The 30th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival Announces First Films

The 30th Annual Hamptons Film Festival will run as an extended 10-day event from October 7-16, 2022. As part of this year’s programming the Hamptons International Film Festival will host the the world premiere screenings of five films, including the locally shot WHO INVITED CHARLIE?, directed by Xavier Manrique, screening as both a Spotlight selection and as part of the Signature Program Views from Long Island section, supported by Suffolk County Film Commission. The feature, which was shot out East, stars Jordana Brewster, Adam Pally, and Reid Scott, and follows a family hiding out in the Hamptons as their bubble is popped when a Bloody Mary-swilling, pot-smoking ‘Charlie’ from their past shows up seeking refuge.

Additional world premieres at this year’s festival include discovery+’s JANUARY 6TH, directed by ​​Jules and Gédéon Naudet and screening as part of the World Cinema Documentary section, which examines January 6th from the unique perspective of the heroes, first responders, and survivors of the attack as they reveal their first-hand experience of the stand.

World Cinema Narrative selection PINBALL – THE MAN WHO SAVED THE GAME, directed by Austin and Meredith Bragg and starring Crystal Reed, Damian Young, and Mike Doyle, which follows an unsettled writer and his journey to save the game of pinball while also facing life’s challenges.

Discovery+’s A RADICAL LIFE, directed by Ricki Stern and screening as part of the Films of Conflict & Resolution section, which takes an unfiltered look at the former First Lady of ISIS, Tania Joya, who for 12 years was married to John Georgelas, the highest ranking American in ISIS.

World Cinema Documentary selection THE VOLCANO: RESCUE FROM WHAKAARI, directed by Rory Kennedy and distributed by Netflix, which shares a minute-by-minute account of unsuspecting tourists caught in a tragic volcanic eruption while sightseeing on an island off New Zealand in 2019, and celebrates the survivors, as well as the everyday people who courageously came to their rescue.

“It is with great enthusiasm that we are able to once again welcome our film-loving community back to our theaters out East for the 30th anniversary of the festival,” said David Nugent, HamptonsFilm Artistic Director. “With a diverse and robust selection of narrative and documentary films, we are excited to share unique, thrilling stories from this year’s talented filmmakers. We feel so proud to play host to a number of World Premiere screenings, and are honored that these brilliant storytellers have chosen to screen their films for audiences for the first time here at HIFF.”

The festival also announced the first group of narrative and documentary films that will screen as part of the World Cinema sections. In the World Cinema Narrative section, HIFF will screen MUBI’s DECISION TO LEAVE, directed by HIFF alum Park Chan-wook, about a detective investigating a man’s mysterious death in the mountains who finds himself emotionally entwined with the man’s suspicious widow; as well as the previously mentioned PINBALL – THE MAN WHO SAVED THE GAME. The World Cinema Documentary section will feature DESPERATE SOULS, DARK CITY AND THE LEGEND OF MIDNIGHT COWBOY, directed by Nancy Buirski, which tells the unlikely story of MIDNIGHT COWBOY, a film that captured the zeitgeist of the country and connected with American audiences despite a host of obstacles, due to the unwavering vision of its director; Prime Video’s GOOD NIGHT OPPY, directed by Ryan White, which revisits Opportunity, the Mars rover sent to Mars on a 90-day mission, that subsequently captivated the world by surviving 15 years and sending back invaluable images and information about the red planet; as well as the previously mentioned JANUARY 6TH and THE VOLCANO: RESCUE FROM WHAKAARI.

Additional programming includes the Spotlight feature CALL JANE, directed by Phyllis Nagy and distributed by Roadside Attractions. This film follows the story of a brave group of women who ran an underground abortion clinic before the passage of Roe vs. Wade, when women’s reproductive rights were severely restricted. In this year’s Signature Programs, the festival will host Cannes Jury Prize winner EO, distributed by Sideshow and Janus Films, in the Compassion, Justice & Animal Rights section, which is directed by Jerzy Skolimowski and follows a donkey exploring a vision of modern Europe, experiencing joy and pain as he encounters good and bad people along his journey; as well as the previously mentioned A RADICAL LIFE in the Films of Conflict & Resolution section. These distinctive programs are unique to the Hamptons International Film Festival, and bring diverse, thoughtful entertainment to the East End. Additional programming will be announced in the coming weeks.

Passes and packages will be on sale after Labor Day, beginning September 6, 2022. Additionally, a weeklong special Founder Pass sale will take place from August 29 through September 5, 2022.

 For more information, please visit www.hamptonsfilmfest.org.