance as Iván, an aspiring chef and a young father, is looking for better-paying jobs in the macho-centric restaurant industry in Mexico City. When their relationship is uncovered, Iván risks everything to attempt the dangerous trek across the US-Mexico border, promising his son and lover that he will return. A radiant, decades-long story of romance and longing—and a candid take on the American Dream—I CARRY YOU WITH ME beautifully pays homage to its real-life subjects.  A Sony Pictures Classics Release.

THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, IT'S A RESURRECTION

dir. Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese (Lesotho/South Africa/Italy), 2019

East Coast Premiere

In his arresting and unforgettable fiction debut, writer-director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese crafts a beguiling parable of displacement and resilience. In a small village nestled among the imposing mountains of land-locked Lesotho, octogenarian Mantoa (Mary Twala Mhlongo) prepares for her death, longing to be buried in the centuries-old cemetery with the rest of her departed family and ancestors. As she is making arrangements for her burial, she learns that the community is soon to be forcibly resettled in order to make way for a reservoir, and their entire village, history and traditions will disappear under water. Dreamlike and hypnotic, the film is an expressionistic elegy for things lost, and for memory itself.

TWO OF US

dir. Filippo Meneghetti (France/Luxembourg/Belgium), 2019

East Coast Premiere

Nina and Madeleine are two retired women living across the hall from each other. To the outside world, including Madeleine's family, they are merely neighbors, but in reality the two have been carrying on a secret love affair for decades. When an unexpected incident intercedes in their previously blissful happiness, their carefully crafted story begins to unravel. Beautifully acted by Barbara Sukowa and Martine Chevallier, Filippo Meneghetti's remarkable feature film debut is an electrifying, gripping chamber piece.  A Magnolia Pictures Release.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT COMPETITION

3 LOGICAL EXITS

dir. Mandi Fleifel (Denmark/UK/Lebanon), 2020

A sociological meditation on the various "exits" young Palestinians choose in order to cope with living in a refugee camp.

CHARACTER

dir. Vera Brunner-Sung (USA), 2020 

East Coast Premiere

Actor Mark Metcalf established himself by playing an array of aggrieved authority figures. Now in his 70s, he reflects back on his life and career in this meditation on power, privilege, and the perils of being a "type."

ÊMÎCÊTÔCÊT: MANY BLOODLINES

dir. Theola Ross (Canada), 2020 

New York Premiere

An Indigenous filmmaker and her white partner reflect on their differences in race, culture, class, and gender roles as they document their journey to parenthood.

THE GAME 

dir. Roman Hodel (Switzerland), 2020

U.S. Premiere

The exhilarating highs and lows of a professional soccer match, all from the watchful perspective of a referee at the very heart of the action.

I'M FREE NOW, YOU ARE FREE

dir. Ash Goh Hua (USA), 2020

Following a 40-year, state-sanctioned separation, the reunion and the repair of the relationship between a mother and son serve as a meditation on Black family preservation as an act of resistance.

NARRATIVE SHORT COMPETITION 

THE CHICKEN

dir. Neo Sora (USA), 2020

On an unseasonably hot November afternoon in New York, a young Japanese immigrant and his visiting cousin spontaneously decide to buy a live chicken to cook for dinner.

ENTRE TÚ Y MILAGROS

dir. Mariana Saffon (Colombia), 2020

North American Premiere 

At fifteen, Milagros's world still revolves around her mother's affection, until an unexpected encounter with death makes her question not only their relationship, but her own existence.

GRAMERCY 

Dir. Jamil McGinnis, Pat Heywood (USA), 2020

When Shaq, a young man grappling with depression, returns to his New Jersey hometown, his exploration of grief and brotherhood transforms into the imagining of an inner life.

HEAVEN REACHES DOWN TO EARTH

dir. Tebogo Malebogo (South Africa), 2020 

North American Premiere 

Once Tau comes to a realization about their sexuality, a cascade of thoughts and emotions are set aflame in Tumelo.

HISTORY OF CIVILIZATION

dir. Zhannat Alshanova (Kazakhstan), 2020 

U.S. Premiere

A young academic prepares to leave her home in Kazakhstan for a fresh start in London. On the eve of her move, she dares to consider what will be left behind. 

UNIVERSITY SHORT FILM SHOWCASE

HEADING SOUTH

dir. Yuan Yuan (China/USA), 2020

Eight-year-old Chasuna visits her father in the big city, where she is greeted by an unwelcome surprise.

PARACHUTE

dir. Katherine Tolentino (USA), 2020

New York Premiere 

Wendy, a teenage Chinese immigrant, struggles to acclimate to life as a high school student in the United States. Then Mei-Ling arrives.

ROUND 0

dir. Sonia Ladidà Schiavone (Iceland/Italy), 2020 

U.S. Premiere

A group of Icelandic boxers train for the Nordic Championship, until a serious accident risks compromising their futures—both as athletes and as young men.

TAPE

dir. Jojo Erholtz (USA), 2020 

New York Premiere 

A young hockey player struggles to repair her relationship with her teammate as they prepare for the team's pre-qualifying match.

TO THE DUSTY SEA 

dir. Héloïse Ferlay (France), 2020

East Coast Premiere 

On a sweltering summer day, a pair of siblings try their best to catch their mother's elusive eye.

ON THE ROAD TO FIND OUT - SHORTS 

BETYE SAAR: TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS 

dir. Christine Turner (USA), 2020

New York Premiere 

At 93, there's no stopping when it comes to the legendary artist Betye Saar.

BLACKHEADS

dir. Emily Ann Hoffman (USA), 2020

A young woman copes with bad therapy, a broken heart, and blackheads.

BROKEN BIRD

dir. Rachel Harrison Gordon (USA), 2020 

Caught between two worlds, a biracial girl prepares for her Bat Mitzvah.

CHUJ BOYS OF SUMMER

dir. Max Walker-Silverman (USA/Guatemala), 2020

U.S. Premiere

Speaking only his native language, a Guatemalan teenager begins his new life in rural Colorado.

DAFA METTI (DIFFICULT)

dir. Tal Amiran (UK/France), 2019 

Under the glittering lights of the Eiffel Tower, undocumented Senegalese migrants sell souvenirs of the monument to support their families back home.

HIRAETH

dir. Jimmy Goldblum (USA/Lebanon), 2020

U.S. Premiere

After leaving Syria on a single-entry visa to the USA, architect and artist Mohamad Hafez makes the life-changing decision to recreate the home he left behind.