The Hilaria & Alec Baldwin Foundation Help Hamptons International Film Festival Launch Scholarship Fund

This year, the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is helping a lucky group of East End-based budding filmmakers further their filmmaking dreams by awarding scholarships to five graduating seniors.

“Our youth are the next generation of storytellers, and it is important that HIFF continue to provide access to the filmmaking arts,” explained Anne Chaisson, Executive Director. “Our goal is to give students the opportunity to discover what inspires them, and to explore their dreams.”

Launching with support from The Hilaria & Alec Baldwin Foundation, the inaugural HIFF scholarship fund will commemorate one student from Southampton, East Hampton, Bridgehampton, The Ross School, and Pierson High School in Sag Harbor. In addition to receiving $1,000, the honorees will also be awarded a HIFF Filmmaker Discovery Package so they can take in firsthand what happens when your dreams come to fruition during the 25th anniversary Hamptons International Film Festival.

Additionally, for the first time ever, HIFF will award two full-admission scholarships to students to attend the annual Summer Student Filmmaking Workshops in the Hamptons. During the workshops, HIFF will provide a creative outlet for students as HIFF mentors cover a comprehensive introduction to filmmaking, leaving attendees with the know how to successfully kick start their own projects. The Summer Student Filmmaking Workshops will be held at Guild Hall in East Hampton from Monday, July 24 through Friday, July 28 and at the Southampton Arts Center in Southampton from Monday, August 7 through Friday, August 11.

“The aim of our Student Summer Filmmaking workshops is to cultivate fresh filmmaking talent in the Hamptons community and to encourage aspiring filmmakers to embrace their passion,” shared HIFF Manager of Education and Community Outreach, Marissa Friedes Cangiolosi. “We are excited to provide students with the chance to take the first step into the industry and learn from leaders in the entertainment world.”

HIFF also recently presented a Compassion, Justice, & Animal Rights short film screening and student filmmaker panel for 200 4th and 5th graders at John M Marshall Elementary School in East Hampton, and will host similar viewings at the Springs School in June and The Ross School in the fall. These screenings highlight films that were inspired by the United Nations Plural + Program, a collaborative venture of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the International Organization for Migration that has teamed up with HIFF for the last three years.

For more information, visit hamptonsfilmfest.org.